January 2021 4-H News and Updates

4-H Update

January 2021 View as Webpage

From the State 4-H Office

View as Webpage

UC ANR Shelter in Place Update

In light of the worsening condition of the infection rate, the decreasing ICU availability statewide, and the commitment to keeping staff safe, UC ANR will extend its current remote work and limited on-site operation status through June 30, 2021.

Send mail to Davis office only through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS)

The Davis UC ANR building is still not able to receive packages sent via Fed Ex or UPS. These will not be deliverable because there is no staff always on-site to receive these safely and securely.

Please send program fees and all checks to the Davis ANR building via USPS only. All mail through USPS can be delivered to our box and handled in a more timely manner.

Requirements for Recording Youth Member’s Images

Cyber safety is critical and a shared responsibility of 4-H staff, volunteers, parents and members. As the California 4-H YDP expands the delivery of 4-H learning in virtual environments, ensuring the safety of our youth members is critically important. As such, a guidance document has been developed and is posted on the 4-H Virtual Toolbox: Virtual Management page for staff and volunteers to use.

A recording of the presentation to staff with additional explanation of the

guidance is also posted to the 4-H Virtual Brown Bag Meetings Collaborative Tools group under the December 8, 2020 Document group.

Supporting Youth Through the Pandemic

The attention and care of adults to support youth has never been a greater need. Your skillful presence is ESSENTIAL to their well-being.

We’re so pleased to be offering a video series featuring Dr. Chelsey Hauge of Positive Parenthood. The video series is for 4-H volunteers, parents, guardians and UC ANR employees who want to know specific strategies to help youth, as well as the caring adults in their lives, cope and thrive during these challenging times.

This 6-part video series is hosted on the California 4-H YouTube Channel. Each video is between 10 – 15 minutes with so many great actionable steps that adults can take to help support youth when they have tricky behaviors.

December videos live now:

Upcoming January videos:

Reducing Conflict and Reinforcing Positive Group Dynamics
The Three Yesses and Helping Kids Feel Felt
Priming for High-Stress Events

In January, we’ll be giving you a sneak peek about an upcoming opportunity for volunteers, parents, guardians and employees to receive additional support and coaching from Dr. Chelsey.

If you haven’t yet checked out those videos, you don’t want to miss it! And watch for the continuation of the series in early January as we help build calm and cooperative families, groups, and communities.

4-H Nominees for National Ag Day Program

National 4-H Council is pleased to offer an agriculture leadership opportunity for 10 students to represent 4-H during the 2021 National Ag Day Student Leadership Program. The program prepares and engages young people to raise awareness of the importance of the agricultural industry and its impact on our nation’s society and economy. This annual program will be held virtually in March 2021.

Nominations are now being sought for the program. Each LGU may nominate up to two delegates to represent 4-H.

4-H representatives should:

Be between the ages of 18-23 and enrolled in post-high school education
Be 4-H alum or currently active in collegiate 4-H
Have a strong interest and/or career plan in the agricultural industry
Have the desire to learn about communication and leadership skills
Be able to participate in all of the virtual sessions (listed in agenda)

Please click here for additional details and the tentative agenda. Nominations are due by Friday, January 15, 2021.

Tech Talk

Tech Talk is a space for leaders, teens, and adults, from beginners to experts to get personalized help in working through the challenges they are facing delivering 4-H in a virtual environment. This time is informal, and the content will be created by participants and the questions and challenges that they bring to the room. Think of Scott as your personal technology coach offering PRACTICAL SUPPORT to help you get to success in a virtual 4-H world.

See flyer for more information

Hosted monthly beginning January – June 2021

2^nd Tuesday 7pm – 8pm

4^th Saturday 10am – 11am

(Must be active CA 4-H Personnel, Volunteer, or Youth Member to attend)

4-H Camping Updates

Dear 4-H Camping Community,

It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through our 4-H program year and rapidly approaching a full year of life impacted by COVID-19. Once again, the California 4-H Camping Advisory Committee is working hard to support our camp community. Many things remain unknown, but we are doing our best to eliminate as much uncertainty as possible and provide camp related resources geared for alternative delivery modes. Here is a brief overview of our efforts, along with some information and resources you may find helpful.

2021 Camp Needs Survey

We received your survey results and we hear you!

The committee wanted to better understand what our camp programs did last summer, what they are planning to do this summer, and what needs they have for 2021.

We received a total of 24 surveys and learned the following:

People are hopeful to hold in-person resident camp, with 50% of camps planning to run resident camp this summer. Forty-two percent were unsure, 23% said they would choose to do a day camp, and 12% indicated they plan hold camp virtually.
Camps are concerned about logistics, including having enough volunteers.
Program ideas are needed, especially for virtual camp.
People want to know sooner, rather than later if UC ANR will allow resident camps.
Guidance for COVID-19 safety is needed.

Resources for Resident Camp Alternatives

As much as we remain hopeful to deliver in-person resident camp programming, it is also important to be prudent. Prudence requires that we acknowledge and prepare for the possibility that in-person resident camps may not be allowed in 2021. To help camps prepare for this possibility and based upon information received from our survey, we will develop resources that target day and virtual camp programs. This could take the form of trainings, webinars, and activities adapted for specific delivery modes. Be on the lookout and please let us know if you have a particular request.

UC ANR Statewide Orders

Currently UC ANR Programs are not allowed to hold conferences or other overnight events through June 30, 2021. This includes resident camps and the California State 4-H Camping Conference. Additionally, UC prohibits 4-H staff, members, and volunteers from attending any National 4-H conferences or events for the same period. The situation remains fluid and these restrictions are subject to change.

4-H Camping Conference

We made the difficult decision to postpone last year’s Camping Conference. Throughout the pandemic we have been in contact with our friends at Sly Park Environmental Education Center and they were happy to provide us with a new date for 2021. Given the current situation we are reassessing the need to postpone further or begin planning for a virtual conference.

This past October, the American Camp Association published a blog post titled 2021 Looks to Be Another COVID-19 Summer: Camp in the Time of COVID-19. In it, they begin to address many of the topics that are at the forefront of our minds as camp practitioners, including how to plan, prepare, and operate for the 2021 season. It also provides links to several studies based on camp operations in 2020. You can read this blog post below.

2021 Looks to Be Another COVID-19 Summer: Camp in the...

Open or closed in summer 2020, camps are looking to 2021 and evaluating options for operations next summer. Just as the virus was "novel," camps that operated during the 2020 season often reported a "camp reimagined" experience, with dates...

Read more
www.acacamps.org

We know that 2020 has been challenging, but as Emerson said, “It’s the not the destination, it's the journey.” It is easy to fixate on a return to normalcy as a destination, but we encourage each one of you to embrace the journey, no matter how challenging it may be. We also want you to know that you need not journey alone - we are here to support our 4-H camping community. In all things, be well and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or needs.

Warmest Regards,

Marianne, Nate and the 4-H Camping Advisory Committee

The Culmination of the California

4-H Management Board

The California 4-H Management Board was established in 2016 to enable adult and youth volunteers to strengthen the program with support from the State 4-H Office and provide leadership for regional programming, ensuring alignment with statewide goals priorities.

Since then, our work has centered on streamlining activities to ensure that youth have access to the same educational outcomes, no matter where they are in the state.

In particular, we organize two annual events operating at the area-level: Youth Summits and Area Presentation Days. Youth Summits are three-day leadership development conferences that support the development of leadership skills for 11-13 year old’s and provide hands-on leadership experience for youth ages 14+. Area Presentation Days support youth 4-H members in practicing and improving their public speaking skills.

Over time, we have seen these activities grow organizationally, thanks to the valuable contribution of our dedicated youth and adult volunteers serving on planning teams and committees. As a result of the Board’s efforts, we have raised the educational content of the summits, built a foundation for more cohesive speaking events, and improved the overall inclusivity of programming. Our accomplishments are a testament to the fact that the Board successfully served its purpose and no longer needs to operate. The dissolution of this structure also reflects the ability of our organization to change and adapt to best serve our youth and volunteers.

Many of our Board members will continue volunteering for 4-H in support of the Area Presentation Days or Youth Summits. Thus, the dissolution of the Board will ensure the delivery of the same outcomes while allowing us to dedicate efforts to grow and improve these and other activities.

The termination of the California 4-H Management Board will take effect on

January 31, 2021. We are deeply thankful to all 4-H staff and volunteers who made our work possible. We invite you to celebrate this new path with us, and to read our upcoming blog article that will be posted on January, for more information about our achievements.

Save the Dates

The 2021 Youth Animal Science Drive-Thru is an educational event for youth (and their adult leaders, teachers, and mentors) who raise, care, breed, show, or are interested in learning more about livestock animal production in the areas of:

Beef cattle
Dairy cattle
Small ruminants (sheep and goats)
Swine
Poultry

Invited Participants: Youth (any age) and adults from youth organizations who provide animal science education, including 4-H, FFA, and Grange.

Event Layout

Drive-thru stations: the concourse will be lined with stations; each station will have presenters who share information/provide demonstrations on a topic
Each agriculture track is species specific and will have their own set of stations and individual time slot
Multiple presenters per station will allow for a steady flow of vehicles through the various interactive stations

Registration opening in January 2021. For questions, contact Suzanne Amaral, Napa 4-H Program Coordinator,