Under Six Hours Reports
As I'm working through all the stat reports, I've just recently looked at the Under Six Hours forms that have come in--known in State 4-H Language as the S-7 forms. It's apparent that I have NOT done a good job of explaining exactly what kinds of things should (and should NOT) be documented on those, so here goes.
What SHOULD be listed? Events that are attended by non-4h member youth, involve under six hours of contact, AND (this is key) are educational. That's a really short definition. Let's move on to a longer list of what SHOULD NOT be listed!
Recreational events (Family Fun Night)
Promotional events (Join 4-H displays at the local schools)
Project workshops (all those kids are already 4-H members, and we've already counted them once)
Performances (communications contest, style show... besides, again, they're already 4-H members)
Leader training for adult leaders (there's a place in BR to record that)
Beef weigh-in (ever. Even if your CEED says it's educational, it's not. Ever.)
So when you're filling that out, ask yourself a couple of questions. Was it educational? (If no, stop...) Were the attendees 4-H members? (If yes, stop...) That should help you figure out whether a given event should be listed or not. The events that don't make it to BR or to the Under Six Hours form can certainly be recorded in other reports--your county stakeholders' report, your annual review document, success stories, whatever.
Of course, I can always continue red-lining the Under Six Hours reports that are sent in, but it'll save us both some ink (and time) if you just leave them out in the first place!