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Western Regional 4-H Leader's Forum (WRLF) Registration
--Pat BoyEs
The WRLF planning committee wants to remind all of you that the Early Bird registration deadline of December 1 is just a week away! They have started to have some concerns during the summer about the economy and its impact on registration for WRLF this year. They currently have fewer than 75 registrants. Encourage your volunteers and staff to visit: http://www.colorado4h.org/wrlf09/index.shtml and sign up soon!
County Teen Representative Training Dates
--Jan Klein
Eastside: January 10, 2009, Whitman County Extension Office, 9 am to 4 pm. Cost: $10
Westside: January 19, 2009, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Almendinger Hall, 9 am to 4 pm. Cost: $10
Many counties are participating in the 4-H County Teen Representative (CTR) State/County leadership program for middle age teens. About 15 counties have selected CTRs. Other counties have youth involved in local leadership positions and would like additional information about this unique program and/or leadership skills training. This training is for both of them, their advisors, interested 4-H volunteers and 4-H staff.
Youth will participate in active learning workshops in leadership skills and build a network with other middle school teens across the state. Workshop sessions include: communication, team building, facilitation, goal setting, leading experiential activities and telling the 4-H story. Adult CTR advisors will be orientated to become effective mentors and to their role in helping the 4-H teens have a successful experience.
Please RSVP to Jan Klein by January 2, 2009.
Scholarship Opportunities
--Jan Klein
Each year Washington State 4-H members, who are seniors in high school or completing their GED, are eligible for many scholarships. Please share the following information with eligible teens from your county. Note: there are two different sets of criteria for the scholarships .
Washington State 4-H is pleased to offer 15 different scholarships Current and former Washington State 4-H members are eligible to apply. Applicants must have accumulated at least 2 years of 4-H affiliation. Previous Washington State 4-H scholarship recipients are not eligible to apply.
CAHNRS 4-H Scholarships:
In conjunction with the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, we are excited to offer four Washington State University 4-H $1500.00 scholarships: two for achievement in Leadership and two for achievement in Citizenship/Community Service. Each of these scholarships is worth $1500.00 toward tuition in a student's freshman year at Washington State University, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences.
Applicants being considered for the Leadership and Citizenship/Community Service Scholarships will first be reviewed for the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences Dean's Merit Award worth $3000.00. To be eligible for these scholarships a youth must complete both the Washington State University Scholarship Application (online only) and the WSU/CAHNRS 4-H State Scholarship Supplemental Information (send to Britta Nitcy). Applications must arrive at WSU by January 31, 2009.
Please note:
- Washington State University Scholarship Application is ON-LINE ONLY
- Applicant must complete a WSU application and receive a student ID PRIOR to applying for the Scholarship
Washington State 4-H Scholarships:
Washington 4-H Scholarships require a completed 4-H Scholarship Application and Washington State 4-H Scholarship Supplemental Application Information. Each applicant will be considered for all Washington State 4-H Scholarships. These applications must be postmarked by March 1, 2009. These scholarships may be used at any institution offering post-secondary education (i.e. Seattle University, The Ohio State University, Technical and Community Colleges, Cosmetology school, etc.).
A 4-Her may be awarded only one of the Washington scholarships mentioned above.
There are two different sets of requirements for the scholarships; one for the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences and the other for general 4-H Scholarships. Each has a checklist to make sure you don't forget any part. Much of the information is repeated in different ways on each (unfortunately, this is necessary because we are working with different systems). Once you have completed the first form the others should be much easier!
In summary, the scholarships available are:
Washington State University, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences State 4-H Scholarship: (Received by January 31, 2009 at WSU)
- Dean's Merit Scholarship $3,000
- Two @ $1,500.00 for Leadership
- Two @ $1,500.00 for Citizenship/Community Service
Washington State 4-H Scholarships: (Postmarked by March 1, 2009 to State 4-H Scholarship Committee)
- J. Orville Young Memorial Scholarship
- One @ $500.00
- Lewis County 4-H Leaders Scholarships
- Six @ $500.00
- O.M. Plummer Memorial Scholarship
- One @ approximately $575.00
- Washington State 4-H Foundation Scholarship
- One @ $500.00
- Washington State 4-H Foundation Dairy Endowment Scholarship is a separate application from those above. For information and application go to: http://4h.wsu.edu/foundation/dairyendowment/HodgsonScholarship.pdf .
- Two @ $500.00 (must be/have been a 4-H Dairy Member. One for a senior in high school and one for a current college student).
More information about WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences scholarships can be found at: http://academic.cahe.wsu.edu/scholarships.htm.
General information about financial aid and WSU scholarships can be found at: http://www.finaid.wsu.edu/scholar/.
The 4-H Scholarship Application form may be obtained from your local County Extension office or downloaded from the Washington State 4-H Website: http://4h.wsu.edu/members/scholar.htm.
If you have any questions about the scholarships please contact me at (509)358-7937 or email jlklein@wsu.edu.
County Leaders' Council/Association Contact Information Needed
--Chuck Todd
Please send updated contact information (name, position, mailing address, email and phone number) for Council/Association Presidents and Treasurers to Tiffany Boswell at tiffany_boswell@wsu.edu.
State 4-H Advisory Board Minutes
--Vicki Contini
The complete minutes from the April 2008 State 4-H Advisory Board meeting can be found at: www.4h.wsu.edu/volntr/sab/sablist.html.
Civic Literacy Quiz Available Online
--Susan Kerr
Those of you working in the National 4-H Mission Mandate area of Citizenship may be interested in the information at http://americancivicliteracy.com, particularly the quiz.
Joint 4-H and FFA Meeting Outcomes
--Submitted by Pat BoyEs
The 4-H Youth Development and FFA programs have strong histories of engaging youth from across the country in a variety of educational settings. Both organizations have addressed critical issues facing our county in a number of different focus areas, including leadership, citizenship, science skills, and more. We have enjoyed cooperative working relationships at all levels of our organizations and we strongly support youth that choose to enroll in 4-H and FFA separately or concurrently.
On September 9-10, 2008 leaders from 4-H, FFA, and Agriculture in the Classroom met in Washington, D.C. (National 4-H Conference Center) with the goal to (1) provide an opportunity for each organization to inform the other of current work and initiatives; (2) identify potential opportunities for supporting each other's work; and (3) generate recommendations and next steps to build upon identified opportunities.
Over the course of the two-day meeting, our joint leadership team discussed issues important to us all. We found common ground in our interests and strengths related to such areas as youth focus and belief in a youth voice; a need for highly qualified professionals and volunteers; community and civic engagement; strong community support; and expectations for high quality educational materials and resources.
Topics for future discussion identified during our meeting included:
- Staff and volunteer recruitment, retention, and development;
- Sharing research agendas and common interests;
- Communication strategies at all levels to strengthen relationships and advocacy; and
- Educational resources and materials development.
Over the next six months, we are asking for you to reach out to each other, if you do not already have a working relationship. We would encourage discussion on: (1) the above priority issues (and others); (2) successful strategies that you have used to develop strong working relationships that minimizes or eliminates competition between the organizations; (3) identifying roadblocks to success and strategies you would need to implement to be successful; and (4) encouraging meetings and dialogue at the local level between Extension professionals and FFA advisors, if they are not already happening. We would welcome any feedback or thoughts you might have and we ask that you share with us prior to April 1, 2009.
We salute you for the good work you do on behalf of young people, and we look forward to hearing your ideas, suggestions and successes over the next six months. Please send your comments and stories to us at the contacts below.
Larry Case, Ed.D., National FFA Advisor, CEO, lcase@ffa.org, 400 Maryland Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202-7322 or Ryan J. Schmiesing, Ph.D., rschmiesing@csrees.usda.gov, 1400 Independence Ave., SW-MS 2225, Washington, D.C. 20250-2225.
NAT-ETA-08-1721-Youth Offender Grants
--Submitted by Pat BoyEs
The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a three-category, $17.3 million competition through which selected localities will develop strategies to assist all their young offenders returning from correctional facilities.
NAE4-HA 2009 “Imagine the Possibilities!”
--Submitted by Janet Schmidt
The 4-H Educators of the Northeast wish to invite everyone to reserve the dates of October 25 - 29, 2009 to come visit the Northeast in Rochester. The planning committees are working hard to provide a world-class professional development opportunity. So come to Rochester, NY in the fall of 2009 and “Imagine the Possibilities!" http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/nae4ha2009.
We have fabulous speakers planned for the conference: keynote Geoffrey Canada, a much sought-after speaker, who enjoys a national reputation as both an advocate for and an expert on issues concerning violence, children, and community redevelopment, and capnote Judson Laipply, whose presentations are highly motivational, humorous, and thought provoking while focusing on change in life.
We would also like to encourage you to submit a proposal to present at the conference - sharing your best practices of positive youth development, research and outcomes. Information and the call for proposals, and proposal reviewers, can be found at: http://georgia4h.org/nae4hacallforproposals/login/login.cfm. There may be staff and faculty within your state who you will want to recruit as presenters. Please do share this link with them.
Come and choose from what will be 200 workshops, seminars, poster sessions, and commercial exhibits that are the best the Northeast has to offer! Pre-conference tours are being planned including visits to the Finger Lakes, Wine Country, Niagara Falls & Toronto. Also over 20 Seminars on Wheels are being organized. Evening events promise to be exciting as well: highlights include Seasons in the Northeast Opening Night and even a possible Theatre Night. This conference will also be an economical one with room rates starting at $119 per room per night!
See you in the Northeast in 2009!
Teenagers' Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing
--Pat BoyEs
I came across the story “Teenagers' Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing” in The New York Times. This study was funded by the MacArthur Foundation. To read the complete story visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/us/20internet.html.
"Good news for worried parents: All those hours their teenagers spend socializing on the Internet are not a bad thing, according to the MacArthur Foundation."
"The study, part of a $50 million project on digital and media learning, used several teams of researchers to interview more than 800 young people and their parents and to observe teenagers online for more than 5,000 hours."
Lewin, Tamar. “Teenagers' Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing.” New York Times on the Web. 19 Nov. 2008.
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.