Michigan 4-H Today

July-August 2012   

Impact

Animal Science Workshops

The evaluation data compiled from 2 animal science workshops held in February (1 of which may have been the largest leader-training event ever held at Kettunen Center) demonstrated very positive results about improving 4-H teen and adult leaders' scientific literacy and life-skills development. To compare the events by participation rates, topics, interactions and evaluations, see this chart.

Deford 4-H Rocketry Team Dazzles Again

In the "Congratulations" section of the May-June 2012 issue of Michigan 4-H Today, we reported that Tuscola County 4-H's Deford Dazzlers Rocket Team was headed to a David-and-Goliath challenge in Virginia from May 11 to 12. Well, the Dazzlers took 10th place at the rocketry finals in Virginia. This made them eligible to participate in the next Student Launch Initiative, the NASA-sponsored program that challenges youth to design, build and launch a reusable rocket with a scientific or engineering payload to one mile above ground level. For all the details of their victory, read the article in Director Coon's May 17 issue of MSUE Spotlight.

Entrepreneurship Education 

As you visit the county fair and watch the 4-H'ers show and sell their animals, you know fostering entrepreneurship has been a part of the 4-H program from the start. Many of the skills necessary to be successful in life (for example, planning, organization, responsibility, record keeping and financial management) are cultivated through 4-H entrepreneurship programming as members develop business and projects. In 2009, Barry County 4-H started formally teaching entrepreneurship by incorporating the Generation E curricula in its work with youth. Students receive instruction and coaching as they consider their talents and interests, and how these may be developed into profitable businesses that can benefit themselves and the communities in which they live.

On May 15, more than 280 Michigan high-school and middle-school students gathered at Battle Creek's Kellogg Arena for the 2012 Generation E Showcase, a celebration and the culmination of months of work on the part of the entrepreneurial students to formulate a business plan and create an operational business project. All projects - which must have had a product or service represented at the showcase - were judged on the basis of the business plan, a tabletop display, creativity and the presentation students made to the judges. Barry County was represented at the event by 4 outstanding business projects, representing countless hours of work. The entrepreneurs (pictured above ) are:

• Elijah Evans who completed his third consecutive year in the program with Eli's Enterprises. This year's new product is recycled denim dog toys and discs. Elijah won a $100 award for Outstanding Achievement. He is a 3-time Middle School Division showcase winner.  
• Isaac Evans who presented his Handy Holders business, featuring handcrafted wooden kitchen accessories created from quality, recycled wood. In Isaac's first year of participation, he won a $25 Consumers Energy Award winner in the Middle School Division.
• Enoch Castonguay who participated in the High School Division with his Timeless Turns business that features elegant, hand-turned, wooden pens and pencils he creates himself. He received a $350 award for the Best Business Plan and a $500 Board of Directors award for Outstanding Achievement.He also won last year for the Most Creative Business.
• Miah Grassmid who competed in the High School division with her Honey Lips handmade, all-natural, beeswax lip balms. She received a $100 Outstanding Achievement Award and she has also received awards in the Middle School Division for 2 previous years.

4-H Equestrian Alumna to Work and Study in France

Environmental and Outdoor Education

Two Michigan 4-H programs that National 4-H named Programs of Distinction - 4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp (GLNR) and the Great Lakes Educational Program (GLEP) - were highlighted in the June issue of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and National 4-H monthly newsletter, 4-H Healthy Living Update. See the write ups here. Also, read about GLEP's 2011 and 2012 work on the Michigan 4-H web site.

Revolution of Responsibility 

The Revolution of Responsibility is Michigan 4-H's campaign to highlight how youth across the state are engaged in identifying challenges in their communities, overcoming obstacles and making positive community impacts as a result of their participation in 4-H. This month we salute 2 counties' 4-H'ers as Revolution of Responsibility leaders.

Through the involvement of Cheboygan County 4-H teen leaders in a nutrition-education project, they are now seen as community leaders. As the MSU Extension 4-H Youth Educator Melanie Chiodini said, "People got to know 4-H in a different way. Our communities had never seen 4-H in that way. Staff and teen leaders running . . . [a] program was a new mindset." Read here how their influence is spreading into other northwestern Michigan locales.

By taking part in a St. Clair County 4-H group, about 25 young people - who may have had difficulty being accountable in the past - are learning to:

• Be responsible
• Participate in the food system
• Be entrepreneurs
• Start and operate a business
• Handle money responsibly
• Give back to the community
• Believe there are caring adults who want to spend time with them
• Have fun in the process

Joe Bixler, the 4-H club's volunteer leader summed it up this way: "In giving back, they're learning to be more responsible for their own behavior." Read this story here.

4-H Highlights - Past, Present, Future  

• Julia Breza - Newaygo County
• Rosalyn Brummette - Eaton County
• Emily Hemstreet - Ottawa County
• Darcy Lipskey - Huron County  (not pictured) 
• Anna Makela - Ingham County
• Kyle Sims - Monroe County

Staff Awards

Karen Fifield and Michelle Neff (Montmorency and Clare Counties, respectively), both Extension educators, received the Distinguished Service Award at the 4-H Spring Conference held May 9 to 12 at Kettunen Center. This award is the highest state honor 4-H staff can obtain through the Michigan Association of Extension 4-H Staff (MAE4-HYS). Both Fifield and Neff were honored for their long and varied work with 4-H.   

Contest and Tournament Results   

On May 19, the Iron County Sharp Shooters 4-H Club and the Dickinson County Big Shooters 4-H Club hosted the 2012 Michigan 4-H State Shoulder-to-Shoulder Pellet Rifle Tournament at the United Sportsmens Club in Merriman. The tournament resulted from the 2012 postal-match targets shot by participating county 4-H shooting sports clubs throughout Michigan. The top 3 scores and 1 alternate from each club were selected to participate in the tournament. Eli Bean (pictured left), an Ingham County 4-H'er and a member of the MSU who scored 623 shooting in the precision class, gave tips and a demonstration on the use of all the technical equipment required for the precision-class shooter in state, national and Olympic competition.

Other tournament top results were:

• Senior Division: Jesse Thoreson, Iron County
• Junior Division: Aidan Saltman, Ingham County
• Beginners Division: Sydney Smith, Dickinson County
• Postal Match Team: St. Clair County 

After completion of the final relay, a banquet and awards ceremony was held. All of the details can be found in this Iron County Reporter article.

The Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee (MSPC) has selected the top 3 essays for the 2012 Michigan 4-H Soybean Essay Contest. The winners, their county, prize and essay are:

• First Place ($500): Eckford Energetics 4-H Club, Calhoun County, Soyfoods for You
• Second Place ($250): 4 Clovers 4-H Club, Baraga County, Soy Cheese vs. Dairy Cheese
• Third Place ($50): County Corners 4-H Club, Huron County, Soy Foods Have Health Benefits!

You can check out the essays (complete with pictures) on the MSPC web site.

Welcome

We are pleased to welcome Jennifer Mercer who has accepted the position of Extension Educator for 4-H Environment and Outdoor Education and Shooting Sports programming in the MSUE Children and Youth Institute. Mercer comes to us from Virginia Cooperative Extension Service (CES) where she worked for 17 years as an Extension 4-H Youth Development agent. She holds a dual bachelor's degree in Animal Science and Forestry and Wildlife and a master's degree in Education. During her tenure with Virginia CES, she served as the state coordinator for the Virginia 4-H Wildlife Habitat Program, coached 4-H Envirothon teams, started and supported a county 4-H shooting sports program, chaired the Virginia Natural Resources Weekend program, and served on several national environmental and wildlife education committees. Mercer, who is also a certified 4-H pistol and rifle instructor, will assume her duties here in Michigan on July 30 - just in time to attend the Michigan 4-H Shooting Sports Tournament on August 3 and 4! 

Events

The last couple of weekends in April were busy with 3 state animal-science events:

• On April 20 and 21, nearly 300 4-H'ers from the 4 corners of Michigan demonstrated their expertise about equine care and management, reproduction, welfare, physiology, and other science-related areas in a variety of contest areas at the 2012 State 4-H Horse Jamboree. The youth exhibited their knowledge of by competing in public speaking, presentations, horse bowl, hippology and horse judging. It was a great event and the participants all did a fantastic job challenging themselves!
• This year's Michigan 4-H Poultry Palooza was held April 28 on the grounds of the Gratiot County Fair for Youth. The event brought together 79 youth, from 21 counties, who not only showcased their knowledge and showmanship, but networked, interacted with their families and had fun. The Palooza's goal is to allow youth to demonstrate the skills they learned in their poultry projects by competing in various contests. Poultry Palooza is unique because it draws participants from so many counties while simultaneously encouraging 4-H youth to: (1) demonstrate their showing skills and the quality of the animals, and (2) participate in activities that show their content knowledge. Partnering with the Michigan Poultry Fanciers Association (MPFA) enabled youth to show in more than one breed class and it opened up participation to parents and guardians. Katie VanderKolk, 4-H Poultry Event Planning Committee and MSU Extension 4-H animal science educator, credits the committee members' deep knowledge base and their hard work, and the participants' passion, with making the event a success, despite all of the changes made to the contest.
• The State 4-H Goat Expo - also held on April 28 at Anthony Hall on the campus of Michigan State University - had 75 youth from 13 counties demonstrating their knowledge and skills in goat science. Activities included a quiz bowl, virtual goat breed judging, goat Skill-A-Thon, illustrated talk, problem solving, creative writing, educational poster, cookery and foods, crafts, art, and photography. Through the contests they enter, participants enhance specific life skills (such as "communication, teamwork, motivation, problem solving, critical thinking, decision making and goal setting") said Katie VanderKolk, MSU Extension 4-H animal science educator.

2012 4-H Exploration Days 

Nearly 2,500 youth from around the state attended the 3-day precollege program on the Michigan State University (MSU) campus. From June 20 to 22, the young people stayed in dorms and were responsible for finding their own way around to the sessions they had already chosen. Hundreds of sessions were available in a variety of career fields. For example:

• At the MSU fire station, young people received a tour of the station, were able to climb the fire-truck ladder and spray the engine hose.
• At the MSU bakery, participants experienced what a baker's day is like.
• The small engines participants worked on 12 engines, as a donation courtesy of Kohler, Co. 

A few interesting numbers from the event are:

67.3% of the youth attending were between the ages of 12 and 15

44.5 % were first-time participants

4-H volunteers contributed more than 20,000 volunteer hours to ensure the event's success.

Coming Soon

4-H Science Day With the Lugnuts

Have you ordered your tickets yet for this special event to be held July 15? If not, click here to do so. Find all the details are in the June 2012 Special Edition of Michigan 4-H Today.

Ag Expo   

Michigan's largest outdoor farm show, returns to the MSU campus July 17 to 19 for the 33rd time, bringing a variety of educational and commercial activities and exhibits to the state's agricultural community as well as to homeowners, families, and anyone who wants to know more about the state's second-largest industry. Across the Expo grounds, more than 200 exhibitors will feature products and services, many of which would be of interest to 4-H families and volunteers. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will feature many family-friendly exhibits and activities, including free MSU Dairy Store ice cream. The event runs from 9 am to 5 pm on July 17 and 18, and 9 am to 3 pm on July 19. Admission to the grounds and parking at Farm Lane and Mount Hope Road are free. For more information about Ag Expo, call 800-366-7055 or visit its web site.

4-H Evening in the Garden

Mark your calendars for this second annual event, to be held from 4 to 7 pm on August 21 in the Michigan 4-H Children's Garden at Michigan State University. This year, the event will include a variety of activities about health and nutrition, plants, animals, and science experiments. And, of course, there will be free ice cream!

Down the Road a Ways

If you are interested in leadership, visual arts and crafts, we have the workshop for you. Join us on September 15 to 16 at Kettunen Center in Tustin. Teens (who were 13 years old by January 1, 2012) and adults may attend the workshop which will feature an opening session where participants will learn their leadership style. Other tentative sessions include photography, rug making, leaf casting, knitting and more. More information will be posted soon on the Michigan 4-H Youth Development web site or you may contact your county Extension office.

National 4-H Congress

Frank Cox, Muskegon County Extension educator and 2012 onsite coordinator for National 4-H Congress asks that 4-H members consider taking advantage of this great opportunity to learn and that 4-H parents and 4-H leaders consider having their 4-H members attend this conference. National 4-H Congress is a yearly national 4-H leadership conference held in Atlanta, Georgia. It takes place in late November, beginning the day after Thanksgiving and continuing into the following Tuesday (November 23 to 27). This event has delegates from all over the country. 4-H staff members from different states are also involved in this conference, too. At National 4-H Congress, workshops, motivational speakers, cultural activities, different tours of Atlanta, and a community-service activity are in place to help 4-H youth develop leadership skills. While the majority of youth-leadership conferences have workshops, motivational speakers and tours, what makes National 4-H Congress special are the cultural activities and the community service activities.

For example, 2 of the cultural activities are the International Dinner and Dance and An Evening of Culture. The International Dinner and Dance takes place at the Hyatt Regency where the National 4-H Congress is held. There are stations that represent different countries in the world and participants get to sample the various foods that the specific country offers. An Evening of Culture, held at the Atlanta History Center, consists of a tour of different exhibits at the museum, performances in comedy, Bluegrass and African dance, and a dinner featuring southern-style foods. Conference delegates receive a great experience participating in a community-service activity. These take place all over Atlanta and participants serve at schools, agencies, and other places for the community service activities. For more information, contact the 4-H program at your county MSU Extension office or go to National 4-H Congress web site.

Contests

Coats & Clark is sponsoring the Innovation Generation contest for young people 8 to 18 years old. Contestants are split into three age groups for judging (8-11, 12-15 and 16-18) and provide a wonderful free fashion show for all to see. Click here for all of the details, the rules and the application. All entries must be postmarked no later than September 7, 2012.

Applications for the 2012 President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA)  are due December 31. The PEYA program promotes awareness of our nation's natural resources and encourages positive community involvement. Since 1971, the President of the United States has joined with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recognize young people across the U.S. for protecting our nation's air, water, land and ecology. One outstanding project from each region is selected for national recognition. Projects are developed by young individuals, school classes (K-12), summer camps and youth organizations to promote environmental stewardship. While 4-H'ers and their groups develop the projects, adults must complete, sign and date the application.

Upcoming Events 

July

Learning Science through the Arts Camp

Kettunen Center, Tustin

Camp Chickagami, Presque Isle

August

August 3-4

State 4-H Shooting Sports Tournament

Centerline of Calhoun County, Inc., Bellevue

August 10-12

4-H Outdoor Adventure Challenge Leader Basic Coastal Kayaking Training 

Little and Big Bay de Noc, Escanaba

August 17-19

State 4-H Horse Show               

Michigan 4-H Children's Garden, MSU, East Lansing

August 24-25

4-H Companion Animals Teen & Adult Volunteer Leader Workshop

Kettunen Center, Tustin 

4-H Outdoor Adventure Challenge Leader Flat-water Canoeing Training 

Manistee River, Manton

September

September 15-16

4-H Learning Leadership Through the Arts Workshop

Kettunen Center, Tustin  

Help Wanted  

7 More Host Families Needed 

Thank you to everyone who has helped recruit and interview host families for the 4-H Japanese Exchange inbound program! As of today, we still need additional host families for 7 male delegates (who are 12 to 14 years old). We can match these remaining delegates with Michigan families who have boys between the ages of  9 and 16 and we need to match them host families as soon as possible. If you know of a 4-H family in your area willing to help out, think about making a phone call and asking the family to consider this opportunity. If you have been in contact with any families who have expressed interest, let State Exchange Coordinator and Marquette County Extension Educator Brian Wibby know so that he can follow up with them. Click here for a flyer, which includes pictures and profiles of the 7 remaining delegates, about the Japan inbound program.

More Michigan 4-H News   

May 30 - According to this article from the hollandsentinel.com, Governor Snyder reappointed Randy Poll, 20+-year Allegan County 4-H volunteer, to the Michigan Corn Marketing Committee .

June 4 - This article from the Sentinel-Standard.com describes the Ionia County 4-H's second, annual Hoofprints for Hope horse show that benefited local breast cancer services.

June 7 - This article from the St.Clair ShoresPatch reports that, having successfully established the 4-H Tech Wizards program in Wayne and Ottawa Counties, MSU Extension (with funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) is now expanding the program into Macomb and Oakland Counties. To do so, the program seeks adult volunteers with experience in science, math, engineering or technology fields to serve as mentors.

June 12 - This opinion piece in the Record and Clarion is a loving tribute to a county fair.

June 13 - This story from the Tri-City Times Online describes a Pure Michigan ad, some scenes of which were shot on the farm of Al and Doris Stuever, 40-year St. Clair County 4-H volunteers.

June 15 - The first part of this article from the Huron Daily Tribune, reports on the big dividends MSU Extension's restructuring has paid for the Huron County 4-H program.

June 21 - From the SturgisJournal.com comes the story of an arena dedicated to the memory of Megan Holt, a 16-year-old St. Joseph County 4-H'er tragically killed in an automobile accident in 2009.

June 23 - Read this article from the Daily Press about 3 Delta County 4-H members who competed for the Mark of Excellence Award.

This article - also from June 23 - from AnnArbor.com describes the experiential learning and other benefits to be gained through Washtenaw County 4-H's Cloverbud Camp.

Resources

Michigan 4-H Guiding Principles for Positive Youth Development

Michigan 4-H has 7 Guiding Principles for Positive Youth Development. These principles help us plan better and safer programs for Michigan's youth and they assist volunteer leaders and parents understand how Michigan 4-H programs are developed. The principle highlighted this month is:

Guiding Principle 6. Youth recognize, understand and appreciate multiculturalism.  

Youth will respect differences among groups and individuals of diverse backgrounds. Youth will develop skills and competencies that help them foster social justice in their communities and their world.

Elements of effective practice:

• Youth explore and value their own diverse abilities, skills, interests and cultural backgrounds.
• Youth explore diverse people, places and ideas.
• Youth and volunteers from diverse backgrounds and with diverse abilities are included in decision-making, leadership and planning.  

Remember to check out the MSUE 4-H News section of the new MSU Extension's web site. It is full of easy-to-find, topic-based information, events around the state and program information and it features news articles, written by MSU Extension educators around the state, that focus on everything from skills that attract employers to summer equine care to how effective and ethical decision-making can help young people achieve their goals.

National Day of Service and Remembrance Minigrants Available

The Michigan Community Service Commission, Michigan Nonprofit Association, Volunteer Centers of Michigan, Michigan Campus Compact and The LEAGUE Michigan will observe September 11, 2012 as a Day of Service and Remembrance:

• As a positive way to forever remember and pay tribute to the victims of September 11
• To honor those who rose in service while responding to the attacks
• To remind people of the importance of working more closely together to improve our world

If you would like to join the growing national movement to support veterans and military families as part of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance efforts, the organizations mentioned above - with support from the ConnectMichigan Alliance Endowment Fund and the Corporation for National and Community Service - will award minigrants (up to $500) to Michigan organizations who wish to host volunteer-service projects engaging veterans or military families during their September 11 observances. All of the details including the application form are on the web.

Veterinary DVDs

The American Veterinary Medical Association, with the help of GlaxoSmithKline, is providing free veterinary DVDs to students interested in the veterinary field. The Agency for Instructional Technology (AIT) is distributing the DVDs. If you or someone you know would be interested in receiving one of these DVDs, click here or contact AIT for more information.

Upcoming Volunteer Forums

The final, face-to-face North Central Volunteer Forum (NCVF) will be held October 11 to 14 at the Hyatt Hotel in Witchita, Kansas. We hope to have a large delegation from Michigan to celebrate with Diana Langshaw, Barry County volunteer, who won the North Central Regional Outstanding Lifetime 4-H Volunteer award (as well as the national award and Cathy Marvin, Branch County volunteer who will be a presenter at NCVF.

Then join us for our first statewide 4-H Volunteer Forum at Michigan State University on November 10. This will be a time for all volunteers to learn new skills, teach other volunteers in their area of expertise, network and have fun.

Submission Guidelines   

This is a newsletter for and about Michigan 4-H Youth Development. It is a means by which we can communicate with one another and promote our great program impacts, showcase resources, spotlight staff, volunteers, members, alumni and curriculum. Therefore, we want articles that are not only pertinent to Michigan 4-H, but which have the most complete information possible and that will capture the reader's interest.

To that end, we are asking you to submit articles that are concise and contain answers to the questions who, what, where, when, how and why. We will be happy to include Internet links that will take the reader to the pertinent information. Therefore, please make sure links are live and take the reader right to the spot with the information not to a general Web page where the reader will have to hunt to find the information. To help highlight articles, we would like to include pictures. So, send us a few pictures with your article. Be sure they are the highest-possible resolution and do not embed them in the text.  

Ideas for article content might include those that feature:

1.       Programs (One that is upcoming or has been successfully completed)

2.       Grants (Possibilities, already funded and running or successfully completed)

3.       Scholarships (Possibilities or winner announcements)

4.       Resources (New or updated curricula)

5.       Honors, Awards

So we can meet publishing deadlines, please email your articles in Word or WordPerfect (no PDFs) to Priscilla Martin by the 15th of each month.

Note: To print a copy of this newsletter complete with formatting, prior to printing from Internet Explorer, go to:

1.       Tools

2.       Select Internet Options

3.       Press Advanced

4.       Scroll down to Printing and check "Print background colors and images"  

Contact Information 

Michigan 4-H Today is a bimonthly newsletter for all those interested in 4-H Youth Development programs including its members, parents, volunteers, staff, alumni and retirees. It is published by the Michigan State University Extension 4-H Youth Development office and it is distributed online.

Please contact Michigan 4-H Today:

Priscilla Martin, Editor

Room 240

446 West Circle Drive

East Lansing, MI 48824

Phone: 517-432-7635

Email: pjmartin@msu.edu

Fax: 517-353-4846

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G. Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. The name "4-H" and the emblem consisting of a four-leaf clover with stem and the "H" on each leaflet are protected under Title 18 U.S.C. 707.