Focus on Youth

News for OCES staff working with youth.

oklahoma4h.okstate.edu

March, 2010

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

Table of Contents

• Working with Volunteers

• OSU Vet Sciences Open House

• Everyone Ready - links

• OMK Hero Packs

• 4-H Pet Lovers are Howling about Bake and Take Month

• 4-H Volunteer Authors Book on Dog Training

• State Parent-Volunteer Conference - Second Call for Workshop Proposals

• Discovery Unlimited

• 4-H Cloverleaf Newsletter

• 100 Years of Service

• 4-Health for Life - Treat with Service

• Pet Care Seminars

• National Volunteer Week 2010-13

• Global Youth Service Day

• Hiring and Performance: Critical Areas of Risk for Every Nonprofit

• Roundup 2010

• REAL COLORS Training Rescheduled– May 2010

• Paper Clover Promotion

• REMINDER - Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer Awards

• Cooking up a Change: National Healthy Cooking Contest

• Plant Science Academy for High School Students Planned

Clover Corner News

Charles Cox
Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development

Working with Volunteers

There is great website that can be used by new staff to learn more about Extension, program planning, evaluation, marketing and working with volunteers.  Follow this link, and you will find lesson plans and Power Point presentations that will be helpful to you or that can be used in providing orientation to various Extension audiences. If you are working with volunteers, check out the 2009 conference tools. 

Charles Cox

OSU Vet Sciences Open House

Students and parents of those interested in veterinary medicine are invited to attend the center’s 2010 Open House.  During this annual event you can learn more about our veterinary center, its educational and research programs, and its service to Oklahoma and the surrounding region.  The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 3, 2010, from 9 am to 4 pm.  

Here are some of the activities/programs you can experience at Open House:

Radiology and CT Scanner                           Anatomy Lab
Parasites and Infectious Disease                   Cardiology
Toxic Plants and House Items                       Ophthalmology
Zoo, Exotics and Wildlife Medicine               Teddy Bear Surgery - bring your teddy bear for mending

For the health and safety of your animals, no personal pets will be allowed at the Veterinary Center during Open House. Children must be accompanied by a parent or chaperone at all times.

Tours of the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, including the Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, will be available on Saturday, April 3, by appointment only. If you would like to make tour reservations, please call Anna Teague, Recruitment Office, at 405.744.6961 or email anna.teague@okstate.edu.  Time slots may be limited because of the popularity of the program.

Come enjoy Open House at Oklahoma's only veterinary college.  See what services are available for animal owners and what tomorrow's veterinarians learn at OSU's Center for Veterinary Health Sciences!

Steve Beck

OMK Hero Packs

One State 4-H Council Service Project is collecting items for Operation Military Kids Hero Packs. The Council is asking 4-H clubs to donate items for back packs, being given to children whose parents or guardians are being deployed.  Suggestions for backpacks are:

• Stuffed animals - small Beanie Baby size
• Disposable Cameras
• Children's Books
• Coloring Books and Crayons
• Note Cards, Stationary, or any type of writing from to contact family members
• Small toys
• Picture frames
• Anything kid-friendly

Supplies are needed throughout the year.  To meet that need, clubs are encouraged to deliver donations to their county office at any time.  We ask that each donation include a 2010 OMK Report, which is a record of the donation. Cluster Representatives will work in cooperation with county offices to pick-up up donations.

The 2010 OMK Report can be found on the state 4-H Web-site http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/leadership/project.html.  The reports will be totaled by district and count 15% towards the State Roundup Spirit Contest. It is win-win – supporting district pride while helping children cope with the deployment of family members.

Thank you for your support.

Service Projects Committee: Ashlan Wilson, chair

and members: Kyle Pingleton, Mandy Schroeder, Taler Sawatzky and Tanner Allread

4-H Pet Lovers are Howling about Bake and Take Month

This March, for Bake and Take Month, give pet treats a try. There are hundreds of wheat-based pet treat recipes available online, as well as several included in the attachments.   Make a batch of dog and cat treats for the humane shelter, or consider making some treats for the dog when taking cookies to the shut-ins.

You can find dog bone treat cutters at most pet shop,s or use your regular cookie cutters (just be sure not to confuse your own cookies with Fido's treats). 

Please follow the Bake and Take guidelines, and, like the rest of the Bake and Take projects, let FAPC and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission know if you are planning on participating in Bake & Take. 

Steve Beck

4-H Volunteer Authors Book on Dog Training

During the past year I have reviewed numerous dog training books, and this most recent 4-H publication is one that I'm proud to see our clover on the cover.  I have included part of the article from the National Clover Connection. 

"Four-H volunteer Tammie Rogers has nearly 20 years experience training dogs, and her new book, “4-H Guide to Dog Training & Dog Tricks," will be the fourth book in the "4-H Guide" series, available on amazon.com.

"I train the kids to get the dogs ready for county fair competitions," which then lead to state competitions, Rogers explained.
"I'm really glad I wrote this book, so that people can follow instructions on training,”'said Rogers. And those who have followed her instructions have found success. Rogers notes that there is a distinct difference in her training methods, which often catches judges by surprise.

It is currently available from the publisher and will be available on January 22 from Amazon.com and BarnsandNoble.com.
I have a copy that can be checked out from the state 4-H office, or you can order one for your club at a cost of about $13.  For more information log on to http://4-h.org/news/?p=813.

Steve Beck

State Parent-Volunteer Conference - Second Call for Workshop Proposals

The State 4-H Volunteer Board has been very pleased with the interest in presenting at the PVC.  We have extended the deadline for workshop proposals focused on Tracks 2 and 4.  Workshop presenters may include volunteers, county educators, and para-professionals.  The proposal form is attached to this Focus on Youth or may be accessed online at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/volun/eduopp.htm.  Proposals are due on or before March 1.

Track 2 - "Encouraging" 4-H Parents and Volunteers - Establish and nurture support networks with fellow volunteers, county, district and state extension staff, district officers, state ambassadors and state council members.

Track 4 - "Enjoying" being a 4-H Parent and Volunteer - Hands on workshops, better known as Fun Shops in the areas of recreation, educational crafts, food science, model rockets, etc.

State Volunteer Board

Discovery Unlimited

2010 Discovery Unlimited - May 7-8, 2010 - Saints Groves Camp, Stillwater.

Discovery Unlimited is intended to help retain the membership of our "tweeners" in the Oklahoma 4-H program.  It is critical that our organization focus on these young people if we intend to maintain enrollment and increase participation of the 13-19 year olds.

Workshops and speakers will focus on what 4-H offers teens in the way of leadership, travel and friendship.  Please help our planning team promote this program with youth 11-12 years of age. 

Registration will be $35 and will include housing, food, educational supplies and a T-shirt.  All youth must register through their county Extension office, no exceptions.  County registration is due to the state office on or before March 26th.

All forms and a tentative conference schedule will be posted by March 8th at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/events/discovery.htm

Qualla Parman and Sam Durbin, Discovery Unlimited Co-chairs

4-H Cloverleaf Newsletter

Thirty years ago the 4-H Cloverleaf, a newsletter published by the state reporter, was put to rest.
What better time to revive its life than with the second century of Oklahoma 4-H. The newsletter will be published electronically each quarter - December, March, June and September.  It can be down loaded or read from the state 4-H web page. Why the Cloverleaf?  Because, just like the arrangement of highways resembling a four-leaf clover, 4-H has entrance and exit ramps, enabling our members to change direction rapidly and smoothly. Each quarter a different topic will be featured, new projects and programs introduced and new resources shared. The reporters will be Oklahoma 4-H members who are serving as club, county and district reporters; as well as representatives of the State 4-H Leadership Council.  Representatives will be working with county reports and distributing the one page flyer, which is attached.

Shane Jemison, State Reporter

100 Years of Service

Materials posted at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/leadership/project.html

Service Projects Committee: Ashlan Wilson, chair

and members: Kyle Pingleton, Mandy Schroeder, Taler Sawatzky and Tanner Allread

4-Health for Life - Treat with Service

A Healthy "Serving" of Service for my Club and Community

The fourth H in 4-H is "Health," but how often do we devote 25 percent of our total programming efforts as volunteers and 4-H members to health?  Through health-related programming and project work, members develop physically, socially, emotionally, mentally and morally.

The 2006 National Conference delegates know how important service is to our clubs and members.  We saw a means to combine so many things our members like to do with a meaningful service learning project which helps put the Health back into 4-H.

This project allows members to identify an audience in need of service, learn about their physical, social, emotional, and mental needs and then to tailor a packaged product unique to these needs.  How does it promote Health?

Physical Health - Members learn to select, test, and modify a recipe so it is appropriate and healthy for the intended audience.

Social and Emotional Health - Members design and prepare packaging which is visually and mentally appropriate for the audience.  Most importantly members feel good about the finished product.

Mental Health - Members use their cognitive abilities "to think, to plan and to reason."

Possible audiences for this service:  food banks, churches, area shelters, shut-ins, elderly or disabled, families in crisis, etc.
We see endless possibilities for this program.  Four-H'ers learn about food science, consumer education, personal development, arts and crafts, visual design, as well as citizenship and leadership.  Every member of the club can apply their unique”talents in carrying out the service project.

What does it mean for a Club Leader?

Endless months of programming!  This is a service learning project which should take months if the membership focuses and spend quality time on learning about their audiences unique needs, selecting and testing recipes, designing and selecting packaging and labels, and finally preparing the product for delivery.

We encourage you to check out the finished product at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/service/docs/Treat_cookbook_FINAL_12.11.08%20revisions.pdf and encourage its use at the local club level.

Carrie Highfill, Matthew Taylor and Katelyn Wallace

Pet Care Seminars

Each month the Vet Teaching Hospital provides educational pet care seminars that are open to the public, including 4-H members and their families. The seminars are held at the McElroy Hall Auditorium on the corner of McFarland and Farm Road, Stillwater, at 7 pm.  Programs this spring include the following:

March 2, 2010 - Dr. Lara Sipnewski - People, Pets and Parasites (Worms-Gross)
April 6, 2010 - Dr. Sandra Morgan - Common Pet Poisonings
May 4, 2010 - Dr. Susan Little - Tick and Pets

Steve Beck

National Volunteer Week 2010-13

April 18 - 24, 2010
April 17 - 23, 2011
April 15 - 21, 2012
April 21 - 27, 2013

Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week has grown exponentially in scope each year, recognizing the incalculable contributions that volunteers make every day across the country and challenging all Americans to step forward to help wherever there is need.
This year will be no exception as Points of Light Institute and HandsOn Network will honor those who solve problems in their communities and secure national attention on the impact and power of volunteerism and service as an integral aspect of our civic landscape.  Attached is the National Volunteer Week Resource Guide.

You can nominate outstanding volunteers for one of these two awards:

• The Daily Point of Light Award honors those who are helping to meet critical needs in their communities and creating change every day. One Daily Point of Light Award winner is chosen every single day. Visit www.pointsoflight.org/recognition/dpol to learn more about the award and to make a nomination.

The President's Volunteer Service Award honors volunteers during their service journey through acknowledgement of hours served resulting in positive community impact. This is a prestigious volunteer award and the only one associated with the White House. Find out how you, too, can participate in the week's many offerings.  Discover how simple it is to nominate volunteers for awards (http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov), including the President's Volunteer Service Award.

What does this mean for 4-H?  Expand your recruitment pool beyond the parents of our 4-H members.  Look to those whose children are grown and have time, talents and experiences which will benefit the 4-H program and the youth we serve.

Karla Knoepfli

Global Youth Service Day

Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25. is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning.

Established in 1988, GYSD is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in over 100 countries. On GYSD, children and youth address the world's most critical issues in partnership with families, schools, community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and governments.

The goals of Global Youth Service Day are:

• To MOBILIZE youth to identify and address the needs of their communities through service.
• To SUPPORT youth on a life-long path of service, learning, and civic engagement.
• To EDUCATE the public, the media, and policymakers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders

Young people organize and lead projects that address their communities' needs. Projects cover a broad range of issues, which often fit within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals including projects that focus on hunger, HIV/AIDS, malaria, environmental protection, girls' education, and poverty.  Past project examples include: malaria prevention workshops, environmental awareness efforts, campaigns that promote literacy or aid to the homeless, and education around healthy eating habits. Projects can include direct and indirect service or advocacy opportunities.

Visit www.gysd.org! The GYSD Planning Tool Kit (PDF) walks you through the steps of creating a GYSD event. Sign up to receive announcements, newsletters, and progress reports. Register your GYSD event and become part of an international youth service movement!

www.gysd.org/resources has a multitude of resources, including: the GYSD Planning Tool Kit, The Service-Learning Curriculum Guide, Semester of Service Strategy Guide, and many tip sheets.

Karla Knoepfli

Hiring and Performance: Critical Areas of Risk for Every Nonprofit

By Melanie Lockwood Herman

I've been reading a terrific book this week titled Strategic Risk Taking: A Framework for Risk Management, by Aswath Damodaran. One of my favorite insights in the book is the reference to the work of Glyn A. Holton who posits that two "ingredients" are necessary for a risk to exist. The first ingredient is uncertainty about the outcome. Risk is only present when there is an uncertain result. The book offers a graphic but helpful example: a man who jumps from an airplane at 15,000 feet without a parachute faces certain death, not the risk of death. The second ingredient that is necessary for risk to exist is that the outcome must matter. For example, if I were to ask you to choose one of three numbered doors, there is no "risk" of loss or benefit if there is no prize or penalty associated with your choice.

An important area where risk is always present is hiring paid and volunteer staff. Readers with vast experience hiring paid and volunteer staff will agree that the outcome of every hiring process is indeed uncertain, and the outcome matters. Most experienced nonprofit executives can tell stories about the time she hired the "wrong" person for the job, and an instance when doing so cost time, drained financial resources and squandered staff morale. Human resources make nonprofit service possible. We serve people and communities by deploying people. One important key to our success is the quality and performance of our people.

According to David Earle of www.staffing.org, "Quality is the most important core staffing metric because it has the greatest impact on the performance of the enterprise." In a recent article* published by his firm, Earle explains that "quality" refers to both specifications and performance issues:

• Specifications - "Did we hire the appropriate person?"
• Performance - "Did that person actually perform well in his/her job?"

Earle writes, "Our studies say that fewer than half of all companies even routinely measure new hire qualifications against job specifications. Where it is done at all, companies may only gauge it occasionally and informally in conversations between recruiters and hiring managers; or they may just define specifications, or just performance."

To continue the article click on the February 17th Enews Issue at http://www.nonprofitrisk.org/library/enews/enews.shtml.

Karla Knoepfli

Roundup 2010

Below is some information regarding the upcoming 4-H Roundup, July 28-30, 2010.   More information will be available in the months ahead.  If you have questions, please contact Tracy Beck at 405-744-8891

New in 2010

• Wednesday lunch will be on your own.  No meal will be provided in the Dining Hall
• Registration will be extended until noon.
• Counties will be REQUIRED to bring a corresponding chaperone for each gender of youth they bring.  If the county has male delegates, they must bring a male chaperone.  If they have female delegates, they must bring a female chaperone.  
• Groups may choose to stay in either Kerr Drummond or in the Village Suites.   Registration cost will be based upon choice.  Counties must choose only one housing location (i.e. cannot split group).  Note:  Res Life will do housing assignments for the Villages.  Therefore, we cannot guarantee location, who you are next to, etc.
• There will be a Partial Linen Service option offered for $5.00 per person per night.  This charge will not be included in registration; however reservations must be made in advance.  If you choose this option, you will pay Res. Life upon arrival and it must be for your ENTIRE group.   Partial Linen service means that Res Life will provide linen packets at the end of each bed and the delegates make up their beds.  Linens included are sheets, blankets, pillows, and towels (and a bar of soap) for the duration of the camp. 
• The cost for Tuesday Night out -- $20.00 for Kerr Drummond and $27.00 for the Village Suites.  This does not include linens.  Arrangements will be made with them as in the past.

Tracy Beck

REAL COLORS Training Rescheduled - May 2010

If you have wanted to be certified in Real Colors there is an opportunity to participate in the three day training being conducting in Stillwater on May 10-12, 2010.

The Real Colors Facilitator Certification Training Class, will teach you how to successfully facilitate/present the Real Colors workshop program when working with staff, clients, students and the community.

The Facilitator Certification Training Class at Meridian Technology Center, located at 1312 S. Sangre Road in Stillwater. OCES staff is being give a reduced registration rate is $505.00. Lunch and snacks for all 3 days is included in the registration rate.

Please use the coupon code Stillwater10 when registering online for the at: http://www.ncti.org/cgi-bin/ncti.cgi/class_registration.html?class=80604.  (Make sure you hit the "recalculate button" on the checkout page to have the discount applied).

Karla Knoepfli

Paper Clover Promotion

National 4-H Council has teamed up with Tractor Supply Company to launch a "Paper Clover Promotion" in TSC stores nationwide. The promotion runs from March 26 through April 18. This is an excellent opportunity to market your 4-H program and raise money for your county. Sixty percent of each Paper Clover Sold will go directly to the County 4-H program in which it was raised.  Thirty percent goes back to National 4-H to underwrite the cost of the program, and the remaining will go to the 1862 State 4-H Office/Foundation and the partner 1890 institution to fund County Enhancement Grants. 

As of February, Tractor Supply stores are located in the following towns/cities:

Ada
Ardmore
Duncan
Durant
Edmond
El Reno
Glenpool
Guymon
Idabel
McAlester
Miami
Moore
Muskogee
Mustang
Ponca City
Pryor
Purcell
Sallisaw
Shawnee
Stillwater
Tahlequah
Weatherford

TSC employees will be selling the Paper Clovers, so educators, volunteers and 4-H’ers are NOT directly responsible for the fundraising aspect. However, TSC wants to see 4-H’ers and their families in an in-store event during the period of March 26-April 18. Whether 4-H'ers set up an information table or provide in-store demonstrations, TSC is opening their stores to you to help promote 4-H and recruit members.

Get involved by contacting your county's TSC store manager. National 4-H Council will be sending news releases via a news "blast' to your local newspaper. In addition, materials for your use will be available on the 4-H Brand Network http://4h.org/d/Pages/Layouts/brandnetwork.html in the coming weeks. Lastly, the State 4-H Office will provide a customizable press release for your use as well.

If you have questions or need ideas for demos or tables, please call or e-mail Jessica Stewart, 405-744-7960 . You may also view the attached FAQ for further information.

Jessica Stewart

REMINDER - Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer Awards

Repeat of article first published in November, 2009, Focus on YOUth

Each county may submit one nominee for each of the two awards:  Volunteer of the Year (less than 10 years of experience) and Lifetime Volunteer Awards (an accumulation of 10 or more years of experience).  County’s nominee(s) will be recognized at the state awards luncheon on July 17, 2010 as part of the State Parent-Volunteer Development conference.
 
The State Volunteer Board would like to have every county present and honoring a volunteer.
 
The application form and guidelines for 2010 District and State volunteer awards are available here or at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/awards/recogn.htm.
 
Nominations submitted to the District 4-H Office must be received electronically – nomination includes volunteer’s vita, 3 letters of recommendations and an electronic photograph, no later than 5:00 PM on or before April 15, 2010.
 
The selection committee asked that the following be shared with County Educators – please do not complete the vita for the volunteer, it is obvious when it is and is not the work of the individual.  The information on the Vita needs to be thoughts, philosophy and words of the volunteer.  For those counties nominating a modest or humble volunteer who will not “toot their own horn,” it is suggested that you work one-on-one with the individual to record answers for each question on the vita.
 
Karla Knoepfli

Cooking up a Change: National Healthy Cooking Contest

Healthy Schools Campaign and the National Farm to School Network have issued a challenge to high school and college students to design a healthy school lunch. Using only ingredients commonly available for food service, the mission is to create a healthy meal that includes a locally grown item from your area, meets strict nutritional guidelines and tastes great.

Three-person teams are invited to submit their recipes along with supporting documents. Three teams from each division (high school and college) will ten be selected to receive an all-expenses paid trip to "Taking Root," the National Farm to Cafeteria conference this May in Detroit, Michigan, to compete in the finals. Contest entries must be received by 5 pm EST on March 26. More information is available here.

Pat Thompson

Plant Science Academy for High School Students Planned

The OSU Plant & Soil Sciences Department will be offering a three-day Plant Science Academy this summer for high school students interested in learning about possible careers in plant science.  Students will have the opportunity to spend three days and two nights on campus, work with OSU faculty and develop leadership and technical skills.   

Students attending the camp will experience a variety of activities.  They'll kick off their first day with a campus tour and participate in some exciting personal development activities that evening, based on StrengthsQuest, a program designed to help students build on their talents.  During the camp they will also learn about conducting research in agronomy, get hands-on experience collecting data from real field experiments at the Agronomy farm, network with industry representatives over dinner, and share their data and experiences with faculty and graduate students in the department.

The OSU Plant Science Academy will be held June 8-10, 2010.  Dr. Sarah Lancaster is organizing the Plant Science Academy, with help from Drs. Chad Godsey, PaSS Cropping Systems Specialist and Brett Carver, PaSS Wheat Breeder/Geneticist, as well as Dr. Mary Ann Harris, CASNR Coordinator of Student development.  The Academy will be free to participants; however a short application is required.  For more information and to complete the application, see the attached flyer, or visit http://pass.okstate.edu or contact Dr. Sarah Lancaster at 405-744-3525 or sarah.lancaster@okstate.edu.

Sarah Lancaster