Focus on Youth

News for OCES staff working with youth.

4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.

oklahoma4h.okstate.edu

July/August, 2006

I have spent the past several days reviewing Career Ladder portfolios and have a new level of appreciation for the committee of staff and volunteers we ask to review state 4-H record books each year!  I also suspect that at least 126 of you have a renewed appreciation and increased level of sympathy for your 4-H members who complain about doing record books. 

I was encouraged to read about many really outstanding Extension programs taking place across the state, including those in 4-H.  As I reviewed the books I saw that some of you used your evaluations with volunteers related to CORE and your use of 4-H On TRAC to document program scope.  However, I was disappointed not to see more things like volunteer and club management listed.

The impact programming continues to be another outstanding tool for you to show program scope from needs analysis to program evaluation and impact.  If you are not yet fully engaged in a 4-H &/or FCS Impact Team or an Ag Initiative team, you need to get involved.  You are expected to do so, and the degree to which you are fully engaged does make a difference! 

Over the weeks ahead our 4-H Impact Teams will be meeting via Centra to provide updates, review timelines and make sure the things that are scheduled to happen at this time are, in fact, taking place.

I hope among the summer's many events, camps, etc., you will take a few days off to enjoy family and friends and to relax!   Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Charles Cox
Interim Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development

State Officer Projects – 2006-07

The state officers have chosen to reinstate the “Each One Reach One” program while continuing the Dime Drop/Roll of Dimes project for Habitat for Humanity and the Pull Tab Collection for Ronald McDonald House.

“Each One, Reach One” is simple. If every current 4-H member recruits and enrolls one new member in their local club, Oklahoma's 4-H enrollment doubles.

The program was started by State 4-H President Natalie James in 1988.  One goal of the 2006-07 State 4-H Officer team is to revive the “Each One, Reach One” project.  We want to not only increase enrollment, but the retention and participation of new  4-H members.

To participate in “Each One, Reach One,” an enrolled 4-H member recruits one “new” member into his/her local club and mentors that person during the first year of enrollment.  Mentoring means you will help the individual and his/her family to understand 4-H and encourage attendance and participation at club meetings, activities and 4-H events.  During the first year of enrollment you will also provide the new member with the leadership and guidance necessary to plan and carry out project work in one 4-H project area.

Our goal is “Quality vs. Quantity.”  We want you to make an investment in the individual so the new member becomes as passionate about 4-H as you are!  It is important to understand that participation, cooperation and self-determined goals are just as important as participation in peer competition in the retention of new members during the first year.

Details for each program will be posted online after August 1.  Please assist the state officer team in promoting and encouraging participation in each project.

Hailey Burch, SE District State Vice President, Service Project Coordinator

Karla Knoepfl

Annual Renewal of Club Charters - Club Management Reminders

Existing Clubs – County educators are responsible for annually reviewing each club's renewal criteria and adequately counselling the club in an effort to meet the criteria in good faith during the next program year.  (CMS notebook pages 24-25)

A charter is perpetual or in effect until the club ceases to function, does not meet the Oklahoma criteria for a “charter club,” or the USDA Secretary of Agriculture changes.  It is the county educator’s responsibility to annually review criteria (using “Club Charter Renewal” form, pg 89 CMS) and to document and file all counseling sessions conducted with club leadership.  If a club fails to meet the criteria after due effort has been made to counsel, train and educate club leadership and membership, the charter will then be revoked by the state office.

Don’t forget to take time during the summer or before fall enrollment time, to review each club's annual records and reports and to meet with club leadership in regard to their Charter status.  As a good management practice it is recommended the review be documented with a letter to the club and a copy filed in the county office, along with the renewal form.

Remember, only chartered clubs are authorized to use the 4-H name and emblem.

Charles Cox and Karla Knoepfli

4-H Quilt Block – Rotary Cutter Pattern

The 2006 Youth Development Issue of The Journal of NEAFCS featured an article on the history of the 4-H quilt block.  In the article they send readers to the University of Nebraska Quilt Quest web site for a pattern created for rotary cutter use. The block instructions are located under “Featured Block.”

Quilt Quest is a partnership between Nebraska 4-H Youth Development, the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design - College of Education and Human Sciences, and the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This project is designed to help you learn about quilts and gain a deeper appreciation of quilt-making.

The Threads of this Project Include:

• activities to strengthen family ties
• exposure to different cultures
• career possibilities
• community service learning projects
• computer technology in quilting
• application of quilt making to science, math, language arts, arts and history
• preservation and care of quilts
• gaining a historical perspective of quilts
• quilt research and documentation
• design and make your own quilt, be it fabric or virtual!

Target Age Group: 10-19 years of age and beyond.

Karla Knoepfli

Citizenship Washington Focus

The 2006 CWF trip has come and gone.  We had a great trip….a little wet…but a great trip nonetheless.  While we were in D.C., National Council indicated that they will be moving up their 2007 deadlines.  This change will impact our state deadlines.  At this time, this is all the information available. As soon as we get something official, I will send out a message. FYI, the 2007 dates are July 5-15.

Tracy Branch 

Interactive Education Media Available Through Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University has recently added interactive training materials to itsWeb site. Created by the Multimedia Development Group, the instructional technology help teach youth about a number of topics using 2D and 3D animation and modeling, interactive objects, professional quality audio and video, as well as an array of graphics, illustrations, and photographs.

The kits include materials about road signs, bicycle safety, insects, small engines and more. To view the materials, go to: http://mdg.ext.msstate.edu/ext/ext.html

Research-based Alcohol Prevention Web Site Available

Are you looking for a new, engaging way to cover lessons on peer pressure and resistance skills? Check out the Cool Spot, a new, research-based alcohol prevention website for youth, aged 11–13. The site was created by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

For educators and other staff, the site has an interactive quiz that assesses whether youth have learned some of the chief objectives. In addition, the site will soon feature a guided reading activity and two dynamic role-playing lesson plans covering peer pressure and resistance skills.

Septemberfest at the Governors Mansion

September 9th, Septemberfest will be held on the Governor's Lawn.  Septemberfest is coordinated by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and sponsored by Oklahoma Farm Bureau. The purpose is to give youth-serving organizations and agencies the opportunity to interact with urban families. This is a great opportunity to showcase 4-H to over 20,000 youth and adults in a single day.

Last year 4-H clubs from across the state assisted the state 4-H officers and ambassadors in coordinating activities at the Oklahoma 4-H display during this event.

Again, we invite youth 12-19 year olds to join us in sharing the educational and fun opportunities experienced and learned through project-related hands-on activities or demonstrations.  Activities and projects should be pertinent to an urban audience and peak their interest in becoming a 4-H member.  Some suggested project would include dog club activities, entomology demonstrations, water resources demonstrations, sport-fishing activities, etc.

Each participant will be asked to conduct his or her activity repeatedly during a 2-hour period.  Remember that families will want to see many exhibits, so they won’t stay in one place too long.  Plan activities that can be completed in a few minutes.  Demonstrations should be things that can be observed for a few minutes or for longer periods of time as desired.  The time periods include:

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (actual shift is 10 – 12, but set up starts at 9:00 a.m.)

12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

It is imperative that 4-H members and families follow through with this commitment once they register for a time slot.  Interested parties may complete the attached form and return it no later than August 21st.  Participant will receive written confirmation and further instructions.  For more information contact Jim Rutledge.

Jim Rutledge