4-H youth development programs within Extension depend heavily on adult volunteers and provide extensive education to volunteer leaders. Effective training programs enable volunteer leaders to develop skillsets, receive rewards, and experience social affiliation. These may include workshops, in-services, conferences, or forums. 4-H Volunteer Forums are held during the even-numbered years with the purpose of increasing the capacity of volunteers and staff to contribute to the mission of 4-H Youth Development Education and the Cooperative Extension System, and to provide the educational and technical resources that volunteers need to deliver the 4-H Youth Development program as well as to meet 4-H members' needs (Culp, 2000).  

The forum benefits adult and teen volunteers, Extension professionals, program assistants, as well as the 4-H program at the county, district, and state levels.  

Lincoln County had four volunteers attend the 2020 KVF, representing programs such as Horse, Cloverbud, Livestock, and leadership. One of these individuals completed requirements for Volunteer Accreditation or Master Volunteer Accreditation.  

When asked to identify what they had gained from attending the KVF, 21.40% of attendees reported “learning about new programs” 19.74% gathered new information, 17.71% developed new skills, while 17.53% were “motivated or inspired,” and 16.24% benefitted from “networking.”