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4-H Science Camp-in Registration Deadline Approaches!
--Kevin Wright
Plan to attend the 4-H Science Camp-in at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle on March 31-April 1. Registration deadline is March 18, 2007 . For more information visit http://4-h.wsu.edu/conferences/campin/index.htm.
Gross Trivia - Brought to you by the Pacific Science Center in Support of the 4-H Science Camp-in -- At birth you have 350 bones in your body. You now have 206 bones. What happened to the rest? They fused to other bones to make larger bones.
2007 State 4-H Forum Workshop Proposals Due May 1
--Jan Hiller
The 2007 State 4-H Forum will be held October 19-21 at the TRAC/Holiday Inn Express in Pasco . You will find the Call for Workshop Proposals Description and Response Form at http://4-h.wsu.edu/conferences/Forum/index.htm . Please share these 2 pages with 4-H volunteers, faculty/staff, administrators and youth who are interested in providing quality educational workshops at this year's State 4-H Forum. Proposals are due by May 1. Contact Jan Hiller , hillerj@wsu.edu or Vicki Contini , vcontini@co.franklin.wa.us , if you have questions.
2005-2006 WA State Youth Extension Statistical Reports Available
--Nancy Mordhorst
Several reports reflecting the 2005-2006 4-H statistical year are now available online. These include: the 2005-2006 Statistical Summary, the 2006 WA 4-H Youth Enrollment Report by County and two Powerpoint files containing 2006 statistical data and a 5-year report. The files are on the 4-H website at http://4h.wsu.edu/ws4h/stats/index.htm .
Although enrollment totals statewide fell this year, club participation has remained steady. There is a very noticeable correlation between group enrollment declines and counties that have experienced vacant 4-H positions.
If you would like a hard copy of the WA State Annual Extension Youth Enrollment Report for 2005-2006 (ES237 Report), please contact me at nancym@wsu.edu or call 509-335-2981.
Two Auction Items Available
--Tony Dell
The Washington State 4-H Foundation is in possession of two items available for auction. These items were received well after Forum 2006 in Chelan. The two available items are:
Passes for Old Country Buffet / Home Town Buffet
Four (4) Guest Passes, each good for one (1) complimentary meal, Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner, at any Old Country Buffet or Hometown Buffet location. One pass per visit and one meal per guest pass. Expires 11-31-07.
Two (2) "Be Our Guest" Invitations, each good for one (1) complimentary meal, Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner, for a family of two adults and up to four (4) kids meals at any Old Country Buffet or Hometown Buffet location. Expires 12-15-07.
Gift Certificate to Luigi's Italian Restaurant, Spokane Washington
One gift certificate in the amount of $25.00, redeemable at Luigi's Italian Restaurant, 245 West Main, Spokane , Washington . Not redeemable for cash; no expiration date.
Items will be awarded to the highest bidder. Please direct bids to adell@wsu.edu . Bidding on these items will close on Monday, March 5th . In the event of a tie on any of the items, the highest bidders will be given a 24-hour window of opportunity to increase their bids.
State 4-H Ambassadors Interview Governor!
--Pat BoyEs
As a lead into the 2007 edition of 4-H Know Your Government, the State 4-H Ambassadors scored an interview with Washington Governor Christine Gregoire. Pam Roberts, of Jefferson County , prepared the youth and did the filming through the 4-H Network News program that Jefferson County 4-H is spearheading. The interview with the Governor was a splendid way to capture the spirit of "Politics and the Media: Its All News to Me" which was the theme for this year's KYG. You can checkout the podcast at http://4-hnews.blogspot.com .
Congratulations, 2007 Kraft Healthy Living Grant Award Winners!
--Donald T. Floyd, Jr., President and CEO, National 4-H Council
On behalf of the National 4-H Council and Kraft Foods, Inc., I am pleased to announce the recipients of the 4-H Healthy Living grant. Congratulations are extended to:
- Florida , Wendi Zimmerman
- Iowa , Kim Brantner
- Illinois , John Davis
- Kansas , Diane Nielson
- Maryland , Sharon Pahlman
- Maine , Ellen Libby
- Minnesota , Carolyn Dingfelder
- New Jersey , Virginia Krzyzanowski
- Tennessee , Justin Crowe
- Texas , Charlene Belew
- Washington, Jan Klein
We look forward to the impact these winning programs will have upon young people and their families!
Congratulations again and best wishes for success!
4-H Animal Science Projects--Impacts on Young People
--Pat BoyEs
Each summer, youth and communities across Washington gather together at the local county fair. Participating in the county fair is a favorite summer activity for thousands of Washington 's 4-H'ers. We know that fairs are fun but now, thanks to our Oregon colleagues, we know the specific skills that youth gain by raising, training, showing and selling an animal at the fair.
Learning about and caring for animals, working together, competing in fair classes and being part of the experiences that make up a fair all contribute to the positive development of youth--- a tradition of fun and learning that the 4-H Program is proud to continue.
A newly released study by Mary Arnold, Oregon's 4-H Evaluation Specialist, which examines the impact of youth participation in animal science projects at local fairs. I hope that this study helps you better communicate the youth development outcomes that result from participation in these important experiences. Feel free to forward these to anyone you feel might be interested.
Remarks from Dr. Gale Buchanan
--Pat BoyEs
Gale Buchanan, Under Secretary for Research Education and Economics, recently gave a speech to the Joint Biennial Meeting of the Board on Human Sciences and the Council of Administrators of Family Consumer Sciences. He made comments about 4-H toward the end of his presentation that may be of interest to you and perhaps the language can be useful to you in other ways.
Breeze Research Meet-Ups in March and April
--Pat BoyEs
There are two upcoming Breeze Meet-Ups scheduled for March and April. Please see the descriptions of these Breeze web-meeting sessions below and contact Bianca Johnson , bjohnson@csrees.usda.gov , if you would like to participate. Participation is free of charge on a first come, first served basis--space is limited to 25 Breeze participants in each session.
March 14, 2007, 2-3pm ET
Meet-up with Dr. Maureen Mulroy and Dr. Lisa Kraimer-Rickaby, University of Connecticut Center for Applied Research
Drs. Mulroy and Kraimer-Rickaby will present an overview of their recently completed report, “The Impact and Sustainability of 4-H Youth Development Programs.” The report, commissioned by National 4-H Headquarters and funded by the National 4-H Council, is a synthesis of evaluations of 4-H programs conducted in the past 10 years. The report addresses the following goals: (1) What impact or influence does sustained involvement in 4-H programs have on youths' ability to acquire, utilize, or enhance critical life skills?; (2) What are the various iterations of 4-H youth development programming and do these variations have a differential impact on participating youth?; (3) What unmet needs or gaps have been identified in terms of programming or program delivery modes? (4) What “best” and “promising” practices have been put into place which will facilitate replication of findings in other settings?; and (5) What areas pertaining to 4-H audiences, programs, and delivery require further study? Dr. Mulroy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the Associate Director of the Center for Applied Research. She has expertise in program evaluation, child development, community education programs, and parent education. Dr. Kraimer-Rickaby is Assistant Extension Professor in-Residence and Interim Human Development Specialist in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. She has expertise in child and adolescent development, program evaluation, and mentoring.
April 4, 2007, 1-2 pm ET
Meet-up with Dr. Mary Arnold, Associate Professor and 4-H Youth Development Specialist, Oregon State University
Dr. Arnold's presentation will outline a framework for building evaluation capacity that has been used successfully with Extension 4-H field educators. The framework is based on four strategic methods for teaching evaluation: 1) using logic models for sound program planning, 2) providing one-on-one help, 3) facilitating small-team collaborative evaluations, and 4) conducting large-scale multi-site evaluations. This framework for teaching evaluation has potential value for all organizations interested in developing evaluation capacity in regional educators as well as developing a positive culture of evaluation within the organization.
Dr. Mary Arnold is a 4-H youth development evaluation specialist with a special focus on teaching program evaluation. Dr. Arnold is currently co-chair of the “Evaluating for Impact” National 4-H Learning Priority team with CSREES and the 2007 chair of the Extension Education Topical Interest Group (EEE-TIG) of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). In 2004 she was awarded the national Excellence in Evaluation Training award by the EEE-TIG. She has also published numerous articles on the evaluation of 4-H programs, including a recent article in the American Journal of Evaluation on building evaluation capacity with 4-H Youth Development faculty (June, 2006).
4-H Families Count: Family Strengthening Awards
--Pat BoyEs
The 4-H Families Count: Family Strengthening Awards will again be offered in 2007. These awards are funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation . Five $15,000 awards will be selected and presented at the NAE4-HA conference in Atlanta , GA , the week of October 21, 2007. Remember, these are awards for outstanding programs that significantly involve families specially disadvantaged families. They also should focus at least in part on a rural audience. Rural has been re-defined for this awards program this year to include communities of 50,000 or less. Winners will be expected to share their programs with at least five other groups across the country as a result of being selected for this honor.
This is the third year that these awards will have been presented. Past winners have been from New Jersey (2), Oregon , Missouri , Nebraska , North Dakota , Iowa , Nevada , Utah and Colorado . Feel free to visit with your peers from those states for ideas and advice. The final applications for the awards are due at National 4-H Council on June 1, 2007 . Selections are made by July 1. Each winning program will be notified and given an additional $1,200 to participate in the NAE4-HA conference. Prior to the sending the final application to council, each program must have received the programs of distinction certification from National 4-H Headquarters. Dr. Suzanne LeMenestrel has provided positive leadership for this effort and is in fact hosting a Breeze session on March 5 at 1:00 pm ET to give more specifics on this program.
The website for the application is www.fourhcouncil.edu/4HFamiliesProgram.aspx .
Now you know why I have been nagging on the Programs of Distinction process so much! That is the first step. Please take this initiative and apply for Program of Distinction status!
2007 4-H Community ATV Safety
--Pat BoyEs
Grants:
Up to $7,500
2005 & 2006 continuation grants up to $2,000
New opportunities:
4-Day ASI Instructor Training (train general public & 4-H)
4-Day ASI Instructor Training (train 4-H participants only)
ASI ATV RiderCourse funding
Application Deadline: Monday, April 9, 2007, 5PM, EST
Contact: schaconas@fourhcouncil.edu
Funding provided by Specialty Vehicle Institute of America/ATV Safety Institute
The 2007 4-H Community ATV Safety Grant offers grants up to $7,500 for new applicants, up to $2,000 for the 2005 & 2006 grant recipients for continuation grants (2005 & 2006 grant recipients may apply for a new grant if their focus is new and has a broader reach). New opportunities include 4-day ASI instructor training and ASI ATV RiderCourse funding. This grant is open to 4-H/Extension groups in local communities, in counties, and at the state level. This grant provides opportunities for young people and adults to address critical ATV safety issues. Youth are empowered to lead the planning, implementation, and evaluation process with mentorship from adults. Youth will learn how their leadership can result in community collaborations that amplify the impact of their project.
Grants are offered only to 4-H/Extension Programs in the United States and its territories. If you are not a part of 4-H, we encourage you to contact your local Cooperative Extension 4-H office and become a project collaborator!
Information and the grant application can be found at http://www.atv-youth.org/about.aspx .
Completed applications are emailed as an attachment to your state 4-H office, 1890/1994 Administrator, or the SPO, for review before our deadline. Your designated office will then forward your grant application as an email attachment to: 2007atvsafety @fourhcouncil.edu . Applications must be received via email, as an attachment, in our email in box no later than Monday, April 9, 2007, 5PM, EST.
If you have any questions, email schaconas@fourhcouncil.edu , or call at 301-961-2858.
University of Arizona Job Opportunity
--Pat BoyEs
Graham County Cooperative Extension is recruiting an Assistant/Associate Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development, Youth and Family for the Graham County Cooperative Extension office in Solomon , AZ.
For full description please visit http://ag.arizona.edu/graham and click on the announcement.
To apply for this position please complete an online application for Job #37099 at the University of Arizona Human Resource website at www.uacareertrack.com . Be prepared to attach a CV & letter of interest.
Just a Reminder!
When you have new Extension staff that will be working in some capacity with 4-H, please let Nancy in the State 4-H Office know. They will be added to mailing lists, added to the 4-H Talk list serve, sent a 4-H Welcome Packet, and be assigned a state 4-H staff person as a point of contact, as appropriate. 4-H News is sent via the 4-H Talk list serve each week. Archived copies of previous weeks “Tuesday 4-H News” are available on the 4-H web site: http://4h.wsu.edu/. Please send submissions by Friday of each week to Tiffany Boswell, State 4-H Office, tiffany_boswell@wsu.edu. Detailed event information and registrations forms can be found on the 4-H web site.