Looking for some new activities for your matches?  Look no further!
 Kite
Outdoor recreation and educational activities are ready and waiting for matches to try! The 4-H Guided Adventures team has compiled a set of match friendly activities that need to be tested before they can be published as 4-H curriculum and we need your help to get them piloted.
 
4-H Guided Adventures is a curriculum focused on getting mentors and mentees outside, having fun, and learning about the environment. Over the past year dedicated AmeriCorps members have been researching and writing fun lesson plans designed to get matches outside. These lesson plans, or activities, are now in the final stages of revision and need your help before they can be completed. There are two types of activities available. 
 
  • Group activities can be utilized when you are conducting a group activity with multiple matches. 
  • Match activities can be given to mentors to use during their regularly scheduled visits with matches. 
 
Activities that need piloting include: Leaf Hunts; Insect Collection and Identification; Hiking; Catch and Release Fishing; Scavenger Hunts; Herp Hunting; Backcountry Cooking; Campfire Building; Outdoor Photography; Geocaching; Kite Building; Nature Games; Canoeing; Letterboxing; you name it they've got it!  
 
What does a pilot site do?  First, simply facilitate a group activity using the curriculum or share the individual match activities with matches.  Next, share your feedback with us.  That is it!  Contact AmeriCorps member John Merrill at merril32@msu.edu to learn more or get involved!
Save the Date for Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
Train the Trainer: Mentor Training
When:   November 1, 2010
             9:30 am- 4pm
Where:  NorthStar Cooperative, 3655 Forest Rd., Lansing
 
trainingOver 350 individuals have attended Train the Trainer: Mentor Training since 2007. This workshop presents mentor trainers with the basics they need to get mentor trainings underway.  Participants learn how to facilitate a training session in a non-intimidating setting with the opportunity to find or test their training style.  Participants also have the chance to see training from the mentors' perspective while their fellow participants facilitate.  "I really liked that everyone had a chance to facilitate activities and I also liked that we had assigned seating, which forced us (in a good way) to engage with participants we didn't know that well."  Participants who have been through this workshop were surveyed and universally agreed that this workshop provided ample opportunity to participate in the discussion and activities.
 
After each activity, the full group has the chance to discuss what they discovered during the activity, from either their perspective as facilitators or as trainees.  This reflection allows everyone the opportunity to share what did or did not work in their participation in the activity and to discuss how to alter their presentation techniques or the activity to best suit the situation in their mentoring program.  "The training was effective because it was hands on.  By actually leading and participating in every activity, the training kept my attention and I was able to take in more information than had it been lecture based."  71% of the participants that have been involved in this training to date have used the activities and resources they learned at this workshop in their own programs for mentor training.  Of the 29% that have not used these activities, 75% do not train mentors in their programs and 25% are looking forward to using these activities in an upcoming training.
 
Register today!  Train the Trainer: Mentor Training is session number 7037.  You can find information on other upcoming workshops and webinars by downloading our professional development schedule from the Michigan 4-H Youth Mentoring website.
 
 
Beyond Plaques and Certificates: Mentor Recognition Webinar
 
When:   October 5, 2010
             10 am
 
Where:  Your computer
 
Different people appreciate different forms of recognition. Some volunteers love an event while others respond to a personalized note. Does your recognitoon plan cover the needs of all of your mentors? Thanking volunteers and recognizing their hard work impacts retention and it can generate awareness about your program. During this webinar, we will share a variety of recognition strategies that have worked for other mentoring programs. While recognition should be ongoing for programs, National Mentoring Month (January) and National Volunteer Week (April 10-16, 2011) provide unique opportunities to say thank you. Participants will be invited to share their favorite strategies during the session.
 
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