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State 4-H Forum Registration Deadline Looms
--Kevin Wright
The Forum is the annual gathering of 4-H volunteers, teens and faculty/staff from around the state. During the Forum, you will have the opportunity to network with other volunteers, give input to the Washington State 4-H Program, and hone your skills at a variety of workshops. This year it will be held October 16 – 18 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington.
The Forum features the 4-H Council Meeting, Election of State Advisory Board & State Fair Board members, the 4-H Auction, speakers, a lot of workshop sessions, Alumni Reception, Volunteer Recognition Banquet and Washington 4-H Hall of Fame induction.
The Forum starts on Friday with day-long intensive training on a few topics followed by the annual District Meetings, the Volunteer Recognition Banquet and Hall of Fame Induction. Saturday features over forty workshop sessions, the 4th Annual 4-H Alumni Reception, and the 4-H Charity Auction and Dinner. Finally, Sunday will be filled with the 4-H Council Meeting and project meetings.
You can register for all or just part of the activities. Full-time registrants will get two lunches, dinners and a brunch besides a lot of great information, education and fellowship. Early Bird Registration for the Forum must be postmarked by September 30. More information about State 4-H Forum can be found at: http://4h.wsu.edu/conferences/Forum/index.htm.
Hotel reservations need to be made by September 21 to get the special 4-H group rate of $99.00 per night.
4-H Charity Auction
--Kevin Wright
Once again this year the State 4-H Forum will feature both live and silent auctions. The live auction will take place on Saturday evening, October 17, 2009.
Be sure to fill out the form completely and mail or email it to the Grays Harbor County Extension Office. DO NOT mail the auction item to Grays Harbor County - bring it with you to the Forum. The Auction Form can be found on the State Forum website at: http://4h.wsu.edu/conferences/Forum/index.htm.
The auction is a great way to make money for your county 4-H program. The profits from the auction are divided between the 4-H entity that donated it and the State 4-H Advisory Board. More details about this division are on the donation form. Be sure to mail in your donation forms by September 30, 2009, so that your items may be included in the auction catalog.
State Ambassador and State Advisory Board application deadline
--Jan Klein
REMINDER: State Ambassador and teen positions on the State Advisory Board applications are due October 1. For information and applications go to http://4h.wsu.edu/members/opportun.htm.
4-H District Rallies
--Jan Klein
District Rallies bring together young people to share 4-H Club and county experiences, develop leadership skills, build new relationships, expand individual resources, and to make the 4-H program better. District youth representatives for State Ambassadors, and the State 4-H Advisory Board are elected at the rallies. This year's rallies are slated to be the BEST ever. Your county teens won't want to miss this great district opportunity. Watch for more information, brochures and registration to be up on the 4-H website at: http://4h.wsu.edu/members/rallydates.htm.
NE District “Put your Passion to Work”
October 2-4, 2009
Chewelah Peak
Hosted by Stevens County
Registration brochure at http://4h.wsu.edu/news/pdf/2009NEDistTeenRally.pdf
SE District “CSI Walla Walla: Get a Clue”
October 23-25, 2009
Meadowood Springs Speech & Hearing Camp
Hosted by Walla Walla
Information at http://wallawalla.wsu.edu/4h/teen_rally.html
NW District "Hop to the Top"
November 6-8, 2009
Sound View Camp
Hosted by Kitsap County
SW District “Living Green”
November 6-8, 2009
Camp Wiriki
Hosted by Skamania County
Southeast District Teen Rally
--Jeanie Fulton
The 2009 Southeast District Teen Rally is being held at Meadowood Springs Speech and Hearing Camp in the beautiful Blue Mountains near Walla Walla on October 23-25. Early registration, by October 1, is $60 per person. Late registration, after October 1, is $80 per person. “CSI Walla Walla: Get a Clue” is this year's theme. Teens (in grades 7-12) will participate in workshops ranging from self defense to mystery solving.
Up-to-date camp information, brochure and registration packet is available at: http://wallawalla.wsu.edu/4h/teen_rally.html or contact the WSU Walla Walla County Extension at 509-524-2685 or email bbryce@wsu.edu.
2nd Annual Columbia River Country Days
--Carrie Kennedy, WSU Wahkiakum County Extension, Director
--Submitted by Lore Twiet
Just a tickler to remind you of our Friends of Extension's 2 nd Annual Columbia River Country Days, October 2 and 3 . It's shaping up to be a great, Wahkiakum-Grown time! This year will again feature the Slow Moving Parade and Two Islands Farm Market on Friday afternoon, Farm Tours on Saturday, and the 4-H Lamp Lit Dinner on the Covered Bridge on Saturday at 4:30. New this year will be an art show Saturday afternoon by the Johnson Park Art Group! Lots of fun ahead!
Tickets for the dinner on the Covered Bridge are now available! You may purchase them at the Bank of Pacific in Cathlamet and Naselle, as well as at the Extension office. (Thank you to Bank of Pacific!) We hesitantly raised the prices a bit after much encouragement… $35 for regular admission, and still $25 for our Grand Americans (72 and over) and Veterans. This includes fresh, local entrees and dessert prepared by award-winning chef Mark Bernetich; an encore of Cougar Gold cheese; music and great company!
Based on response from our many out of town folks last year, we've found a way for you to purchase your tickets online to the Dinner on the Covered Bridge online via credit card. There is a small fee for this service, but may be worth the gas to Cathlamet or Naselle for some of you. This option is available at http://coveredbridgedinner.eventbrite.com .
Also new this year, we are offering reserved seat placement if you buy a whole table, i.e. eight seats. Otherwise, seat placement is on a first come basis. So, please gather up your friends and buy a table!
Hope you can join us! The dinner menu and detailed event schedule are soon to come. It will surely be Wahkiakum Grown! For more information contact the WSU Wahkiakum County Extension office at 360-795-3278.
4-H Rides with NASCAR
--Submitted by Pat BoyEs
For many years, 4-H has been looking to partner with NASCAR. Well, I am pleased to announce that through a very generous donation made possible by our Board Chair, Jim Borel of DuPont—that dream has become a reality.
On Sunday, October 4, the 4-H clover and website address will be featured on the back TV panel of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet driven by Jeff Gordon at the Kansas Speedway. What a great way to kick-off National 4-H Week—and gain additional exposure for 4-H National Youth Science Day and the National Science Experiment: Biofuel Blast.
In addition to this feature placement on Jeff Gordon's car, DuPont is providing 4-H with visibility at the Kansas Speedway, an opportunity to address an enormous crowd in the DuPont hospitality area, and press promotion in the racing media from Jeff Gordon's PR team. We thank Jim and DuPont for their generous support of 4-H and 4-H National Youth Science Day.
Council will be releasing its own national press announcement in the week ahead—you are the first to be alerted about this greatly anticipated event. I look forward to joining with you all to watch with excitement as the clover takes to the track on October 4!
Questions & Answers for Those In Charge Of WSUe Volunteers
--Submitted by Ann K. Hennings, Washington 4-H Volunteer Development Action Team Coordinator (VDAT)
Just after our fairs, the following came across my desk. It made me think. And it made me take some action. What are your responses?
- Am I asking volunteers to do too much?
- Am I in danger of burning out volunteers?
- What is reasonable to ask?
- What is the current life cycle of a volunteer?
Visit http://www.volunteerpower.com/articles/newsletter77.asp, to check your answers against this wonderful monthly free electronic resource from Thomas McKee. He authored the dynamic book about volunteerism in this decade. The New Breed.
Teaching Knitting and Crocheting to Youth
--Submitted by Susan Kerr
Here are “TEN TIPS FROM THE PROS” regarding teaching children how to knit and crochet, courtesy of the Craft Yarn Council of America at http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/teach.html.
- KEEP IT FUN. Your young students must enjoy what they are doing. Let them see that you are having fun.
- Have a model to display of a project so your students can see what they will be making.
- Select simple projects that will interest your young students;
- projects that can be completed quickly,
- use brightly colored yarns, and
- have extra supplies on hand.
- Keep the lessons short to accommodate the short attention span of children.
- Don't expect perfection. They are trying. That is what is important. Praise them! Find something to compliment;
- "I like that yarn color!"
- "You have been a good listener today!"
- "Your stitches are looking so good!"
- "I like the way you are holding your crochet hook!"
- REMEMBER, KEEP IT FUN!!!!
- Showing is better than telling. Demonstrate the skill that you want them to do.
- Put something in their hands as soon as possible. Many teachers have found it easier to begin by giving students a hook or needles with a few rows of crochet or knitting completed. Students learn the basics more easily and then go back and learn foundation chain or cast on, which can be tricky for beginners because of their tension.
- Children need to have a sense of accomplishment. Provide them with frequent progress reports.
- When a child is having difficulty with a skill, show them an alternative, if possible.
- When teaching teenagers:
- do not "dumb down" your instructions, but recognize their interests are different,
- treat them as adults not like "large children,"
- choose projects that match their interests,
- consider current fashion trends.
If you enjoy passing along your gift of knowledge to a new generation, consider earning teacher certification in crochet and knitting.
NEW State-Specific Data on Child Poverty and Well-Being
--Submitted by Pat BoyEs
With summer coming to an end and another school year about to begin, we might ask, how well are children really doing? We wanted to make you aware of two recently released resources that contain important data on the current status of children in this country - the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT Data Book and The Carsey Institute's new report, The Forgotten Fifth: Child Poverty in Rural America.
Our partners at the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) have just released their 20th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book. For those of you unfamiliar with this resource, the Data Book provides an annual national and state-by-state look at the status of children across the United States.
In the Data Book you will find:
- Hundreds of indicators of child well-being in the areas of: demographics, education, economic well-being, family and community, health, safety and risky behaviors and more.
- Rankings of states according to the well-being of the children living in those states.
- AECF's new web widget that helps you link data to your website.
This information can be used as a tool for advocacy, fund-raising, research and community practice in support of children and families. You can download or order the 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book HERE.
As a companion piece, we suggest you review the 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Brief. It features an essay that outlines action steps to enhance the nation's use of data in creating policies that improve outcomes for children, a guide to how to use the Data Book itself, and user friendly charts with the figures and categories used to rank the various states. You can download or order the 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Brief HERE.
For more information on the KIDS COUNT initiative, please visit Annie E. Casey Foundation's website.
EARN IT / KEEP IT / GROW IT
How well are children doing in RURAL America?
The Carsey Institute has published a new report, The Forgotten Fifth: Child Poverty in Rural America, which examines the distinctive challenges facing the one in five poor children in the United States who lives in a rural area. According to the report, even though the child poverty rates are higher in rural areas than those in urban areas and the gap between rural and urban child poverty has grown since 1990, rural children living in poverty are often overlooked in discussions of child poverty in this country.
In the report you will find:
- Data about the demographics of rural child poverty including: child poverty trends in rural versus urban areas, state and local patterns in rural child poverty rates, rates of persistent and "deep" poverty (with income less than one-half the poverty threshold) among rural children and regional differences in the concentration of rural child poverty.
- The roles that family structure, parent educational attainment and work status play in perpetuating rural child poverty.
- An examination of how public assistance programs serve rural and urban families differently.
To find out more, view the entire report HERE.
2010 National 4-H Camping Institute
--Submitted by Pat BoyEs
The deadline for submitting proposals is September 18, 2009 for the 2010 National 4-H Camping Institute.
They will hold a drawing for one FREE registration for one out of state presenter.
Cost is a modest $375 for 5 days and 4 nights including housing, bedding, meals, education program and a day tour. Additional pre-conference workshops and tours are also being offered.
Find us at http://oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu/nci and plan to come to the Trail's End in March 2010!
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.