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.
October/November, 2007
Dear
4-H Educators, Members, Volunteers and Parents,
Fall
is in the air. My morning walks around Boomer Lake have gotten
much cooler, and the leaves are beginning to fall from my neighbor’s
cottonwood tree into my back yard. The first frost will mean
it will soon be time for you know what - sending the
list of EIN numbers and chartered clubs to National 4-H Headquarters
for inclusion on the IRS list of recognized affiliated clubs authorized
to be part of the national 4-H umbrella of non-profit and exempt status.
Hats off to all of you who have worked hard to get us your lists of clubs that
meet charter status so we can get them turned in to headquarters. Also,
for those clubs that do fund raisers or that handle funds, thanks for getting
your EINs up to date for reporting how you handle your money. In
the coming months we will also be working to add all of our other affiliated
groups, such as fairs and shows, local 4-H foundations, booster clubs, etc. The
preliminary work many of you began over the past two or three years has made
this process much easier. Some states are really behind the “8-ball” right
now, because they are just now starting to get this information compiled.
As you add new clubs, have clubs disband or clubs that open new accounts, we
can add them to the list as we will be certifying it annually for here on out. Also
your leaders will be required to annually file an online 990N or 990EZ, based
upon the amount of funds they have pass through their accounts. Take it
from someone who hardly ever balances his checkbook, doing all of this is not
fun for me either – but it is one of the necessary evils we must address
in order to maintain our charitable status. So, again, your assistance
is very much appreciated!
Thanks also to all of you who helped out at the recent state fairs. Your
assistance helps make these events happen, and your visibility is a good way
to market OCES!
Sincerely,
Charles Cox
Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development
NASA Engineering Design Challenge – Bring Space Into Your Classroom!
As NASA plans to return to the moon, plant growth will be an important part of space exploration. NASA scientists anticipate that astronauts may be able to grow plants on the moon in specialized plant growth chambers. Come participate and build your own lunar growth chamber in the NASA Engineering Design Challenge!
Through the NASA Engineering Design Challenge, elementary, middle and high school students will:
- Design, build, and evaluate lunar plant growth chambers
- Receive cinnamon basils seeds flown on STS-118
- Test lunar growth chambers by growing and comparing both space-flown and earth-based control seeds
Visit http://www.nasa.gov/education/plantchallenge to register and to receive more information about the NASA Engineering Design Challenge. You can also sign up for the NASA Express listserv to receive e-mail updates about the challenge and other NASA education activities.
Join the NASA Engineering Design Challenge and be part of space exploration by growing seeds flown in space!
Application for Trip Chaperone
Attached is the form to be completed by educators and/or volunteers who are interested in chaperoning an upcoming 4-H out-of-state trip. All applications must be sent through both the county and the district offices. The applications are due to the District office by December 14, 2007.
Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF)
Take your 4-H members experience to another level through CWF, an intense summer citizenship program for youth in Washington, DC. CWF delegates learn about the democratic process and their role as citizens while they experience our nation’s capital.
Oklahoma will be traveling to and attending CWF June 12-22, 2008. Information will be posted to the 4-H website and sent out on the listserv as soon as it is available. If you have questions about the trip, please contact the State 4-H Office.
Kansas City 4-H Global Conference
Registration forms and information for the Kansas City conference will soon be posted to the 4-H website:
http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/events/kansascity.htm
This years’ conference will be held March 12-15, 2008, at the Kansas City Airport Hilton, Kansas City, Missouri. Registration forms and payment will be due to the state 4-H office prior to December 7, 2007. If you have questions, please contact Tracy or Judy in the State 4-H office.
Journal of Youth Development: Bridging Research and Practice
The summer/fall issue is now on-line. The Journal of Youth Development is a resource for youth development researchers, practitioners and policymakers. The multidisciplinary, applied refereed journal is published by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents and focuses on the development of school-aged youth through the transition to adulthood (ages 6-22).
Manuscripts are accepted at anytime. Please visit the following website to access submission guidelines and the journal: http://www.nae4ha.org/profdev/joyd/index.html. Please contact the editor, Patricia Dawson, with questions at Patricia.dawson@oregonstate.edu. Please note that the journal is currently available free-of-charge after registering.
The summer/fall issue features the following articles:
- Sports and Youth Development Programs: Theoretical and Practical Implication of Early Adolescent Participation in Multiple Instances of Structured Out-of-School (OST) Activity - Zarrett, Nicole; Peltz, Jack; Fay, Kristen; Li, Yibing; Lerner, Richard M.; Lerner, Jacqueline V.
- Effects of Coach and Parent Training on Performance Anxiety in Young Athletes: A Systemic Approach - Smoll, Frank L.; Smith, Ronald E.; Cumming, Sean P.
- Emerging Adulthood: Theory, Assessment and Application- Reifman, Alan; Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen; Colwell, Malinda J.
- Service-Learning and Leadership Life Skills: An Experimental Study - Locke, B. Darlene; Boyd, Barry; Howard, Jeff W.; Fraze, Steven
- Helping Schools: Youth Development as a Form of Supplemental Education - Carroll, Jan B.; Goodwin, Jeff; Oliver, Melissa
- The Promise of Autonomy Supportive Contexts to Promote Youth Participatory Competence - Cargo, Margaret; Nedecheva, Tatiana; Nguyen, Nguyet; De La Durantaye, Michel
- NikeGO: a Corporate-Sponsored Program to Increase Physical Activity and Foster Youth Development - Martin, Sarah Levin; Martin, Maurice; White, Molly
- A Person-Centered, Asset-Based Community Development Framework for Youth with Special Health Care Needs/Disabilities in Transition to Adulthood - Boyd, Heather H.; Swedeen, Beth
- Cyber Town at the Woodrow Wilson Center - Dennis, Lisa M.
- Assessing Program Outcomes: Rationale and Benefits of Posttest-then-
- Retrospective-Pretest Designs
- Marshall, James P.; Higginbotham, Brian J.; Harris, Victor W.; Lee, Thomas R.
- 4-H & FFA Livestock Projects: Life Skills Gained and Knowledge Learned - Holmgren, Lyle N.; Reid, Chad R.
- College 101: Strategies for First Year Success – A Program for High School Seniors - Raison, Brian