GUIDELINES FOR OKLAHOMA EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
4-H Club Membership
Any boy or girl residing in, or attending school in Oklahoma may enroll in Oklahoma 4-H after he or she has reached age nine or has begun the fall semester of the 4th grade, whichever comes first. Boys and girls may remain in 4-H as members provided they have not graduated from high school. Or, if they have graduated they may remain members if they have not passed their 19th birthday by January 1 of the 4-H year.
Youth who have not graduated from high school, or special youth who are older than 19, may enroll with the approval of the OSU Extension staff. These youth may not be eligible to compete in some events-- see rules for specific events.
Membership in 4-H is a privilege and membership may be denied to persons who have been banned from school, school related programs, or who have exhibited a behavior that may place other members or leaders at undue risk. Membership shall not be denied based on race, color, national origin, gender, religion, disability, martial status, or membership or any other organizations.
An individual who meets these requirements and has completed 4-H enrollment card on file in the OSU Extension Center and whose name appears on a club enrollment or computer roster that is on file in the OSU Extension Center is considered to be a bona fide 4-H member. An individual who has completed these requirements is considered to be a member for the remainder of the current 4-H Year. 4-H enrollments will be accepted throughout the 4-H Year.
Individual counties may adopt the " continuous enrollment" mode rather than annual enrollment. In this case, a member may maintain continuous membership status from the time they meet the minimum age requirements until they have reached the upper age limit. Members will be expected to annually notify the ExtensionCenter of their desire to maintain membership. If the member does not take action to maintain "active" status, they may be dropped.
4-H YEAR
The "4-H Year" will be based on a program year beginning October 1 and ending September 30. Ages for the 4-H Year will be based on age on January 1 of that program year.
Place of Membership
Youth must choose to enroll in either county where they reside of the county where they attend school, but not both. Exceptions to this policy must MUST be mutually approved by the Extension staff in EACH of the counties involved. All exceptions to the policy must be established at the beginning of the 4-H year or at the time members join during the year and must be communicated to the 4-H:member's parent(s) in writing. It is recommended that,copies of the agreement be sent to the DistrictExtensionCenter and the County 4-H Leader's Council in each county involved.
If a county does not:offer a particular project, youth may cross county lines to participate in or receive training in another project. However, that youth may not compete on a team representing another county. For example a youth can attend shooting sports training in another county, but must represent their home county in any contests. The certified instructor who has provided training should sign the certification form. Members may transfer their membership from another state or county during the year by completing an enrollment card in the new county where membership is sought. At the time a new card is file in-the new county, all membership rights in the former county are surrendered. When length of membership is required for participation in a specific activity, membership time may be transferred, providing the member completes the new enrollment procedure in a timely fashion according to above policies.
Participation of pre-9 Year Olds in 4-H
Cloverbud membership will be granted to children 5 years oldthrough 3rd grade. The Cloverbud program is family-oriented and is non-competitive. Due to the development skills of this age group, Cloverbud members WILL NOT be permitted to., participate in events where they or their projects are compared or judged against their peers. Fund raising by Cloverbuds is inappropriate. Cloverbud members may participate in non-competitive activities on a local or county basis as deemed appropriate by the OSU Extension Staff and Volunteer Leaders Council. District and State activities will not be provided for Cloverbuds. For some projects, including all competitive events, the 4-H activity insurance will not provide coverage for Cloverbud members.
Age Categories
For the purpose of providing are-appropriate activities, programs will be provided for either two or three are categories. When programs are divided into two age categories, they will be:
Juniors: ages 9 (or 4th grade), 10, 11, 12, and 13 (As of Jan 1)
Seniors: ages 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 (As of Jan 1)
When programs are divided into three age categories, they will be:
Beginners: ages 9 (or in 4th grade), 10 and 11 Intermediates: ages 12, 13, and 14
Advanced: ages 15, 16, 17, and 18