January is National Mentoring Month.  According to mentorscout.com, “a mentor is a coach, guide, tutor, facilitator, counselor and trusted advisor. A mentor is someone willing to spend his or her time and expertise to guide the development of another person.”

Youth can benefit from positive and caring mentors. Mentors can help youth discover their interests, pick careers, make better choices in life and so much more. Michigan 4-H Youth Development, is a mentoring program overseen by MSU Extension and serves as a resource to help build long-term positive mentoring relationships between youth and adults.

Michigan 4-H has more than 200,000 youth between the ages of 5-19 that participate. All 4-H’s policies and procedures are based on child development research.

The program supports youth from a variety of backgrounds, including youth in foster care, academically-challenged youth and many others.

Michigan 4-H depends on volunteers to keep the program running and to provide services to the youth that participate.

All volunteers receive training and have the opportunity to assist in a mixture of programs, including:

Club leaders that oversee the operation of a club and coordinate its activities.
Project and activity leaders help 4-H’ers plan and conduct projects and group activities.
Behind-the-scenes volunteers provide support for club activities, events, trainings, etc.
County-level volunteers may assist with after-school programs or help at fairs.
State-level volunteers help with statewide activities and conferences, such as Capitol Experience and Exploration Days.

The path to a child or teen’s brighter future can start with you.  For more information on how to get involved as a volunteer, contact your county MSU Extension office or contact Michigan 4-H Youth Development at 517-432-7575 or
msue4@msu.edu.

For more information on Michigan 4-H visit their website at: http://4h.msue.msu.edu/.