National 4-H Week: October 2-8, 2022  

Use #Opportunity4All &  #4HWeek all week long on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

Youth Ag & Leadership Foundation 18th Annual BBQ Fundraiser!

Saturday, September 24 | 3:30pm - 7:30pm

Richard's Grove & Saralee's Vineyard, Windsor

Tickets are available now! To purchase please visit our website https://www.youthagleadershipofsoco.org/2022-bbq-fundraiser

The Annual BBQ Fundraiser would not be the success it is without the help and support of our committed volunteers. We will be needing help in the following areas:

• Live or Silent Auction Donations - Clubs will receive 50% of the proceeds

• Club Project Displays - This is a great opportunity to have a table at the event and showcase your project.

• Youth/Adult Volunteers - We will be needing many youth and adult volunteers to help at the event.  To sign up, Click Here

We ask that you share this information with your club. Thank you all for your support in making the 18th Annual BBQ Fundraiser a success!

If you have any questions, please contact Kristi at office.youthagleadership@gmail.com.

4honline Enrollment Open!

Families and volunteers are encouraged to self-enroll in 4-H using 4-H Online. 

The Family Enrollment Guide provides step-by-step guidance of the online enrollment process.

If you have questions, please contact Michelle at the 4-H office, via email mnozzari@ucanr.edu or by phone at 707-565-2681.

• Youth Member Enrollment Process
• Adult Volunteer Initial Appointment Process
• Adult Volunteer Re-Appointment Process

Warm Welcome to our New Community Education Specialist: Jasmine Dingler!

UCCE Sonoma & Sonoma County 4-H welcomes Jasmine Dingler, our new Community Education Specialist! Jasmine has extensive experience in youth development, community engagement, and volunteer management. She has a Masters in Science from UC Davis, belongs to North American Association for Environmental Education’s Guidelines for Excellence Trainer’s Bureau, is a Certified Interpretive Guide, and California Naturalist Program Instructor. She is also a member of the Sonoma County Environmental Education Collaborative and administrator for their Facebook group, where she shares family programs, events, and educational resources (https://www.facebook.com/groups/997877847021023/). 

Jasmine is passionate about teaching and enjoys bringing people together. She is especially excited to start meeting 4-H youth and volunteers and is looking forward to growing program offerings. In her free time, Jasmine enjoys studying wildlife, gardening, cooking, photography, hiking, and spending time with her dog.

Jasmine can be reached at jdingler@ucanr.edu or (707) 565-2836

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all gliding into the 2022-2023 4-H year with relative ease! Enrollment time is always hectic and full of questions, maybe a bit chaotic feeling even. We are fortunate to have lots of people available to help move through the process as efficiently as possible, so please reach out as needed. I know everyone's talking about the insane heat wave we've had, and I hope if you or your members suffered any losses of crop or livestock that it was minimal; it's so hard!

I want to thank those of you who came out to Leader Training last month, I was so happy to see so many faces! And to add chairs! I felt it was a productive time with lots of questions and suggestions and also provided a needs assessment that was heard. One of those needs was improved communication and a platform for inter-club collaboration; we are working on that platform and hope to get it to you all soon. I think you'll find it user-friendly and helpful.

I also want to thank those who made Officers Training happen! Dana Grande spearheaded the event and put a lot of effort into providing facilitators and youth officers with all they needed to make a well-informed and successful start to the year in their roles. Thank you to Dana, Kimberly Roberts, Diana Stornetta, Dayna Justus, Tiffany Kelley, Charlotte LeGallee and to our All Star Team Alex Justus and Tammy Kelley for volunteering your time and energy to the over 40 youth officers who attended and their training! You reignited something we have been missing in the past couple years, and it is very much appreciated!

Don't forget, if you aren't going to the Mendocino County Fair on September 24, the YAL Foundation BBQ is back (yay!!) and in need of many volunteers. It's a great way to showcase your projects, provide silent and live auction items and help say thank you to the many supporters who attend the event. Gorgeous facility, great food, lots of laughs, music, and a fundraising tradition that shouldn't be missed! If you haven't already, please tell your families about it and encourage volunteerism at the event. Contact Kristi at the YAL office for more information or go to the website. I'll see you there!

We are excited to have Achievement Night coming up on October 22nd at the YAL Center...your All Star Team are working hard to make this Masquerade Ball fabulous, as usual! Back to an evening event indoors, it's comforting, really. What are you wearing??

My apologies for missing our first CCC meeting of the year, you know that if I wasn't there, there was a very good reason. I was sick and had no intention of sharing my germs. I know Stefanie did a great job of running the first (and historically long!) meeting of the year. Thank you Stefanie! And thank you to each and every one of you reading this message for your commitment to this program, setting good examples for our youth, maintaining your club's good standing status and upholding the 4-H Code of Conduct. Without you, the backbone of this program, we would wither like my plants in this heat. I really appreciate each and every one of you.

Stay well, and as always, reach out if you have questions, concerns, etc. We are here together!

Sara

Welcome back, fellow 4-Hers, we can’t wait to start our new year IN PERSON!!!  We are your 2022-2023 All Star Ambassadors, Alex and Tammy. We hope everyone is looking forward to Achievement Night, it’s going to be great! We’ve been planning our amazing RECOGNITION NIGHT and this year we came up with an amazing theme…MASQUERADE BALL. We want to encourage everyone to come dressed in their best black, silver and gold masquerade ball attire, complete with your own personalized masquerade mask! The event will be held at the YAL Center on Saturday evening, October 22. Doors will open at 6:30 and the event will begin promptly at 7:00pm. We will have a cupcake contest, and the winners of each category (Best Tasting and Most Creative) will win an ice cream social with the all stars on a date to be mutually agreed upon date. As part of the opening ceremony, we would like to invite each club to create a poster-sized masquerade mask to introduce your club. We recommend using a foam core posterboard. We can’t wait to see you all there in your Masquerade Best to celebrate everyone’s awesome achievements! If you have questions, email us at sc4hallstars@gmail.com.

Tammy and Alex

 Fashion Revue News

Congratulations to Sonoma County's two 2022 Fashion Revue State Winners!

Kevin Campanile of Two Rock 4-H was the Junior State Winner in the Trashion category and Cecilia Lagos of Liberty 4-H was the Junior State Winner in the Consumer Science $40 Purchased category!

Announcing the five 2023 County Categories:

Accessories (same rules as 2022)

Embellished (same rules as 2022)

Non-Garment (same rules as 2022)

Make It for Your Animal (same rules as 2022)

NEW! Take It on an Adventure: Create a non-garment item that can be used on an adventure. Any crafting method and materials may be used. Examples include: neck pillow, water bottle holder, backpack, bicycle accessories, hat, mittens, travel pillow, car organizer, toiletry bag, sunglasses case, gaiters, bandana, picnic blanket, picnic basket, insulated lunch bag, sleeping bag liner

The 2023 State categories have not been announced yet.

If you have any questions, contact the County Fashion Revue committee at 4HSonomaCountyFashionRevue@gmail.com

Harvest Festival welcomes 4-H 

Cornerstone and Harrow Cellars invites 4-H youth to participate in a Harvest Festival for the community at Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma on October 22 from 11 am until 3:00 pm. If you are interested in showing any animals or talking with visitors about the program, please contact Kristen Jensen, Director of Events, at kjensen@sonomasbesthg.com or call (925) 212-6904.

Model Horse Show

Attention horse lovers! Do you collect model horses? Do you want to meet fellow collectors and hobbyists? Look no further. The National Model Horse Shower’s Association Region 2 is hosting our annual show within a show in Davis, CA. The best of the best in the Region will compete in championships for ribbons, prizes, and bragging rights on both Saturday and Sunday. Our class list features last chance to qualify “buy in’s” for those new show string members. For the novice participants, we will have a novice show Sunday where we will award ribbons and prizes. Novice showers need not have any prequalified entries. Saturday night, hunt for your next herd member at our swap meet at the show hall following the Saturday classes.

Model horse showing is a great way to meet fellow hobbyists while also learning about biomechanics, breed standards, and even performance (Horses shown under tack). Our novice showers will have access to judges and senior hobbyists to answer all of their questions. Join us for a fun weekend November 12-13^th, 2022 in Davis California. More information concerning the show, class list, and how to enter can be found at our website. Visitors are always welcome. We hope to see you there!

https://r2champshow.weebly.com

Tractor Supply Paper Clover

October 5-16, 2022

The Fall Tractor Supply #PaperClover campaign starts in the middle of National 4-H Week, October 5th, and runs through Sunday, October 16th.

Help spread the word to encourage support for 4-H camps and leadership conferences.

Access the social media posts and poster on the Tractor Supply page of the Brand Toolkit.

Explorers of the Deep

Explorers of the Deep, focuses on the mysteries and adventures of ocean exploration—with robots! Young people learn how to use science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to explore Earth’s Ocean and how it relates to all life on the planet.Explorers of the Deep activities can be done all at once or individually.

1. Ocean Robot Test Tank is an activity where youth learn how to “ballast” their ocean robot by adding weights to replicate the sinking and floating behavior of a real ocean robot. They will investigate data collected by ocean robots and learn about the value of ocean exploration.

2. Ocean Expedition is a board game where youth navigate their ocean robot around the world while learning key ocean concepts. Topics include aquaculture, climate change, innovation, human impact and the ocean ecosystem.

3. Ocean Communicator is an activity in which young people investigate challenges that ocean scientists, engineers and technologists are currently exploring. They design and advocate for innovations and technical solutions that inspire public action.

Learn more about the 2022 4-H STEM Challenge. 

Spread the word and order your kit(s)!

Each Kit ($24.99) includes materials for 6 youth or more if rotating to participate in the offline activities at the same time.

County Ambassador Essentials

Virtual skill building workshop series

The State Ambassador team will be hosting a workshop series for County Ambassadors, youth leaders (13 and up) and County Ambassador Coaches.

September 29, 2022, 6:30-8:30pm

Youth- Adult Partnerships & Finding your niche as a County Ambassador

Using Hart’s Ladder of Participation. This workshop teaches the different levels of youth-adult partnerships and provides strategies for improving youth-adult relationships both within and outside of the County Ambassador Program. Teams will also work through an activity designed to help them understand the Leadership Competencies and how to use them as a County Ambassador

Register at ucanr.edu/4H-Essentials

on

Upcoming workshops

Oct. 27, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Creating a Strong Plan of Action

Nov. 17, 2022, 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Manage your goals and Consensus Building

Dec. 15, 2022, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Anatomy of a Workshop

Jan. 26, 2023 6:30pm-8:00pm

The Art of Facilitation

Feb. 23, 2023, 6:30pm-8:00pm

Develop Your Back Up Plan

Download full descriptions and schedule

4-H Shooting Sports Instructors Meeting

October 1, 2022, 10am - 3pm

Where: Safety First Shooting Sports River Oaks Range in Merced County.

Who: All Shooting Sports Instructors in ALL Disciplines

This will be an in-person only meeting. Light morning refreshments will be available and lunch will be provided for all in attendance. We will have a RSVP poll going out soon to know who will definitely be attending so we can get an accurate count for meals.

The meeting will be an opportunity to share: 

·    Recent changes and updates to any 4-H/UC policy as it concerns the shooting sports program

·    Discussion for all disciplines about how they manage their projects

·    Tips and hints for better engagement

·    Additional volunteer development opportunities. 

For any questions or comments, as well as topics for discussion please contact Russell Hill rdhill@ucanr.edu or Nathaniel Caeton nwcaeton@ucanr.edu

Join Engineering Week 2023

UC 4-H Celebrates Aspiring Engineers - 3rd annual at-home STEM activity! 

Design and Build a Solar Caring

Youth may design, build, and test their solar car using the materials provided along with any other household materials.

STEPS

1. Register by January 29, 2023 to receive your solar car kit.

2. The kit will be shipped to you from KELVIN.

3. Youth design, build, and test a solar car by February 25, 2023.

4. Join us on Saturday, February 25, 2023 from 3:00 to 4:00pm to share your solar car.

National Opportunity for Photographers & Writers

Contests at the National Junior Horticultural Association Convention

Are you a photographer? Do you like to write? If so, there are some upcoming opportunities for you to enter your efforts and perhaps even earn some national recognition!  

The National Junior Horticultural Association holds their annual convention in the fall, and this year the event will be held in Maryland.  While some contests associated with the gathering (speeches, demonstrations, horticulture ID and knowledge contest) require in-person attendance, the photography and writing are contests that youth can enter without having to attend.

Photography Competition

Photography entries are open anyone ages 8-22 (age as of Dec. 31, 2022). Being a horticulture convention, the entries must relate to horticulture (plants that people use). These classes include: 

·    Single Unedited

·    Single Slightly Edited

·    Single Heavily Edited

·    Sequence of Four

·    Horticulture Collection  

Writing Competition

For those interested in writing, the age levels are a bit different (ages 5-22). There are three classes, with subject matter also being somewhat related to horticulture:

·    Poetry

·    Creative Writing

·    Informational Writing

Entries for both photography and writing

are due no later than September 15. 

Additional information on these contests, rules, and entry forms are available on the NJHA Contest website

Consider entering and representing California 4-H with your entry!

Join the 2022-2023 State 4-H 

Computer Coding Project

Apply by September 1, 2022

California 4-H youth members (age 9 to 18) are invited to apply to join the 4-H computer coding project.

Target Age: Junior and intermediate 4-H members (9 to 13 years old; although fine for older youth, too).

Location: Zoom

Two Projects: 

1. Beginners (MIT Scratch) - First Saturday 4-5 p.m. Scratch is a block-based visual programming language aimed at children aged 8 to 16.

Beginners to Intermediate (Python) - Third Saturday 4-5 p.m. Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language emphasizing code readability with significant indentation. 

State Leadership Conference Highlights

Thank you SLC Sponsors

A huge thank you to our SLC Sponsors:

·    Tractor Supply

·    Ironstone Concours Foundation

·    California Cotton Alliance

·    Travis Credit Union

·    California 4-H Foundation Board members

Your support brought together youth from across California — and Texas and Washington — to the annual Leadership Conference!



SLC Photo Highlights 

Please see some of the photo highlights taken by the Texas 4-H Tech Ambassador team at SLC.

Save the Date for Youth Summits!

The California 4-H Youth Summits are three-day leadership development conferences. Youth Summit programs are designed to grow the leadership abilities of intermediate 4-H'ers (ages 11-13) and give hands-on leadership opportunities to senior 4-H'ers (ages 14+).

Please note all dates are pending contract approvals for locations.

January 13-15, 2023 (South & Bay/Coast)

January 20-22, 2023 (Central)

January 27-29, 2023 (Virtual)"!

Diamond Clover 2022 Application

Apply online

The California Diamond Clover is the highest achievement for which a 4-H youth member and/or recent graduate is recognized. Applications are open to youth members who are at least 17 and adult volunteers not older than 25 years. The application is due by September 5, 2022

2022 Higher Education Scholarships

Go to Scholarships Page

With help from donors, statewide scholarships are available for graduating high school seniors and college-attending students. The application is due by September 5, 2022

2022 Golden Clover Nominations

Learn more about Golden Clover Awards

The Golden Clover Awards recognize outstanding achievements of members, volunteers, program staff, and groups within the 4-H Youth Development Program. The application is due by September 5, 2022

Calling 4-H adult volunteers: Lead a STEM project

For 4-H project leaders

Welcome to the new 4-H program year! Here are a few resources to help you think about organizing a 4-H STEM-oriented project!

·    Project leader checklist (left) 

 Project sheets (below) are a guide for 4-H project leaders to develop their projects with meaningful content. These three are examples of the dozens available!

Advisory Committee Youth Member

Ag + Open Space is currently recruiting two youth members to join its Advisory Committee – a citizens’ advisory committee that provides review and advice on real property transactions, provides broad-based citizen input on Ag + Open Space operations and acts as ambassadors for the agency within the community. The committee includes representatives from each of the supervisorial districts, the Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association, as well as individuals representing youth, agriculture, the environment, real estate, and business.

What are the responsibilities and qualifications required of the youth members?

Young people interested in being an official youth member should:

• Live or attend school in Sonoma County and be between the ages of 16 and 24
• Serve through June 2023 (with option for extension)
• Participate in a new member orientation*
• Attend regular meetings – the fourth Thursday of the month from 5-7pm*
• Contribute your input and perspective and vote on action items
• Work closely with an adult ally that is a current committee member
• Share news and information with your school and community
• Optional: Participate in a subcommittee
• Optional: Complete a project educating your peers about district issues

*At this time, all meetings and orientations will be conducted via Zoom

What are some of the benefits and incentives for participating?

This is a great opportunity if you want to make a difference. Other benefits could include:

• Earn community service credit required by many high schools and colleges
• Develop your leadership skills and get involved in Sonoma County government
• Explore new career opportunities
• Learn about issues affecting your community and how you can take action
• Develop strong peer relationships with adults, including working with an adult ally
• Meet new people while having fun!

How do interested young people apply?

Please complete this online application. If you have questions, please email Amy Ricard, Community Resources Manager at amy.ricard@sonoma-county.org.

Positions open until filled.

4-H Animal & Equine Science Community Education Specialist

UC ANR - Davis

Under the supervision of the 4-H State Director, this position is responsible to manage and lead statewide educational programs in the areas of animal and equine science and related educational content.

Do you want to start a dairy goat project in 4H or FFA? I have 2 AGDA registered dry yearlings born April 7, 2022, they placed 1^st and 2^nd in their class at the 2022 California State Fair. You could show them in 2023 fairs and shows as Yearlings. The other is their mother who is 2 years old and ADGA registered and is ready for breeding season now. She placed 3^rd in her class at the 2022 California State Fair.   

I am only selling them because I have now aged out of 4-H and graduated high school and I need to concentrate on my studies at the SRJC.

If you are interested, please feel free to contact me at punkin2@sbcglobal.net

Hello, Gaston is a beautiful young French Black Copper Maran cockerel about 4 months of age. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to have roosters in my neighborhood. He’s sweet and absolutely gorgeous, as you can see in the photo.

Please contact me at:

mgrimson@comcast.net

707-480-4202

Looking forward to speaking with you,

Martha