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I must start this month’s entry with the breaking news that I attended a Turkey Leg Festival! Oh my WOW!! It was held in Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento. I almost missed it but my "Spidey-sense" told me to check events for the day across the region for that lovely Saturday morning. Sure enough, the festival popped up on my phone like velociraptor in a freezer full of meat! Or maybe I was the velociraptor in a Turkey Leg Festival! Great music with lots of line dancing, turkey leg consumption and a winner of the Turkey Leg Cooking contest, who may be coming to a 4-H statewide event near you next year! Smiles!
In the meantime, there were programmatic discoveries that were just as exciting!
Dr. Kaitlyn Murray and Ms. Liliana Vega led a 4-H Pathways Meeting in San Diego in which approximately 15 4-H statewide team members and one youth intern took a deep dive into environmental factors that prevent youth from benefiting from our programs and how we might proactively address and remove such barriers.
I had the distinct honor of participating in a meeting with the UC ANR Dean’s Council to learn of each leader’s priorities for the new academic year and how the 4-H Program, among other statewide units, might collaborate and co-create with each college. Participants included:
Dr. Ashley Stokes, new Dean, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, UC Davis
Dr. Stacy Philpott, new Dean, Agriculture Experiment Station, UC Santa Cruz
Dr. Peter Atkinson, Dean, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, UC Riverside
Dr. Rakesh Goel, Dean, School of Engineering, UC Merced
Dr. Mark Stetter, Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis
The 4-H Expanded Learning Research Team is immersed in analyzing interview responses and other data related to afterschool partnerships, including the conditions that promote successful afterschool 4-H programs and where there are challenges that can be addressed through partnerships. We celebrate the team members, Marianne Bird, Alexandra “Ally” Lemmer, Grace Belt, Nicole Marshall-Wheeler, Stepha Velednitsky, Dr. Kimberly Holmes, Dr. Matt Rodriguez and Dr. Steven Worker for helping us to continuously improve our 4-H afterschool opportunities based on sound research.
I had the opportunity to join a meeting of the Statewide 4-H Expanded Learning Community of Practice (ExL COP). This group of phenomenal 4-H personnel are exploring best practices in delivery of high-quality experiential learning for youth in afterschool settings. The group works collaboratively with the aforementioned Expanded Learning Research Team. The ExL COP members not named above who were in attendance included Rita Jakel, Emily Watson, and Stephanie Barrett.
Shout Outs
Congratulations to Jacki Zediker on reaching an impressive 25-year work anniversary with UC ANR and the 4-H Program!
Our warmest regards are extended to Kamaljeet K Khaira and the entire Calfresh Healthy Living UC team who work tirelessly to provide training and resources that “promote awareness, education, and community change through diverse partnerships, resulting in healthy eating and active living.”
Many thanks to Priscilla Koepke, Chief Executive Officer and Mandy Breuer, Director of Talent Programs at F3 Innovate, whose mission is to “empower the
next generation of agrifood technology leaders through internships and experiential learning, preparing them for the jobs of today, and the agrifood technology careers of tomorrow.”
We are grateful to the following for their generous donations to our programs:
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Ann Jackson Family Foundation for their ongoing support of Santa Barbara County 4-H and the California 4-H Foundation.
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Lonnie and Lola Hendricks for their leadership and giving to Merced County 4-H
- All sponsors and donors to this year's California 4-H Horse Classic, including Ms. Tracy Newton, our own 4-H team member in Fresno County.
In Community and with Steadfast, Unmovable Hope…
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