Please see the article below written by Shea Ann DeJarnette, 4-H Extension Agent for
the Robesonian and Robeson Journal. This article may also be found on the
NC Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center website.
We have been sitting on this news since February, waiting for a lot of approvals. Now we have them, and I have the distinct honor to tell you, Robeson County 4-H has an app! I can hear the responses now from, “How cool!” to “Who doesn’t?” and even the “Oh no, not another app.” I understand each and every one of those responses. Let me give you a little background, so you can see why we have an app.
For starters, the Robeson County 4-H Program is the first in the state of North Carolina to have an app. I guess you could say, we are the first to plant the seed. We needed to plant this seed, because about a year ago, the state switched to a new online registration system for 4-H, which meant getting rid of the paperwork. On one hand this is great, because it takes a lot of room for storage and sometimes chasing folks down to fill out the paperwork becomes a logistical nightmare for everyone involved. Now everyone can register for 4-H from the convenience of their computers or mobile devices. It’s a great system except for one little thing, when we send out an email, the system sometimes drops the email addresses with no rhyme or reason. That makes communicating difficult. We used our blog, emails, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Remind. That became too difficult for people to find and for us to continue generating. We did what we teach our youth to do and problem solved. Hence the app. On the 4-H app, not only can you see what is going on, you can get push notifications as reminders and see all of our social media with the touch of a button. That makes communication easier for everyone.
Communication is only one benefit of the app. In January, we started to transition to an online registration system for Extension activities called Eventbrite. Then COVID-19 hit. In an effort to keep people safe and still make program registration easy, we were able to switch over and plug that into our app. It takes less than two minutes now to register your child for a 4-H program through the app. If payment is necessary, you can pay when you register them. It’s amazingly simple and user-friendly. Oh, did we mention, it’s free?
If you are interested in checking out our app, please go to your App Store and download 4-H Now! When you open the app, you will be prompted to pick a program to download. You will need to choose Robeson County 4-H. It’s that simple.
So when you have a moment, help us germinate this seed by downloading the app and telling your friends. Robeson County 4-H is in the community, and we need your help spreading the word. After all, the more youth involved, the larger and brighter they will bloom.
For more information, contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, 4-H Youth Development Agent, at 910-671-3276 or Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu.
