basic parliamentary procedure for 4-stronghstrong clubs.pdfVIP

extension.usu.edu August 2008 4-H/Leadership/2008-01pr Basic Parliamentary Procedure for 4-H Clubs Donna Carter, 4-H Extension Agent The 4-H club model provides an excellent forum for youths to experience, practice, and effectively use life skills that will allow them to be successful in living productive and satisfying lives. Leading or participating in a club business meeting gives members an opportunity to plan, evaluate, discuss ideas, and set goals—all important life skills. However, for these skills to be gained, the club leader needs to foster an inclusive environment, where all members have a voice in their club and adult leaders support members in choosing, rather than dictating, the club’s direction. Parliamentary procedure provides a framework that encourages all members to have an equal voice in their club. Robert’s Rules of Order is the standard reference for business meetings and is commonly used in both small and large organizations. Taken to the extreme, strict adherence to Robert’s Rules of Order in a 4-H club setting can be used more as a tool to intimidate and silence those less skilled in its use. However, at its most fundamental level, parliamentary procedure is a valuable resource to ensure each member has a say and to make certain the meeting is conducted efficiently. Responses from surveys conducted in 2004 and 2007 indicated that most Salt Lake and Weber County 4-H clubs did not conduct club business meetings, and consequently missed a key opportunity to help children develop important life skills. One common reason cited was that club leaders had not been trained on how to lead a club business meeting. The following fill-in-the-blank meeting script has been used extensively by the author to teach club members and