• Spend time on the 4-H S.O.S. website to find out what service learning really is.
  You're already here, so this one's a snap!

• Work with your 4-H agent, other adult leaders, and other 4-H'ers to see what your community needs.
  What do you see around you: a lot of litter? kids who need a place to play? a nursing home? Who needs help?

• Lead your 4-H group in planning a project to meet those needs.
  What can you do to help them?

• Help set goals for the project.
  What do you want things to look like at the end of the project?

• Encourage your 4-H friends to get involved in the project by staying excited and being a positive role model.
  If you get tired and don't want to do the project, no one else will either. Stay excited about helping people and keep your group excited, too.

• Make sure everyone in the group knows what to do and when to do it.
  You can't do a project if no one shows up that day or if they all forget what they're supposed to bring. Make sure they all know what to do; then don't let them forget!

• Take an active role in the actual service.
  Don't think you have to do the project alone -- that's what the group is for. But make sure you do your part!

• Lead the reflection activities. Reflection is the most important part of a service learning project.
  You may need an adult to help you plan what to do for reflection, but you can lead the other 4-H'ers in doing it!

• Help plan the celebration activity.
  When your project is done, your group should celebrate! Help the adults plan the best way to do this.

• Take pictures throughout the project.
  This is a fun way to keep up with everything your group does. You can take the pictures or ask other 4-H'ers to do it.

• Share the service project wth others through a poster at school, an article in the newspaper, a display at the fair, or in other ways.
  Let others know what your group has done. Be creative!

• Fill out the Service Learning Activity Report Form. Send a copy to the state 4-H office or report it on the "Tell us!" page of the 4-H S.O.S. website.
  This is a simple form to help your group record important information about your project. You can get a paper copy of this form from your 4-H agent, or you can download a copy from the forms page of the 4-H website. After you fill it out, you can send it to the state 4-H office in one of four ways. Be sure to keep a copy for your group and for your county Extension office!

• Keep a 4-H S.O.S. service learning scrapbook and enter it in the county contest.
  This is a fun new contest for any 4-H group doing service learning. You can do the scrapbook or work with some of your 4-H friends to be creative and showcase your project. Click here for the contest rules.

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