Focus on Youth

News for OCES staff working with youth.

oklahoma4h.okstate.edu

January, 2009

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

Charles Cox
Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development

National 4-H Curriculum update

The Power of the Wind  (product numbers 08383 and 08384)

The Power of the Wind was developed by the University of Illinois and consists of one Youth Guide (product #08383) and one Facilitator’s Guide (product #08384).  
Type of 4-H Material:  Group Curriculum
Grades: 6th – 8th (Ages 11-13)
Format: Project manual
Category: Science, Engineering and Technology
Focus Area: Wind power, engineering, renewable energy
For more information about The Power of the Wind, including a sample activity, ordering information, and a one-page overview, go to: www.4-H.org/curriculum/wind <http://www.4-h.org/curriculum/wind> .

Reading Makes Cents (product number 08389)

Reading Makes Cents was developed by Penn State University.  The curriculum consists of one Facilitator’s Guide (#08389)
Type of 4-H Material:  Group Curriculum
Grade/Level: 3rd – 5th grades
Type of Media: Project Manual
Category: Citizenship
Focus Area: Literacy, financial literacy
For more information about Reading Makes Cents, including a sample activity, ordering information, and a one-page overview, go to: www.4-H.org/curriculum/reading <http://www.4-h.org/curriculum/reading> .

The National 4-H Robotics Curriculum (Product numbers BU-08364, BU-08365, BU-08366) is no longer available for sale.  This curriculum was designed around a specific LEGO platform that has been eliminated by the manufacturer. National 4-H Headquarters and National 4-H Council are working together to address the current gap in the area of Robotics.

Cathy Allen

Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF)

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of CWF.   Youth, ages 15-19, will learn about the history and culture of our nation while having fun and meeting new people from across the country.  Information regarding the Oklahoma upcoming trip can be found on the 4-H website at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/events/cwf.htm This year’s Oklahoma group will be traveling and attending June 25 – July 5, 2009.  If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the State 4-H Office.

Tracy Branch

CWF Program Assistants

As our plans for this summer’s Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) program are underway, National Council is planning as well.   A major factor to the success of the program is the Program Assistant (PA) staff. National 4-H Council is looking for bright college-age students with a passion for government, history, political science, working with youth, public speaking and leadership to facilitate the program. If you know someone who would be an excellent PA, please let them know that applications are due by January 27, 2009.  The application form and additional information can be found at http://www.citizenshipwashingtonfocus.org/programassistant.aspx 

Tracy Branch

Resource – Goal Setting and Life Skills Development

Teachingmoments.com has articles ideal for newsletters, newspaper, newsletter, emails, blog, magazine, MySpace, egroups, radio or bulletin board.  There are at least 60 timely archived articles ready to go.  The following is an excerpt from their home page.

Goal setting is a character education function that gives students a path for future success.
Goal setting is a fundamental building block students need to be successful at whatever they want to accomplish in life.  Goals help them define what is important and teaches them how to set priorities.  Goals give them a clear starting point, and when completed, can either be a finishing point or the starting point for their next endeavor.
The process of goal setting includes learning how to develop a plan, how to measure your progress, how to stay positive and focused, how to overcome roadblocks and the importance of taking action. Goal setting is a character education function that helps students set their priorities and gives them a path for future success.

• Goal setting will help your student recognize their abilities.
• Goal setting will give your student a sense of the bigger picture.
• Goal setting will help your student set priorities.
• Goal setting will help your student organize their time.
• Goal setting will give your student a sense of ownership.
• Goal setting will help your student build their self-image.
• Goal setting will help your student turn their dreams into reality.

Karla Knoepfli

The New Volunteer Workforce

Below is a synopsis of an article published by Stanford Social Innovation Review. It reinforces and supports Oklahoma 4-H Youth Developments philosophy and practice of Volunteer Management.  Complete article located at http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_new_volunteer_workforce/

……. A few nonprofits have grasped this concept and are taking what we call a talent management approach—investing in the infrastructure to recruit, develop, place, recognize, and retain volunteer talent. These are the savvy managers who recognize that there is a new national momentum and opportunity to engage more Americans to help solve America’s intensifying social and environmental problems. Despite the recent national attention generated by the first-ever ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum, a new bipartisan legislative proposal to expand support for volunteering and service, and the emergence of cabinet-level positions on volunteering in two states, most nonprofits are still letting volunteer talent slip away like water through a leaky bucket.
NONPROFITS NEED MORE TALENT
The nonprofit sector desperately needs the professional skills offered by volunteers. The nation’s nonprofits are under strain from the current economic crisis, a leadership drain as older executives retire, and high turnover among younger nonprofit staff . Volunteers are an undervalued and underused resource for tackling these challenges. ……
…….Some work is simply best performed by volunteers. Local volunteers may know their community’s assets, important players, and underlying challenges better than any paid staff person, helping the nonprofit stay connected to the community. Volunteers can also serve as evangelists to the larger community, helping to promote the nonprofit and its mission.
WHY VOLUNTEER TALENT LEAVES
National volunteer rates are declining. ….. losing more than one out of three volunteers from one year to the next is clearly a problem.
Why are volunteers opting out? The 2003 Volunteer Management Capacity Study conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS, the organization we are affiliated with), the Urban Institute, and the UPS Foundation provides some clues. The study concludes that fewer than half of nonprofits that manage volunteers have adopted a significant number of important volunteer management practices. Here are five of the main reasons why volunteers are not returning.

1. Not Matching Volunteers’ Skills with Assignments.
2. Failing to Recognize Volunteers’ Contributions.
3. Not Measuring the Value of Volunteers.
4. Failing to Train and Invest in Volunteers and Staff.
5. Failing to Provide Strong Leadership.

…..Volunteerism also suffers from being thought of as something that is nice, but not necessary. When people think of volunteers, they often envision people spending a day cleaning up trash or planting flowers—projects that are helpful, but not essential. If the volunteer had not planted those flowers, would the nonprofit have paid someone else to do it? When nonprofit leaders see that volunteers can do highly skilled work that the organization would have otherwise paid for, volunteering will begin to get some respect.
CAPITALIZING ON VOLUNTEER TALENT
To capitalize on the opportunity presented by volunteer talent, nonprofit leaders need to expand their vision of volunteering, integrate volunteers into their strategic planning, and reinvent the way that their organizations support and manage volunteer talent.
If nonprofit leaders want highly skilled volunteers to come and stay, they need to expand their vision of volunteering by creating an experience that is meaningful for the volunteer, develops skills, demonstrates impact, and taps into volunteers’ abilities and interests. More people need to understand that people will make time to volunteer if they are stimulated and engaged. ...
Rethinking Work Roles. To create compelling opportunities for volunteers, a nonprofit’s management team should begin by evaluating the degree to which important roles could be performed by volunteers. ….
Assigning Appropriate Tasks. Nonprofits must assign volunteers jobs that make the most of their skills and talents. ….
Creating Bonding Experiences. One of the best ways that nonprofits can engage volunteers is to create experiences that develop strong attachments between the volunteer and the organization. …..
Supporting and Training Volunteers. Nonprofits also need to support their volunteers. …..
Using New Technology. New technologies allow nonprofits to communicate with volunteers inexpensively and to build social networks that connect volunteers with one another and with the nonprofit. ….
Developing Strategic Plans. To make effective use of volunteer talent, nonprofit leaders must integrate volunteers into their strategic plans. ….
ATTRACTING A NEW WAVE OF VOLUNTEER TALENT
Even with the best planning and management, nonprofits will always need to recruit new volunteers to support new or expanded programs and to replace those volunteers who inevitably stop coming. The most promising places for nonprofits to recruit new volunteer talent are among retired baby boomers, young people (millennials), businesses, and religious organizations.
Retiring baby boomers offer nonprofits experience, management skills, and vast numbers. Older American volunteers will increase 50 percent by 2020. Boomers are also healthier and more educated, and they are predicted to live longer than their parents. ….
At the other end of the age spectrum, America’s young people are increasingly interested in making a difference. One recent study revealed that 68 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 26 prefer to work for a company that provides professional volunteer opportunities. 9 ……
Pro bono business services are another emerging source of talent. ……
Religious partnerships are a largely untapped area of volunteer talent: …..
THRIVING WITH VOLUNTEER TALENT
Sari (the March of Dimes volunteer we profiled at the beginning of this article) helped produce the equivalent of $200,000 worth of labor in one year. What was March of Dimes’ investment in Sari? About $13,000 a year. That represents a return of more than 15 times the organization’s investment. And Sari is just one volunteer in the March of Dimes’ offices……….
A new wave of volunteer talent is building. Some nonprofit leaders will take advantage of this opportunity and exponentially grow their impact; the rest will be left behind trying to make do the old way.

Karla Knoepfli

2008-2010 State 4-H Leadership Council - Revised

The following is a revised table of information posted in the December 2008 Focus on Youth.  The following individuals will be contacting county offices and requesting contact information for youth and adult leadership teams. Please cooperate in providing information.

The representatives will also be asking to schedule educational time with both youth and adults for presenting the traveling workshops:  Each One Reach One Centennial Style, One Hundred Years of Service - Making a difference…ONE project at a time and coming in the spring 2009 Centennial Alumni Video Production - how to interview, film and edit interviews with Alumni.

Karla Knoepfli

National Volunteer Week - National Points of Light Institute

April 19 – 25, 2009
April 18 – 24, 2010

National Volunteer Week reflects the power that volunteers have to "inspire by example" — volunteers both encourage those they help and motivate others to serve! Find out how you, too, can participate in the week’s many offerings.
Discover how simple it is to nominate volunteers for awards, including the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
http://www.pointsoflight.org/

Karla Knoepfli

Science Museum Camp

Attached is information about Science Museum Camp In, formerly known as the Omniplex, along with registration information. Yes, you will notice we have two dates to select from. Pick the date that suits you best, Feb.6th or Feb. 13th.  We had almost 600 attend last year, so we are adding an additional opportunity. Registration is due January 23rd. You can fax in your forms and send the check. We will need a number of attendees in advance in order for the Museum staff to plan for the event.

Jeff Sallee

International 4-H Survey

I would like to thank everyone who provided feedback and participated in our International 4-H Survey!
 
We have an opportunity to partner with Feed the Children (FTC) and create educational opportunities for some of our members and the youth  in Nicaragua.  As you may know, Feed the Children is an Oklahoma based organization whose purpose is providing food to the starving around the world.
 
FTC has a project in Nicaragua that is set on top of a Mountain near a volcano. They have about one acre they would like us to help them develop into a garden. This is significant because currently the people that visit the feeding station do not garden or produce any of their own food. This garden could be a demonstration for the surrounding  community to teach them how to supplement their food supply. Using the old adage “we will not be giving them fish, we will teach them to fish” or garden in this case.
 
In response to the survey results and the needs of FTC, this is what I can offer as a beginning step to developing an International 4-H program.
 
I can organize a Study Abroad course for 4-H members planning to attend college next fall;
·        this trip will be worth 3 credit hours at OSU,

·        for this trip I would like to limit it to 18 year old youth,

·        we can take six youth to Nicaragua this summer,

·        approximate dates are the first 2 weeks in  July,

·        this opportunity will cost about $1800, which would include airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and food. Tuition is additional.

 
Tentative Schedule:
·        I expect we would spend a day or two on campus studying gardening techniques and the Nicaraguan culture.

·        One Day travel to Nicaragua,

·        one day learning about Nicaraguan Agriculture and food supply (in country),

·        three days working on the garden at the FTC project (we will work side by side with the locals),

·        two days studying the Nicaraguan culture by going to the Spanish Colonial Capital, Indigenous market, and a volcano.

·        Then travel home.

·        Since this will be a course for credit the youth will be expected to keep a journal and write a reflection paper or project of some type.

 
Other Information:
·        If safety is your concern, FTC takes groups all over the world and has an excellent safety record, no major incidents.

·        Nicaragua is a Spanish speaking country, we will have interpreters through FTC.

·        Youth will need a passport to travel to Nicaragua.

·        Since this is a study abroad course, youth will be expected to have been admitted to OSU and enrolled in the course or planning to transfer the course hours to another college.

 
Course Credits:
OSU course credits usually cost $180 per credit hour, and there are no fees since it is an outreach course. In an outreach course, we can accommodate a student not enrolling in OSU if they pay a $65 fee and file the appropriate paperwork.  Then they can transfer it to whatever college they plan to attend. The course is an upper-level 3000 level course which carries an ‘I’ (International) designation which is required for graduation at OSU.

Before, I go any further with this project I need to know if you have older 4-H youth who are interested. As I said, I can only take six youth on this initial trip.
 
Please let me know of your interest, concerns, comments, questions. As we move forward with this project I will be able to give you more information. I do realize this initial trip is limiting, but please keep in mind, this is our starting point.
 
I think this is an excellent opportunity to expose youth to another culture, to give them an opportunity to serve others, and a chance to change the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Jeff Sallee