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Focus on Youth

News for OCES staff working with youth.

oklahoma4h.okstate.edu

 

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

 

October, 2011

Dear Educators and Volunteers,

Opportunity for self-determination

This month we explore the seventh of the eight essential elements: self-determination. Believing that one has impact over life's events rather than passively submitting to the will and whims of others is self-determination. Youth must exert a sense of influence over their lives, exercising their potential to become self-directing autonomous adults.

This Element exists when:

  • Youth members choose projects, activities or hobbies or choose to drop out of organizations or teams, based on their changing interests and abilities.
  • Youth consider for themselves what went well and what they would do differently the next time.
  • Youth choose and plan organizational activities and team events or choose projects.

Ways to support the Element:

  • Give youth numerous opportunities to set their own goals.
  • Provide an environment where they can safely try new things and challenge themselves.
  • Avoid the tendency to solve problems for youth. Be supportive and allow them to come to their own solutions.
  • Have adult leaders act more as "guides on the side" than as the "sage on the stage."


Many adults remember when they made their first important decision. There was probably a feeling of exhilaration mixed with a bit of fear, but they liked the feeling of being independent. That independence meant that they had the ability to think, feel, make decisions, and act on their own. Independence is part of being an adult, and youth must be given opportunities to practice decision-making and self-determination as they move toward adulthood. Youth need to know that they have influence over their lives. By gaining a sense of independence, youth develop personal responsibility and discipline.

Any quality youth program can provide opportunities for learning how to make good decisions and gain independence. Third graders can be offered a choice in snacks, and teens can decide whether to attend a sports camp nearby or participate in Citizenship Washington Focus.

There are many ways that self-determination and independence can be supported through positive youth programs. The 4-H program fosters independence by encouraging members to make decisions about which events to attend, which projects to complete, how to respond to challenging situations, and determining which, if any, leadership position is a suitable goal or fit. Through informed decisions and incremental independence, youth discover their authentic selves.

References
Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81).
New York: Academic Press. (Reprinted in H. Friedman [Ed.], Encyclopedia of mental health. San Diego: Academic Press, 1998).

Roth, J., Brooks-Gunn, J., Murray, L., & Foster, W., (1998). Promoting healthy adolescents: Synthesis of youth development program evaluations. Journal of Research on Adolescence. 8 (4), 423-459.

Small, S, & Memmo, M. (2004). Contemporary models of youth development and problem prevention: Toward an
integration of terms, concepts and models. Family Relations, 53 (1), 3-11.

Charles Cox
Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development
Oklahoma State University
     
 
 
     
 
 
 

Youth Garden Grants Program

The National Gardening Association (NGA) is delighted to announce that The Home Depot has returned as our Youth Garden Grants sponsor for 2012. This year the Youth Garden Grants program is turning 30! This long standing program helped more than 1.5 million youngsters reap rewards and vital life lessons from working in gardens and habitats. Thanks to the generosity of The Home Depot, we can reach many more eager young learners.

Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, intergenerational groups and other community organizations with child-centered, outdoor garden programs are eligible to apply. Applicants must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 years.

For the 2012 grant cycle, 100 grant packages are available. Packages are as follows:

  • Five (5) programs will receive gift cards valued at $1000 (a $500 gift card to The Home Depot and a $500 gift card to the Gardening with Kids catalog and store) and educational materials from NGA.
  • Ninety-five (95) programs will receive a $500 gift card to The Home Depot and educational materials from NGA.

The application deadline is November 28, 2011. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.kidsgardening.com/YGG.asp.

National 4-H Week/Oklahoma 4-H Month Kickoff Challenge

National 4-H Week is Oct. 2-8, 2011! Are you ready? 

This year, we're rolling out a Responsibility Revolution Challenge for 4-H'ers, and National 4-H Week is the perfect time to kick it off! Round up your club members, and check out the Go Green booklet (It's short!) interactive version online at http://issuu.com/Oklahoma4h/docs/gogreen/1 to learn about the challenge and start making plans. (Or email Jessica.stewart@okstate.edu for a PDF printable).

Resources for National 4-H Week/Oklahoma 4-H Month

Don't forget to visit our Oklahoma 4-H Youth Development Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/oklahoma4h for bonus ideas and materials as National 4-H Week gets closer. If you have a question, chances are, lots of other folks do, too - so post it so we can help everyone.

Jessica Stewart

Denver Western Roundup

Registration information for the Denver Western Roundup, with the exception of the ski forms, can be found on the 4-H webpage at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/events/denver.htm. The conference host has indicated that ski information will be available sometime in October. An email will be sent to the listserv when it is posted.

The upcoming conference is January 4-8, 2012. Materials and payment are due in the state 4-H office by November 1, 2011. 

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Tracy at 405-744-8891.

Tracy Beck

American Royal Youth Photography Contest

Student divisions for the photography contest will be grades K-5, 6-9, and 9-12. Award winners will be chosen from each student division, and these winners will receive Danish ribbons. There will also be a Grand Champion and Grand Reserve Champion prize which will be awarded to the top two overall entries in the contest.

Photography Contest Entry Guidelines - Mounting and Photo placement:

  1. Use only 11x12.5 white or tan studio mount/mat (cardboard, foam, or poster board not permitted).
  2. Photos are to be mounted across the narrow (11") dimension of the 11x12.5" mat board, exactly 1" from the top. The sides of the photo are to be equidistant from the sides of the mat. (This is true whether the photo has horizontal or vertical orientation.) Horizontal mounted photos will have more space at the bottom of mat board.
  3. All photos must be no larger than 8x10" and no smaller than 7x9" after trimming. Remove all white borders before mounting.
  4. A permanent mount (spray photo adhesive) must be used. Do not use white glue, contact cements, or tape. These will damage photo and not provide permanent bond in humidity.
  5. No lettering is permitted on the photo or on front of the mounting mat.
  6. On the back of the mat (lower left corner), print the contestants name, name of the photo if one is chosen, where the photo was taken and the contestant's address and phone number.
  7. To protect exhibits from dust or moisture, place photo in a 2-gallon clear plastic bag.

Entries should be submitted to the American Royal no later than October 1, 2011 to:
Emily Haugh, American Royal Court, Kansas City, MO 64102.

Jessica Stewart

American Royal Children's Book Writing Contest

Are you interested in writing a children's book and getting it published? The American Royal and BOTAR want to help you! Our children's book-writing contest encourages writing and literacy among the youth of Greater Kansas City. Student divisions will be K-5, 6-9, and 9-12 grades. The winner of this contest will be the featured author for our 2012 Reading Round Up Program book as well as having their book sent for publishing. This book will be the fourth in a series of books (all available at the American Royal): "Diesel's Day at the America Royal", written by Ashley Noblit; "Arf," written by Carlie Gernhart; and "Clowning Around at the American Royal," written by Lissy Hodge.

Contest Entry Guidelines & Specifications:

  1. Age level: 3rd grade
  2. Story has at least three characters with dialogue. The characters can be animals or people.
  3. Story has a beginning, middle and end with a problem/solution.
  4. Topic for story: Must center around how aspects of everyday life are impacted by agriculture.
  5. Story should have illustrations on each page. For content purposes, illustrations will be a part of each page. Illustrations can be done by the writer or another participant to be determined. Story and illustrations will be selected separately.
  6. Story must have a cover and title page.
  7. This is a short story; therefore it may not exceed 1000 words.
  8. Stories should be submitted to the American Royal no later than November 15, 2011 to:
    Emily Haugh, American Royal Court, Kansas City, MO 64102.

Jessica Stewart

 

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. These are a great way to get some expert advice about caring for your pet. The seminars are held at the McElroy Hall Auditorium, on the corner of McFarland and Farm Road, at 7 pm. Programs this fall include the following:
October 4, 2011 - Dr. Lara Sipnewski - "Vaccination Puzzle: What, When and How?"
November 1, 2011 - Dr. Andrew Hanzlicek - Pet “Mid-Life Crisis”

If you are unable to attend, many of the seminars are recorded and available online at the OSU Vet Teaching Hospital Website. Just log on to http://www.cvm.okstate.edu then choose "pet care seminars" under the "animal health care" tab.


Steve Beck

National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

November 6-12, 2011, is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week and is a great time to get your 4-H club involved in helping out your local animal shelter. Animal shelters provide a great service to our communities by providing care and working to find new homes for abandoned pets. In addition, animal shelter employees spend many hours working to educate their communities about responsible pet ownership.

Here are a few ideas for celebrating National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week.

  • Start by saying thank you.

  • Drop a thank you note in the mail or send an email to the staff of your local animal shelter.

  • Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper explaining how important the shelter is to your community.

  • Bake some cookies for the workers and dog treats for the dogs and go say thank you in person. 

  • Make a donation to your shelter. Common items needed by shelters include cleaning supplies, pet beds, old towels, pet food and money. They also need people to donate their time and skills. They need help washing animals, washing laundry, washing kennels, walking dogs, playing with the cats and answering the phone. Check with you local shelter about their specific needs and age requirements for volunteers.

  • You can also support your shelter by being involved with community education. Educate your community on the importance to spaying and neutering their pets. Remember that one female dog and one male dog and their offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in six years. It is estimated that over 60 percent of pets become unwanted and will be abandoned or end up in pounds. If your community doesn't already have a low cost spay/neuter program for families with limited income encourage them to look into the possibility of developing a network with other agencies and vet clinics to offer low cost spay/neuter clinics. More information about low-income spay/neuter programs are available at http://okspaynetwork.org.

  • Make a display or give a presentation on how to protect pets during a disaster. Each year thousands of pets are lost during emergencies such as wildfires, tornadoes and floods. By being prepared pet owners are less likely to be separated from their pets. For more information on pet preparedness go to Oklahoma 4-H Literature Online at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/litol/ and read the companion animal sheet 4-H Pet Preparedness SMAN-501. 

  • Consider adopting or fostering a pet from the shelter. Adopting a pet is a great way to offer an animal a second chance at having a caring family while providing you a loyal companion. Adopting a pet should be a whole family decision that is carefully thought through. Make sure you do your homework and are able to provide the finances and time to give your pet a good home. If you are unable to adopt a pet, you might try fostering a pet. Fostering a pet allows you to provide a caring home until the animal is placed with a forever home while making room at the shelter for another homeless pet.

Each year over 5 million companion animals are euthanized in the United States. Animal shelters provide a valuable service by rescuing and placing many of these animals in caring homes. The only wrong way to celebrate National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week is by doing nothing at all.


Steve Beck

NACAA seeking 4-H members for 4-H Talent Show

As you know, the National Association of County Agricultural Agents will have its annual meeting in Charleston, SC, in July of 2012. We are seeking 4-H members to audition for the 4-H Talent Show that will be a major part of that conference. Attached is a flyer with all information and an application form. An audition DVD is due to Robin Currence, of South Carolina 4-H, by November 1. She can be contacted at 803-209-0538 or rcrrnc@clemson.edu.