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Michigan 4-H Today

  November-December 2012     

Welcome to Michigan State University Extension 4-H Youth Development!

Photo of Julie Chapin

In this season of holidays (specifically Thanksgiving), I would like both to say "thank you" and to note, in this time of many challenges, the extraordinary efforts and inspiring results of many people in Michigan 4-H who practice "thanksliving." 

 

In Wilferd Peterson's 1961 bestseller, The Art of Living, he defined thanksliving as "gratitude in action." Further, the Michigan native saw thanksliving as being thankful for "opportunities by accepting them as a challenge to achievement" and demonstrating appreciation "for inspiration by living to be an inspiration to others . . . . " (pp. 44-45). Many of the articles in this issue contain examples of individuals and groups who are, indeed, thanksliving.

 

It is also, with great sadness, that I say farewell to Norm Brown, a consummate professional who dedicated his life to ensuring young people worldwide would have opportunities to grow, develop and succeed. Norm died September 25 at the age of 73. Among the many important and prestigious positions Norm held was his 7years as Michigan's State 4-H Leader. You can read Norm's obituary from the BattleCreekEnquirer.com here and his 4-H Emerald Clover Society biography here.

 

Let me close by expressing the gratitude in my heart for all that you do in and through Michigan 4-H and by wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and a joyous season of holidays with those you love!

 

Julie Chapin 

 

State Leader, Michigan 4-H Youth Development

Director, MSU Extension Children and Youth Institute

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Impact

Haley Balding Memorial Washrack This is an article about people who acted after a great tragedy and both memorialized an individual and benefited countless others, as

well. When an active, long-time 4-H'er died tragically, one community worked together to build a much-needed facility as a means of honoring the young woman. One of the means of raising the funds for the building was to auction a steer, not once but twice. After the second auction, the meat was donated to Goodwill's Fill the Freezer campaign. All of the details are here.

Wooly Walkers car wash

 

Joy Hamilton, Oceana County 4-H program coordinator has supplied us with an excellent example of a 4-H group, the Green Community Wooly Walkers, responding to its leader's challenge to fulfill the 4-H pledge. Read the article on the Michigan 4-H web site the first-rate job these young people did of understanding and carrying out the 4-H Pledge.

 

How often do you get to read about impact from 70-year perspective? In this reprint of an article from The Ontonagon Herald, you can read about a 4-H club, the Busy Bees, organized in 1940 and continuing operations until 1985, which had 70-plus year reunion. One of its former members, Joanne Pihlaja, now retired Gogebic County MSU Extension director, credits 4-H for having a huge influence on the lives of the Busy Bee 4-H'ers. She wrote: "Youth could hardly wait to be 10 to join and normally remained a member until they graduated from high school. The years I was a member, we actually earned money . . . to do a variety of things. We . . . traveled to Chicago twice . . . to visit museums and other sights. We also traveled to MSU to compete in the model business meeting competition, demonstration, and other awards competitions.  I am sure I never would have attended MSU or become an MSUE employee without the 4-H influence."

 

Michigan 4-H is excited to announce that Tech Wizards, a small-group mentoring program that matches professionals who work in the science, engineering and technology (SET) fields with youth, is expanding. Tech Wizard participants collaborating

  • Macomb County 4-H has 3 new 4-H Tech Wizards sites at Seminole Academy, Selfridge Air National Guard Base and the Detroit Arsenal in Warren
  • The program continues to grow in Ottawa County 4-H 
  • Eaton County 4-H has piloted the program
  • In northern Michigan, 2 AmeriCorps members will start the program  

4-H Tech Wizards strives to reduce and help prevent juvenile delinquency and school failure, and build supportive relationships, as well as introduce mentees to opportunities within the SET fields. It also provides participants with meaningful opportunities to engage in service learning.  

 

On August 25, the St. Clair County 4-H program launched its first annual 4-H Cardboard Boat  Race. The object of the event was to design and build a seaworthy vessel, made of corrugated cardboard that would carry 4 team members. With the coordination of St. Clair 4-H volunteer leader, Ron Pennell, what began 50 years ago as a class assignment about buoyancy and stability at Competitors in 1st St. Clair Cardboard Boat Race Southern Illinois University became a fun, hands-on competition in which 4-H'ers learned about teamwork, good sportsmanship and leadership as they designed, built and raced their boats. Lori Warchuck, St. Clair County 4-H program coordinator said that the 4-H'ers were surprised about how long the crafts would float, how different designs performed and how the boats held up in the water. Oh, and if you're wondering which of the vessels won the race, the winner was the blue boat in the middle of the picture, paddled by the young women of the West St. Clair 4-H Club.

 

Over the past year Eaton County 4-H has embraced National 4-H's "One Million New Scientists One Million New Ideas" campaign. The county's 4-H program has been promoting science exploration with a county-wide science club, after-school tech wizard site, and science and Eaton County event participants technology demonstrations at various community events throughout the summer. On August 22, Eaton County 4-H'ers involved in the push for 1 million new scientists had the chance to participate in the 1st Annual Eaton County 4-H Robotics Youth. The event began with a 30-minute crash course in programming and then participants had 90 minutes to complete programming challenges. Each young person could choose from 3 different robot-programming challenges. Lots of trial and error was seen as youth would think they had the program just right and test the robot to only find out they had to make a few tweaks to successfully complete the challenge. By then end of the programming segment, all the young people successfully completed at least one challenge. The evening was a great chance for 4-H'ers to show off their scientific knowledge and to see how well they could program robots.

 

Upon returning from participating in the Michigan 4-H Polish Outbound Exchange, Maeve Alflen (pictured below on the right in the picture with her hosts), a Leelanau County 4-H member wrote a thank-you note - excerpts of which are below - to the 4-H staff who helped coordinate the trip.

 

"I want to express my sincere gratitude to you for helping put this trip together. For me, this has been an eye opening experience at how incredible the world is, and how people from opposite cultures can set aside their differences, and become a family. In just one short month, I became indescribably Maeve Alflen with host family close to my host family.

 

While in Poland, I was blessed to have some incredible experiences, these are just a few; Visiting Auschwitz, taking a trip to the mountains in Slovakia, seeing the "old town" in both Krakow and Warsaw, tasting many traditional Polish foods, visiting the tombs of saints, praying in countless churches and cathedrals, strolling through palace gardens, and most importantly, making a best friend, and sister.

 

I will never forget my time in Poland. . . . . Thank you, thank you, thank you, for making this possible for me. I will never be able to tell you how much this has changed me."

 

For more of what other Michigan 4-H'ers who traveled to Poland this year had to say about the experience, see this article in the MSU Extension News web site.

Revolution of Responsibility 

The Michigan Revolution of Responsibility is 4-H's campaign to highlight how youth statewide are Remi Romanowski engaged in identifying community challenges, taking action to overcome obstacles and solving the problem. The aim is to create a culture-changing revolution nationwide by building strong, positive communities.

 

In this example, it all began when Remi Romanowski, now 16, was only 11 years old. At the time, the organization that operated the milk booth at the Clare County Fair was unable to continue in its role of distributing a variety of dairy products for a donation, the resulting money which is then used by Clare County 4-H for youth scholarships to 4-H Exploration Days, camp and other workshops. Remi, a Clare County 4-H'er volunteered to run the booth (including getting volunteers, ordering the supplies and products needed and managing the funds made) and has kept it open every summer since then. Oh, and did we mention that Remi runs her own honey business, Buzz Box Honey, with help from her father? Read all about Remi on the Michigan 4-H web site.

4-H Highlights - Past, Present, Future  

Congratulations!

Kea Boyd The White House recently named 12 FFA and 4-H members and leaders - including Wayne County 4-H Mentoring Educator, Kea Boyd - "Champions of Change." The award program highlights individuals who have promoted positive change and development in their communities. Boyd has devoted her career to advocating for disadvantaged youth in Detroit and has spent the last 6� years expanding the 4-H mentoring program to provide at-risk youth with positive, adult role models. Additionally, she is one of the authors of the Ready to Go: A Mentor Training Toolkit curriculum. There are more details in this article from the Lansing State Journal.

 

On June 2, Gordon Munsell, 33-year leader of Livingston County 4-H's Kounty Klover Kids Club, received Cleary University's 2012 Bob Lyons Community Leadership Award. Besides leading the 4-H club with his wife, Teena, Munsell serves Livingston County 4-H in a variety of positions, everything from building and grounds superintendent to fair board liaison. His involvement in working with Cohoctah Township enabled the creation of a park, which hosts 4-H county horse workshops, clinics and shows.

 

Roxanne Turner and Sarah McKinney Livingston County's 4-H educator and program coordinator nominated Munsell for the honor, which recognizes individuals whose volunteer and charitable work has significantly impacted a nonprofit organization. As Turner wrote in Munsell's nomination form: Gordon Munsell receives his award

 

"Throughout [his years as a volunteer], he has made an inestimable contribution to the organization, through his tireless, hard work and as an exemplary volunteer and leader. His passion for 4-H and everything it stands for is inspiring to everyone who meets him and it is evident in everything he does. He understands we are trying to make better leaders for our future, teach life skills, and emphasize the importance of citizenship and community service to youth of all ages. He also recognizes that working toward these goals takes a lot of time and effort. From the very beginning, it was clear how much he cared about the strength and integrity of the 4-H program. He is a volunteer who brings experience and a tremendous amount of heart to the program. Daily, he exhibits each of the "H"s in 4-H (Head to clearer thinking, Heart to greater loyalty, Hands to larger service and Health to better living), whether he is working on a project or just talking to someone in the community. And he asks only for the gratification he gets from helping the community thrive."

 

Michigan is home to the country's No. 1 youth dairy-judging team (pictured below with their coaches). The Michigan youth delegation topped teams representing 31 other states in this year's National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, held October 1 at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The team was the highest-ranking team both overall and in oral reasons. The double win is a first for the Michigan Dairy Youth Program, which was coached by Joe Domecq, Michigan State University (MSU) animal science specialist and coordinator of the Michigan dairy judging program, 2012 National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest winners and Sarah Black, volunteer assistant coach and Clinton County 4-H volunteer. Competing on the Michigan youth team were:  

By winning first place overall, the team earned an invitation to the 2-week International Livestock Judging Tour to be held in Europe. This year marks the 6th time in 9 years that Michigan's youth team has earned this honor. For all of the details, go the the 4-H web site.

 

4-H Great Lakes & Natural Resources (GLNR) Camp, one of MSU Extension's great precollege GLNR participants work together with a fishery net programs, has once again been recognized as one of the top 4-H science programs. A new report, Priming the Pipeline: Lessons from Promising 4-H Science Programs, written by Derek Riley and Alisha Butler from Policy Studies Associates, features the camp and the 7 other selected science programs. GLNR was selected from 70 nominations of promising science programs through a structured process of nominations and vetting. Read the entire story in MSU Extension Director Tom Coon's MSUE Spotlight

 

Events

Some Wrap-Ups

Two 4-H Exploration Days' participants discuss bicycle repair While at 2012 4-H Exploration Days, participants learned new ideas and skills, made new friends, explored potential career paths, and experienced a wealth of resources and activities that MSU has to offer. You can find the 1-page impact summary as well as the full evaluation report on the web site listed above. Kudos to the 413 4-H volunteers who contributed approximately 20,000 hours of their time teaching and supporting youth to ensure a successful conference!

 

The 2102 Michigan 4-H State Shooting Sports Tournament was held August Archery contestant 4 at Centerline of Calhoun, Inc. Family Sport Shooting Facility in Bellevue. The 482 youth competitors represented 35 counties in 8 events. Each competitor was a member of a 4-H Shooting Sports group that meets at least once a month to teach the 4-H'ers to handle firearms and archery equipment safely and responsibly, while also helping youth develop respect and appreciation for Michigan's natural resources. Events were broken down within each discipline by age divisions and in some cases by the type of equipment used. More than 100 adults volunteered time, talents and resources to plan and conduct the state tournament. Read the entire story here including the high praise Michigan's new 4-H Extension Environmental/Outdoor Education and Shooting Sports Educator, Jenny Mercer, had for Michigan's shooting-sports volunteers. The article also contains a complete list of results for the 2012 tournament.

 

The 2012 State 4-H Dog Show was held on August 11 at the MSU Pavilion. Each year, the state show offers classes for 4-H youth in the disciplines of showmanship, obedience and agility in 10 rings, all holding classes at the same time! This year, 188 youth/dog exhibits were entered from at least 22 counties. During the event, youth had the opportunity to be evaluated by expert judges and "show off" their dog training and handling skills. Additionally, youth are able to practice life skills such as sportsmanship, decision-making, responsibility, problem-solving and critical thinking. We congratulate all of the outstanding 4-H'ers who participated and encourage them all to participate again in 2013.

 

More than 220 people met 4-H Youth Development staff members, 4-H volunteer leaders and youth participants at the Michigan 4-H Children's Garden on August 14 during the second, annual 4-H Learning about a 4-H project at Evening in the Garden Evening in the Garden. This year's attendance doubled the number who participated in the 2011 inaugural event. Many of those attending were graduate students who live on campus with their families. The Michigan 4-H Foundation provided funding for the occasion. The event provided attendees with the chance to become acquainted with various 4-H projects such as science and robotics, Project FISH (Friends Involved in Sportfishing Heritage), gardening, small animals, livestock, entomology, geocaching and performing arts. Among the 4-H activities available were making a bead bracelet, discovering what a dairy cow consumes to produce one gallon of milk, holding a giant hissing cockroach or tarantula from the MSU Bug House, doing a shadow dance with straws or jumping into foods, fitness and fun, While learning about 4-H and exploring the garden, participants also sampled MSU Dairy Store ice cream.

 

Coming Soon

Calling all volunteers: If you haven't already done so, remember to register for the November 10 Michigan 4-H Volunteer Forum to be held on the campus of Michigan State University. Get more information and register here until November 1. Cost (which includes lunch) is $40.

 

Down the Road a Ways

Once a year, Michigan 4-H offers a conference for teens, aged 13 and up, about becoming leaders in their communities and creating positive change on issues they care about. Examples of sessions Michigan Capitol, Lansing teens can take at the 2013 4-H Teen Leadership & Community Change Conference - to be held January 19 to 20 at Kettunen Center are:

  • 2012 Presidential Campaign (Promises versus Reality)
  • Climate Change and Youth Leadership
  • Communication, Conflict and Group Decision-Making
  • Social Media and Leadership
  • Youth-Adult Community Partnerships
  • Youth Leaders in a Global World  

Also offered will be the Photovoice Project (a mix of photography and real stories) that will raise awareness and influence people who make policy about important issues from a teen's perspective. World Travelers: Geocaching and Travel Bug is a session that will let participants visit the entire world without leaving Michigan! For more information about this teen conference, in early November, go to the Citizenship, Leadership and Service Michigan 4-H web page or contact your county MSU Extension office. Registration opens mid-November.

 

Farther Down the Road

Lady Spartans battle Lady Badgers Although it may seem a long way off, it's really not too early to mark your calendars for one of Michigan 4-H 's most fun events: the 8th annual 4-H Day at the Breslin Center for Spartan women's basketball! The date is Sunday, March 3, 2013 - the game starts at 2 pm. The Spartan women will be playing Wisconsin's Lady Badgers, so it should be a good game. Information about tickets, transportation, parking and more will be coming your way via email, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, save the date - Sunday, March 3!

 

4-H Capitol Experience is an annual 4-day conference that focuses on youth civic engagement and understanding, and impacting public policy. This event - which will be held in Lansing from March 17 to 20, 2013 - empowers youth to feel they can make a difference in public policy at the local and state levels. Applications and more information will be on the link given above.

 

Way Down the Road, But With Swiftly Approaching Deadlines

If you have a 4-H Exploration Days session suggestion and someone in mind to teach it, email Judy Ratkos or phone her at 517-432-7613 by November 21. She'll pass it along to the session contact person who oversees that session-content category. Session titles, descriptions and lead instructors need to be determined in early December so production of the registration book can begin. Information on what's expected of session instructors can be found at 4-H Exploration Days Responsibilities & Procedures. In 2013, 4-H Exploration Days will be held June 19 to 21.

 

Two Michigan middle-school or high-school teachers can have one unforgettable and fun, professional-development opportunity serving as instructional staff for the nationally recognized 4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp, July 28 to August 3, 2013.

 

The science teachers who are selected will join area professionals, field experts and teens for a Learning about watersheds in Presque Isle week-long, unforgettable experience both teaching and learning along the shores and in the woodlands of Northeast Michigan. Educators will gain experience co-teaching various exploration sessions with university and agency natural-resources experts (for example, individuals from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan Sea Grant), and will leave with contacts and relationships formed with these professionals, experiencing first-hand research and science learning as taught by the experts. We will also work with successful educator applicants to secure continuing education credits (CEUs), if desired.

 

This is a tremendous opportunity for teachers looking to advance their knowledge and understanding of Michigan's Great Lakes and natural resources, while experiencing hands-on, place-based education strategies for teaching and engaging youth in learning through natural resources science and stewardship. The application deadline is November 30, 2012 at 5 p.m. EST. For additional details and an application contact, Judy Ratkos.

 

The 2013 National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational will be held June 23 to 28 in Heartland Public Shooting Park in Grand Island, Nebraska. However, the Michigan application has a postmark deadline of December 1, 2012.

Upcoming Events 

 

November

 

November 9-11

4-H Goat Teen Leader and Adult Volunteer Workshop

Kettunen Center, Tustin

 

November 10

Michigan 4-H Volunteer Forum

MSU Plant & Soil Sciences Building, East Lansing

 

November 16-18

4-H Teen Horse Leaders Conference

Kettunen Center, Tustin

 

November 23-27

National 4-H Congress
Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Georgia

 

 

 

December

 

December 1-2

4-H Poultry Teen and Adult Volunteer Workshop

Kettunen Center, Tustin

 

 

 

January

 

January 4-6

4-H Horse Show Judges & Managers Conference

Kettunen Center, Tustin


January 19-20
4-H Teen Leadership & Community Change Conference

Kettunen Center, Tustin, MI


January 26
4-H Rabbit and Cavy Show

MSU Pavilion, East Lansing

 

January 26-27

4-H Lock in Your Potential: Teen Team Building and Self Discovery

Kettunen Center, Tustin

 

4-H Volunteer Academy

Kettunen Center, Tustin

 

 

 

February

 

February 22-23

4-H Veterinary Science Teen and Adult Volunteer Leader Workshop

Kettunen Center, Tustin

 

February 23-24

4-H Beef, Sheep and Swine Teen and Adult Volunteer Leader Workshop

Kettunen Center, Tustin 

Help Wanted  

Do You Know (or Are You) an Outstanding 4-H Member?

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

Members of 4-H who demonstrate outstanding volunteer community service can also gain statewide or national recognition through the 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a prestigious, independent awards program that recognizes young people in grades 5 to 12 on the basis of their volunteer activities. These awards are sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Last year, 167 county 4-H programs selected honorees and 20 out of the 102 state honorees were 4-H'ers. This includes Emily Maslovich (pictured below) from Gratiot County 4-H. Read about her award in the April 2012 Michigan 4-H Today.

 

Click here to download a Prudential Spirit Awards implementation packet. It has complete Emily Maslovich and friend instructions for nominating 4-H members in your county. 4-H'ers, themselves, can apply online through Prudential or NASSP. Applications must be submitted to county staff by November 6, 2012. Then, your county 4-H program can select one middle-level (grades 5 to 8) local honoree for every 1,000 members (or portion thereof) and one high-school (grades 9 to 12) local honoree for every 1,000 members. Once you have selected your local honorees, you must certify their applications online by November 13, 2012.

 

A state-level judging committee will pick each state's (and the District of Columbia) top youth volunteers. They will receive silver medallions, $1,000 awards and a trip to Washington, D.C., for national recognition events. In Washington, a national selection committee will name America's top 10 youth volunteers for 2013. Those 10 young people will win additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for charitable nonprofit organizations of their choice.

 

Nestl�'s Very Best in Youth Awards

Nestl� will honor young people who are making a profound impact on their communities by giving a $1,000 contribution to the charity of each young person's choice. Winners will also be sent to the Very Best in Youth Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. For more information, visit the link above. The application deadline is November 8, 2012.

 

Youth in Action Award

National 4-H Council has extended the deadline for applications for this award from November 1 to November 15. Read all of the details about this award in the September-October 2012 issue of Michigan 4-H Today. The only difference between the information in that article and this one is that the deadline for nominations is now November 15.

More Michigan 4-H News   

August 20 - This article, from the Daily Press, describes the varied handiwork on display in the Youth Exhibit Department at the U.P. State Fair and the Danish System under which it is judged.

 

September 26 - In this article from the Clarkston News, an Oakland County 4-H staff person, a volunteer and 3 members explain how present-day 4-H provides a great variety of programs, that it is no longer about only "cows and chickens."

 

October 9 - Read this Lansing State Journal account of Eaton County 4-H's Science Night.

 

October 12 - This article from The Farmer's Exchange reports on another record year for Michiana (southwest Michigan and northern Indiana) county fair livestock auctions and the shakeup in the top 10 county fairs in the area.

Resources

Michigan State University and Michigan 4-H Youth Development annually offer scholarships to 4-H'ers. Check out the October 2012 Special Edition of Michigan 4-H Today for a summary of the information including:

  • Selection Criteria
  • Michigan State University 4-H Scholarships
  • Michigan 4-H Youth Development Scholarships
  • Michigan State University Pre-College Scholarship
  • Other Michigan State University Scholarships

November 12 to18 is Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW). Launched in 2007, this week-long global event has, among other things, activities for youth entrepreneurs. GEW 2012 will feature startup weekends, global student entrepreneur awards, a global-classroom activity, the World Series of Innovation and an opportunity to win a trip around the world to meet global leaders and A group of young entrepreneurs entrepreneurs. Any organization, school, college or business can sponsor an event during GEW. For a list of unique ideas, contests and activities to plan, check out the Ideas Bank on the GEW web site, and  register your event.

 

Michigan State University Extension Career and Workforce Preparation Work Team has many tools to help young people turn their business dreams into reality and resources to support GEW. Youth entrepreneurship articles may be found on the MSUE news site, while curricula, resources, websites, games and simulations are conveniently listed on the new Youth Entrepreneurship Resource List. Continue to create the next generation of entrepreneurs by encouraging youth to participate in entrepreneurial activities throughout the year. For a list of 2012-13 upcoming entrepreneurial competitions, programs and events, check out the 2012-13 Upcoming Youth Entrepreneurship Opportunities and Programs. Don't delay, there is even an Ignite! Young Innovators Competition for 6th-to 12th- graders going on now with a deadline of November 1.

 

Michigan Farm Bureau is holding the Career Focus Conference on Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources on November 27 at The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids for 4-H members, FFA members and high-school students from Farm Bureau families who are interested in

a career in agriculture and natural resources. It will focus on providing: insight on agricultural careers, Michigan farm leadership-development experiences and information about the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Participants will hear directly from college students, college representatives and industry professionals about preparing for agricultural careers and preparing - and applying - for college. Students will also meet other high- school students from across the state who have similar interests and they will take part in leadership-development activities. For more information and to register, click here. Registration and payment are due by November 15.

 

The Michigan Community Service Commission, Michigan Nonprofit Association, Volunteer Centers of Michigan, The League Michigan and Michigan Campus Compact, with support from the Connect Michigan Alliance Endowment Fund, Sara Ballard Volunteer Fund, Youth Service America and the Corporation for National and Community Service, are awarding minigrants to Michigan organizations who wish to host volunteer projects as part of the 2013 National Days of Service. Check out the 2013 National Day of Service in Michigan Mini-Grant Calendar and Application Guidelines for all the details.

 

New Kettunen Center director, Chris Gentry notes that he has quickly come to appreciate that Kett Kett Ctr has long been a place for 4Hers to develop skills and knowledge through program specific workshops. Through work at Kett, 4-H volunteer leaders return to their clubs to create new and expanded opportunity for the young people they serve.More than simply learning new skills, the time at Kett provides 4-H leaders a time:  

  • Of renewal and rededication for their 4-H work
  • To refresh and refocus on individual goals and purpose
  • To reinvigorate and motivate themselves again for service to youth

In doing all this, participants have fun, develop new friends and connections and foster the confidence to impact young people back home.

 

Spending a few days away from the helter-skelter schedule of daily routine, with like-minded colleagues, in a comfortable, natural setting provides the harmonious environment to learn, develop and retain valuable program information that will ensure positive hometown programming outcomes.

 

As workshop registrations come around this season, strongly consider joining in! It'll be good for your county, your club, your kids and you! 

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: [email protected]

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.