Focus on Youth

News for OCES staff working with youth.

oklahoma4h.okstate.edu

November, 2009

4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.

Table of Contents

• Kansas City 4-H Global Conference

• Denver Western Roundup

• Kingfisher Youth Rabbit/Cavy Extravaganza

• Be a CWF Program Assistant

• Application for Trip Chaperone

• NASA Invites Young People to Take Virtual Space Station Spacewalks

• The Science Museum (Omniplex) Camp-In Dates

• Everyone Ready – Professional Development

• Volunteer Core Competencies – Unit 2 – 1st of 2 year cycle

• Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer Awards

• 2010 Parent-Volunteer Conference

• Parent-Volunteer Conference - Call for Workshop Proposals

• More Americans Working Together in Communities

• Holiday Mail for Military Families

• 4-H Basketball Game Day Dates Set

Clover Corner News

Charles Cox
Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development

Kansas City 4-H Global Conference

Registration forms and information for the Kansas City conference can be found on the 4-H website at:

http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/events/kansascity.htm

The upcoming conference will be held March 17-20, 2010, at the Kansas City Airport Hilton, Kansas City, Missouri. Registration forms and payment will be due to the state 4-H office by December 11, 2010.  If you have questions, please contact Tracy or Judy  in the State 4-H office.

Tracy Beck

Denver Western Roundup

Registration information for the 2010 Denver Western Roundup conference can be found on the 4-H webpage at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/events/denver.htm

The 2010 conference is January 6-10.  The tentative schedule is posted for your information. Registration materials and payment are due in the State 4-H Office by November 4, 2009.  If you have questions or need additional information, please let me know.

Tracy Beck

Be a CWF Program Assistant

National 4-H Council is looking for qualified youth to apply to be program assistants at the upcoming CWF session next summer.   Program assistants get paid and live on the campus of the National 4-H Youth Conference Center while spending some quality time in our nation's capital.  They become licensed Washington, DC, tour guides and facilitate the program's educational workshops. If you have youth who are interested and would make good program assistants, I encourage you to forward them the following link  http://www.citizenshipwashingtonfocus.org/programassistant.aspx.  The deadline is January 18, 2010.

Tracy Beck

Application for Trip Chaperone

Attached is the form to be completed by educators and/or volunteers who are interested in chaperoning an upcoming 4-H out-of-state trip. All applications must be sent through both the county and the district offices.

Tracy Beck

NASA Invites Young People to Take Virtual Space Station Spacewalks

Imagine the thrill of floating out of the International Space Station and into the emptiness of space and what it would be like to work on the orbiting science laboratory. NASA has developed a new video game, Station Spacewalk, to give young people an "out of this world" virtual opportunity to experience the thrill of working on a mission to the International Space Station from their computers.
 
This new video game is based on actual work astronauts performed during the course of several NASA missions. The game is part of NASA's broader educational outreach effort to engage and inspire students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
 
"It's all about getting the next generation excited about space exploration," said Chris Kemp, chief information officer at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. "Players, or 'astronauts,' can virtually navigate their way through mission critical tasks. This game provides players a sense of the magnitude of complexity and thrill associated with NASA missions."
 
As an astronaut, players visualize a detailed virtual mock-up of the International Space Station that was created for NASA's space station program. Players participate in four critical spacewalks that provide power to the station to keep it operating at full capacity. Players must complete their tasks quickly and carefully, before the air supply runs out.
 
Players begin by managing their way out of the airlock. The first task is to install the S6 truss segment, the long "backbone" of the station that supports the solar arrays. The player can open the S6 solar arrays, an essential task because they provide photovoltaic energy for the space station. These tasks are based on the shuttle mission to the space station that delivered the segment and deployed the solar arrays.
 
Players then can use a robotic arm to repair a tear in a solar array, a task NASA astronauts performed during another shuttle mission. When the work is done, players must carefully collect tools that are floating in space.
 
To take a virtual spacewalk in the Station Spacewalk game, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/3d_resources/station_spacewalk_game.html
 
For more information about NASA's education programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/education
 
For more information about the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
 
Information about the STS-119 mission, which deployed the station's S6 solar arrays, is available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts119
 
Information about the STS-120 mission, which included repairs to a damaged solar array, is available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts120

Jeff Sallee

The Science Museum (Omniplex) Camp-In Dates

Feb. 5-6. 2010
Feb. 12-13, 2010

Last year we camped over 650 4-H members and parents between the two weekends. These are terrific science and technology educational programs. I will send out more details, costs, themes, etc as they become finalized.

Jeff Sallee

Everyone Ready – Professional Development

Everyone Ready, an online professional development program on volunteerism, was recently launched for all Extension staff.  This program is made possible through a grant from the Monsanto Company to National 4-H Council. 

Any extension program area/county staff working with volunteers may receive one in-service credit for completing four modules.  The 2010 In-service catalogue will provide Oklahoma staff a means of planning in-services in accord with their Plan of Work.

To register go to www.4-h.org/volunteerism and get a user name and id.  You will receive an email confirming your registration.  Use that information to enter the site and the Extension Everyone Ready page.  From there you will see the Everyone Ready page with the current month’s topic.

Here’s why Everyone Ready is perfect for your learning needs: 

• There will be a 36-topic cycle (attached), with a new topic introduced on the third Monday of each month. Months alternate between an online seminar and a self-instruction guide. You will also find many other resources on the Volunteerism for the Next Generation web page including the Volunteerism Rubric, Self-Assessment, and Personal Professional Plan as well as the Volunteerism for the Next Generation Fact Sheets on the Extension Everyone Ready page.
• Topics will be archived and are accessible at any time.  In addition, staff have access to e-Volunteerism – the online journal of volunteerism and the Energize Inc. online bookstore. 
• There will be other resources on the Volunteerism for the Next Generation web page including the Volunteerism Rubric, Self-Assessment, and Personal Professional Plan as well as the Volunteerism for the Next Generation Fact Sheets (attached).

We’re very pleased that, to date, 720 people have registered on this site!  We hope you will join us to regardless of your volunteer development experience, too.  You will also find many other resources on the Volunteerism for the Next Generation web page including the Volunteerism Rubric, Self-Assessment, and Personal Professional Plan as well as the Volunteerism for the Next Generation Fact Sheets on the Extension Everyone Ready page.

If you have questions please contact Sheri Seibold, Extension Everyone Ready Point of Contact at sseibold@illinois.edu or 217.333.9290.

Karla Knoepfli

Volunteer Core Competencies – Unit 2 – 1st of 2 year cycle

In 2010 and 2011 Oklahoma cycles back to focusing on the use and evaluation of Unit 2 “Getting the Most Out of the 4-H Experience” in the Oklahoma 4-H Volunteer Core Competencies curriculum.

Please keep in mind all materials contained within Units 1-3 are to be blended with subject matter determined by the needs and interest of county 4-H parents and volunteers.  The VMS notebook, page 82 contains a sample survey for soliciting volunteer input on training needs.

Healthy attendance and an enthusiasm for Parent-Volunteer Continuing Education will hinge on providing our volunteers with subject matter/project information “they” identify as a need or interest.  Core materials are then blended in with that presentation of “subject matter.”  Think of it like adding the essential vitamins and minerals to a tasty dessert.  We can’t wait for dessert, yet benefit from the added vitamins and minerals.

Karla Knoepfli

Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer Awards

Each county may submit one nominee for each of the two awards:  Volunteer of the Year (less than 10 years of experience) and Lifetime Volunteer Awards (an accumulation of 10 or more years of experience).  County’s nominee(s) will be recognized at the state awards luncheon on July 17, 2010 as part of the State Parent-Volunteer Development conference.

The State Volunteer Board would like to have every county present and honoring a volunteer.

The application form and guidelines for 2010 District and State volunteer awards are attached and available at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/awards/recogn.htm.

Nominations submitted to the District 4-H Office must be received electronically – nomination includes volunteer’s vita, 3 letters of recommendations and an electronic photograph, no later than 5:00 PM on or before April 15, 2010.

The selection committee asked that the following be shared with County Educators – please do not complete the vita for the volunteer, it is obvious when it is and is not the work of the individual.  The information on the Vita needs to be thoughts, philosophy and words of the volunteer.  For those counties nominating a modest or humble volunteer who will not “toot their own horn,” it is suggested that you work one-on-one with the individual to record answers for each question on the vita.

Karla Knoepfli

2010 Parent-Volunteer Conference

"Set Sail with 4-H…Charting Our Future” is the theme of the 2010 State Parent-Volunteer Conference.  The conference is schedule for July 17, in Stillwater.  The conference objectives are:

1. Enlighten parents and volunteers to the diverse 4-H experiences and opportunities which develop capable youth.
2. Encourage parents and volunteers to establish and nurture a support network with fellow volunteers, county, district and state extension staff, district officers, state ambassadors and state council members.
3. Education through information literacy develops capable and confident project leaders, committee members, club leaders, parents, leadership teams, as well as club and county programs.
4. Enjoying our opportunities to work with youth while learning and growing as a 4-H volunteer.

Debbie Wilson, State Volunteer Board President

Parent-Volunteer Conference - Call for Workshop Proposals

The State 4-H Volunteer Board extends an invitation to county educators, Para-professionals and volunteers to present a workshop July 17 2010 in Stillwater.  The proposal form is attached to this Focus on Youth or may be accessed on line at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/volun/eduopp.htm.  The volunteer board encourages staff and volunteers to submit workshop proposals on or before December 18, 2009.

There will be four tracks of workshops each with a different focus:

• Track 1 - “Enlightening” 4-H Parents and Volunteers – Diverse 4-H experiences and opportunities develop capable youth.
• Track 2 - “Encouraging” 4-H Parents and Volunteers – Establish and nurture support networks with fellow volunteers, county, district and state extension staff, district officers, state ambassadors and state council members.
• Track 3 – “Educating” 4-H Parents and Volunteers – Information Literacy develops project leaders, committee members, club leaders, parents, leadership teams, as well as club and county programs.
• Track 4 – “Enjoying” being a 4-H Parent and Volunteer – Hands on workshops, better known as Fun Shops in the areas of recreation, educational crafts, food science, model rockets, etc.

State Volunteer Board

More Americans Working Together in Communities

New report shows more Americans working with their neighbors to solve community problems and attending public meetings in 2008 than in 2007. Volunteering with nonprofit organizations held steady during same time.

To learn more about Oklahoma’s volunteer rate go to http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/.  his site has some excellent resource that may be of some benefit to PAC meetings and Extensions focus on volunteerism.

Karla Knoepfli

Holiday Mail for Military Families

As many of you consider involvement with writing Holiday cards to service members, make sure you thoroughly evaluate the sponsoring organization's mission.  Here is an opportunity from the October JFSAP eMagazine:

The American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes
By: Debbie Vanderbeek
Senior Associate, Policy and Program Development, ARC

The American Red Cross (ARC), with the support of Pitney Bowes, is pleased to once again sponsor the Holiday Mail for Heroes. Our goal is to let the military, their families, and veterans know that America cares. People can send their cards to the American Red Cross special mailbox from November 2, 2009 through December 7, 2009. We must strictly adhere to this date to ensure that there is time to screen, sort, and distribute the cards. Please visit our website for the address (it will be posted on November 2, 2009) and additional information, including guidance for making and sending cards.

If you know of a group of military members, family members, or veterans who would like to receive cards, or if you have questions, please email the ARC Holiday Mail for Heroes point of contact.

Jeff Sallee

4-H Basketball Game Day Dates Set

The Game 4-H Days (evening) with the Cowboys will on December 29 and with the Cowgirls on January 9 (a Saturday afternoon). More details about these events will be available soon on the website.

Charles Cox