December 2024 4-H Newsletter

*CORRECTION*

Currently active 4-H Adult Volunteers and 4-H Members are subscribed to the California 4-H State newsletter. If you unsubscribe you will stop receiving ALL emails from the California 4-H state office. Please click UPDATE PROFILE below if you want to remove yourself from this list but still remain on other California 4-H mailing lists. View as Webpage

Discover with the Director

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

4-H, it’s cold outside!

The past few weeks have continued to bring new joy, partner engagements and new successes. First, I had the privilege of meeting with two friends of 4-H who lead in high impact organizations: Ms. Linda Sadler, Public Relations Specialist with Farm Credit Alliance and Mr. Steward Pimienta, Youth Community Engagement Officer with Travis Credit Union. Among other possibilities for partnership discussed, Mr. Pimienta shared a scholarship opportunity that may be of interest to high school seniors. Visit traviscu.org/scholarships for more details and to apply!

Next, I discovered a wonderful training session held as part of the 2024-25 4-H Expanded Learning Mini-grant program. Led by Ms. Marianne Bird and Dr. Steven Worker, the goal of the mini-grant program is to promote collaboration between local schools or other youth-serving organizations and 4-H in after-school settings where a designated curriculum is taught to youth. Other 4-H personnel on the 4-H Expanded Learning Mini-Grant program team include 4-H Academic Advisor, Ms. Nicole Marshall-Wheeler, 4-H Healthy Living Academic Coordinator, Ms. Ally Lemmer and Academic Advisor, Dr. Matt Rodriguez. In the training session held on November 16, Dr. Rodriguez and a Master Gardener volunteer led a train-the-trainer session using the Jr. Master Gardner curriculum. Ms. Nicole Marshall Wheeler and Ms. Ally Lemmer supported the train-the-trainer session led by CalFresh Nutrition Educator, Ms. Macey Crist using the Cooking Academy curriculum. Participants who completed the training are now able to lead after-school sessions in which youth will gain new knowledge and skills.

On November 19, a team of 4-H personnel had the distinct pleasure of meeting virtually with administrators and coordinators from the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Nutrition Services unit. The group discussed partnership opportunities that we hope will be implemented in the coming year.

Finally, as we close out calendar year 2024 and begin to think of the year ahead, our hope for the entire 4-H community is that you are motivated by our deep appreciation for your tremendous investments of time, talent and treasure in service to youth statewide. May your holiday season be safe, healthy and happy, with a dash of sparkle! We look forward to reconnecting soon! Take great care!

Thank you! Giving Tuesday

Thank you for your support on #GivingTuesday! We received support from 113 donors, totaling $28,249! The $5,000 in incentives from the California 4-H Foundation are being distributed and will also add to this total. Giving Tuesday is not just about fundraising - it is also about recognizing how our volunteers give back. Thank you for your support!

Annual 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Meeting

Tehama Shooters Association Range

26950 Manton Road

Red Bluff, CA

Saturday, March 29, 2025

8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday, March 30, 2025

8:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Calling ALL Shooting Sports Instructors - this includes certified adult volunteers, certified teen leaders, shooting sports volunteers who support the project but are not certified in a discipline, and 4-H staff.

This mandatory* meeting is a two-day event filled with:

Program updates
Discipline-specific networking
Range time
Special guest speakers
Updates on the 4-H Shooting Sports Ambassador program
National Championship information
Information on Fundraising opportunities
And more!

Attendance at this 2-day session will extend your current 4-H discipline certification(s) by one (1) year, provided you did not already attend the meeting in Winton, CA.

*Mandatory means that all shooting sports volunteers should make every attempt to attend. Every county engaged in shooting sports programming should have at least one representative in attendance.

Register Now

Please help us plan by registering early. Final registration deadline is March 24, 2025.

Fee: $40 to cover materials, supplies, meals and drinks, and targets. Breakfast, snacks, drinks, and lunch will be provided on both days. You must secure your own lodging.

Fees can be paid online using a credit card or by check, payable to UC Regents, sent to the UCCE Shasta County office. Please see the registration form for the mailing address. We recommend contacting your county staff and/or 4-H club leadership to ask about providing support for your travel, lodging, and fees.

Questions

Registration: Nate Caeton nwcaeton@ucanr.edu

Shooting Sports: Russell Hill rdhill@ucanr.edu or Nate Caeton nwcaeton@ucanr.edu

Stop in the Volunteer Cafe on December 19

As we celebrate our own ethnic and family traditions this season, we are reminded that some youth are not supported in appreciating their ethnic background. Take a break from the busy holiday season and stop in the Volunteer Cafe on Thursday, December 19 to get inspired by how San Bernardino County 4-H started a day camp that helped kids feel good about their ethnic backgrounds. Learn how it got started and how it's going now.

Apply to be a State Ambassador by January 21

The California 4-H State Ambassador program includes youth who are exceptional in their leadership and service to their communities. They represent the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program at state and national events. Our State Ambassadors develop strong team leadership skills through their year of service.

Complete applications are due by January 21, 2025.

Apply and learn more on the State Ambassador page on the Resource Center.

Join the Pilot Farm Robotics Challenge Academy

The Farm Robotics Challenge is exploring what it would look like to build an option for secondary school students to participate in the challenge. Our goal is to build out categories for participation that we can roll out for the 2025/26 academic year.

If you’re a high school teacher or leader in organizations like FFA, 4-H, Grange, or other youth serving institution and have a passion for technology and project-based work, consider joining our pilot group.

Teams have the choice of participating in the AIR or LAND categories as outlined in the post secondary school level challenge.

January 24, 2025 – Registration for pilot group due

February 21, 2025 – Project Proposals due

April 24, 2025 – Final Projects Due

May, TBA – Awards

August 1, 2025 – Top 3 teams advance to a Championship Round

Learn more about us and sign up to join our Academy Pilot Group at https://www.farmroboticschallenge.ai/academy

The Farm Robotics Challenge is organized by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS), with support from the Fresno-Merced Future of Food Initiative (F3).

California 4-H is heading back to Citizenship Washington Focus in 2025!

Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) is a civic engagement experience for high school youth. For 7 days, gather with teens from around the nation. Engage in meaningful discussions, hear from prominent speakers and meet other young people who have created an impact. Learn the skills you need to become a change agent to build a brighter future.

Citizenship Washington Focus

June 21 - 27, 2025

Washington, D.C.

Approximate Cost: $2400 (includes conference registration, conference meals and lodging, airfare and ground transportation).

If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Cleland at rpcleland@ucanr.edu.

Confirm Your Member's Grade Level

Families: Due to the development of the enrollment system, some families started the enrollment process before the grade section was completed. Please confirm that we have the correct grade level for your youth member for the 2024-25 enrollment the next time you log in to ZSuite. Thank you - your help will help us make our reports more accurate.

Please refer to the Updating Grade Information helpsheet for step-by-step instructions.

Returning volunteers: Re-enroll by December 23

**CORRECTION**

December 23 is the last working day of the year for 4-H employees. If you are a returning volunteer, please make sure you have completed all of your Volunteer appointment requirements so your re-enrollment can be made active for January 1. You may not actively serve as a 4-H Volunteer until your re-enrollment is approved in the system.

Please contact your county 4-H staff for assistance or questions.

Limited Campus LMS Support Over Holiday Break

As we approach the festive holiday season, we want to keep you informed about some temporary changes to our support services for the Extension Foundation Campus Learning Management System (Campus LMS).

Limited Support Period

Between December 24, 2024, and January 12, 2025, our live 4-H help desk will be closed. Please plan accordingly. Normal operations resume on Monday, January 13, 2025.

Submit a Support Ticket for Help

Should you encounter any challenges while exploring the courses offered by CA 4-H, don't hesitate to submit a support ticket. Support tickets received during the break will be addressed promptly after Monday, January 13, 2025 in the order they were received.

Login Assistance

If you encounter issues with forgotten passwords or experience difficulties accessing your account, contact the Campus LMS support team directly at campushelp@extension.org.

Self-Help Tutorials for Assistance

For those looking for tutorials on utilizing the Campus LMS, we encourage you to visit our Tutorials page on the California 4-H Resource Center. The comprehensive guides and resources can assist you in navigating the system seamlessly.

Course Offerings and Enrollment Keys

Visit the Learning Center on the CA 4-H Resource Center to access our library of online courses and their unique enrollment keys.

Save the Date! State Field Day May 17, 2025

Big change for State Field Day! This annual event is usually held on Memorial Day Weekend. This has made it hard for families with county fairs or vacations during the long weekend to take part. We are moving it to the weekend before - Saturday, May 17, 2025. We will assess this change based on feedback and attendance. We hope this will make it easier for families to join the event.

Save the Dates!

State Field Day 2025

May 17, 2025

UC Davis Campus

May 18, 2025, 6-8 pm Award Ceremony

Live on YouTube

You will also have a choice of Virtual State Presentations from May 4-14 and the Virtual Interview Contest on May 8-9-10.

Be on the lookout for more updates in early 2025!