October 2024

4-H Update Newsletter

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Happy National 4-H Week!

From October 6-12, we highlighted how 4-H helps youth prepare to be Beyond Ready for the future. Connect with us on social media and continue to share your experiences with us! When you post, please tag us on Facebook @california4H or on Instagram @CA4H.

Discover with the Director

Dear 4-H Community,

Happy National 4-H Week!! I hope this week and the last few weeks have been as exciting for you as they have been for me! Below is just a sample of the transformational work of the California 4-H Program and its partners.

I visited 4-H Community Education Specialist, Alissa Hardie, and wonderful members of the Amador County community at a Farm Day event. I discovered that third graders like 4-H stickers A LOT! I also had the pleasure of engaging with Multi-County Cooperative Extension Director and 4-H Youth Development Academic Advisor, JoLynn Miller, and Interim Superintendent, Jared Critchfield, among other leaders. We are looking forward to additional collaboration in support of all youth in the county.

I knew I was joining a team of exceptional individuals when I joined California 4-H. That belief was affirmed once again by two new announcements of major grant awards. 4-H Youth Development Advisor for Marin, Sonoma, and Napa Counties, Steven Worker, PhD, will lead a $750,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The goal of the project is to “spark interest in food and agriculture among teenagers by using cutting-edge drone and mapping technologies”. Also, Sally Neas, PhD, 4-H Youth Development Advisor for San Mateo County, will lead a new project funded by USDA at $1,294,000 to “engage middle school youth of color annually to meaningfully connect with and build resilience to climate and environmental justice issues within their local communities.”

Next, I discovered a wonderful magazine entitled Ag Alert, which was kind enough to provide space for an article about 4-H as we approached National 4-H Week and an exciting new fundraiser. Please read the article: Through 4-H, STEAM helps shape agriculture's future.

Finally, for now at least, I was invited by 4-H Youth Development Academic Advisor, Liliana Vega, to a Board of Supervisors Meeting in San Diego held on Tuesday, October 8th. I discovered San Diego- full stop. Love it! I also discovered the outstanding work of the Board of Supervisors and their support staff. I am especially grateful to Supervisor Joel Anderson of District 2, his Policy Advisor, Ibrahim Ahmed, and the entire San Diego Cooperative Extension team for all their hard work to make the Proclamation and lighting of the building that evening such great successes. We are also grateful to all other elected officials, support staff and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources personnel across the state who supported National 4-H Week with local proclamations and the state proclamation.

Support 4-H Higher Education Scholarships

The Future of AgTech 4-H Breakfast fundraiser

Thursday, Oct. 24; 7:30 – 9 am

FIRA USA 2024, Yolo County Fairgrounds

$100 ticket includes breakfast and an all day access pass to the FIRA-USA Conference.

The Future of AgTech 4-H Breakfast is a fundraiser for 4-H higher education scholarships for 4-H youth to pursue the use of technology to enhance agricultural practices.

The breakfast will feature speakers from California 4-H and highlight the ways 4-H activities are preparing students to become leaders in their communities. Your breakfast ticket will also give you an all day access pass to the FIRA-USA conference.

Please see the flyer for more information. You can purchase tickets at 4-H Breakfast @FIRA Registration.

4-H ag tech breakfast to support next generation of leaders, innovators

Event at FIRA USA in Yolo County includes look at agricultural robotics, automation The FIRA USA ag tech conference, Oct. 22-24 in Woodland, showcases the latest robotics and automation innovations. A special breakfast during the event will...

The Volunteer Cafe

Join us for our first webinar

Fun with a Purpose: Creating Belonging in 4-H

Thursday, October 17, 2024

7pm – 8pm

Via Zoom: Register to receive login information

Schedule some fun in your day and sign up so you can connect live with Scott and your fellow 4-H volunteers. Get inspired to create fun and engaging ways to develop connections in your meetings and projects.

As leaders, our goal is for all youth to feel included in a meaningful way in 4-H. Fun activities can build connections between leaders and youth and support a feeling of belonging. Together, we will explore different types of group activities that use fun intentionally to foster belonging.

Led by Scott Mautte, MS; Community Education Specialist-Volunteer & Staff Development

Scott specializes in creating inclusive environments through engaging activities. He has over 30 years of experience in youth development and community education and a Master's degree in Organizational Learning and Performance.

Save the date for our next webinar on December 19th!

Day Camp: Cultivating Positive Ethnic Identity

Thursday, December 19, 2024

7pm – 8pm

Through our day camp, we helped kids feel good about their ethnic backgrounds. Learn why a positive ethnic identity is important for our youth. Emily will share how their day camp in San Bernardino County started and how it’s going now. The fun and hands-on activities support kids from all backgrounds and can also be used to expand your programming in afterschool clubs.

Led by Emily Watson, 4-H Community Education Specialist, San Bernardino County

Emily is a member of the UC ANR Program Team for Expanded Learning.

Teen Leader Essential Series

Join the State Ambassador team in workshop series designed to provide valuable skills for County Ambassadors, youth leaders (13 and up) and County Ambassador Coaches.

Here are the next three sessions - please see the handout for all of the workshop descriptions.

October 17, 2024 6:30-8:00pm

Creating a Strong Plan of Action

Teams will discover the key components to service learning and practice transforming community service activities to service-learning projects.

November 20, 2024 6:30-8:30pm

Manage Your Goals and Consensus Building

Goal Management and decision making are key components to true success as a team. This workshop guides participants through goal selection and how to make decisions cooperatively.

December 12, 2024 6:30-8:00pm

Anatomy of a Workshop

One of the functions of a Teen Leader is to educate the members. In this workshop participants will learn how to build a cohesive, interactive, and fun workshop and still include learning outcomes.

SLC Planning Team applications are open until

October 30, 2024

To be on the State Leadership Conference (SLC) Planning Team, you must:

Be currently enrolled as a 4-H Youth Senior member or 4-H Adult Volunteer
Have attended SLC at least once
Have experience working in a youth-adult partnership on a committee

Please be aware of the time commitment required to be a part of this dynamic team!

Required meetings: 4-6 virtual meetings, plus sub-committee meetings, with 1-2 in-person* The first planning meeting is Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 6:30 pm.
Attend SLC 2025*: Arrive 1 day early and stay 1 day after it ends. The tentative dates will be July 23-28, 2025 at UC Davis campus.

*Travel for in-person meetings will be reimbursable per UC policy. Room and Board at SLC is included for planning team members.

APPLY TODAY

Gain valuable experience and create lasting memories for yourself and SLC participants!

Application due October 30, 2024.

The first planning meeting is Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 6:30 pm.

Beyond Ready with the SLC Planning Team

Megna Nayar, a 4-H Alumna and former State Ambassador from Santa Clara County, shares her experience being on the State Leadership Conference (SLC) Planning Team. Read her story on the California 4-H Grown blog.

Beyond Ready with the SLC Planning Team

About the Author: Megna Nayar is a 4-H Alumna and former State Ambassador from Santa Clara County. She started in 4-H when she was in the 7th grade. Her first project was the Computer Science Pathway team, and she also started a baking club. Megna...

State Record Book Evaluators

How you can learn about the Achievement and Record Book Programs

One of the best ways to learn about the new Achievement and Record Book Programs is to serve as an evaluator for the State Record Book Competition.

Evaluators work independently to review an assigned set of books between mid-November to December 6th. The entire Evaluator team meets in person in Davis on December 7th, for a full day of calibration and final reviews.

Please note: the December 7th in-person meeting is mandatory. We provide travel reimbursement expenses, lodging and meals.

Apply to be an Evaluator by November 1.

Learn more on the CA4-H Resource Center.

Apply to represent California 4-H at the National 4-H Conference

National 4-H Conference

April 11-16, 2025

Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA

Applications are now open for the National 4-H Conference being held April 11-16, 2025. National 4-H Conference is the pinnacle experience in 4-H Civic Engagement and Leadership. It provides the opportunity for young people to connect, learn, engage, lead and impact their communities and nation.

This conference is hosted by the USDA and is known as "the Secretary's Conference." If you are accepted to represent California at this conference, all travel and conference expenses will be covered by a generous grant from the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation.

Complete application materials and references must be submitted by 5:00pm November 30, 2024. Applicants must be at least 16 years of age by December 31, 2023 and a currently enrolled 4-H Member. Additional application requirements and more information about this event are on the National 4-H Conference event page.

Winter 2025 Online Workshop Series for 4-H Project Leaders

Tuesdays in February 2025

Free online series (using Zoom) provided by the CA 4-H Volunteer Workgroup.

For: New 4-H volunteer educators serving as project leaders.

Learn how to plan and facilitate 4-H learning experiences (projects) with young people in community 4-H club projects, after-school club programs, day camps, special interest (SPIN) clubs, teenagers-as-teachers (teens-as-teachers) programs, and other educational experiences.

In the four-part series, 4-H volunteer educators learn about their roles, responsibilities, lesson planning, making learning engaging, working with youth, and effective hands-on learning. Virtual sessions cover content from The UC 4-H Volunteer Educators' Guide: For Volunteers Facilitating 4-H Educational Experiences (published in 2023).

Please share the flyer with other volunteers!