Focus on Youth
News for OCES staff working with youth.
September, 2009
4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.
Table of Contents
Dear Extension Family,
Wow, what an unusual August this has been with green grass and cool
days! This would have been a good year for a fall garden! I
hope it makes for more pleasant county fairs for those of you who are
enjoying those events at this time of year. We are trusting that
it will help keep the corn growing at the Centennial Corn Maze too! We
hope that many of our 4-H families and clubs will want to take a Centennial
Road trip on Historic Route 66 to see the maze this fall. A special
4-H fun day will take place on October 10.
We are also excited about the number of tickets that have already been
sold for the Green Tie Gala. At this rate, it looks like it may
be completely sold out by early September! Several counties are
buying tables and plan to honor leaders of the year, hall of fame winners
and others as their special guests. It promises to be a great evening!
I have recently organized a new 4-H Advisory Committee to provide grassroots
feedback about issues related to the 4-H program. Members of the
committee will be meeting for the first time on September 19. If
you have ideas, concerns or wishes that you would like to share please
feel free to contact me or one of the committee members.
The members are:
Kristy Spalding , OAE4-HA President; Janna Kelley, OAE4-HA Public Relations
Committee; Tommie James, OEAFCS Public Affairs Committee; Danny Cook,
OAEAA 4-H Youth Committee Rep.; Debbie Wilson, President of 4-H Volunteer
Leaders Assn.; Rodd Moesel , President of 4-H Foundation; Samuel Durbin,
President of 4-H Leadership Council; Will Chaney, President of Collegiate
4-H; Ryan Dunkerson, Leadership State Project Winner; Brian Highfill,
Citizenship State Project Winner; and Qualla Parman, National Conference
Delegate.
As always, thank you for all you do to “Make the Best Better.”
Charles Cox
Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development
“Capture the Colorful Cosmos” Astrophotography Project
Students, teachers, individuals and families can “Capture the Colorful
Cosmos” this summer. From July through September, participants
can use MicroObservatory, an online network of robotic telescopes controlled
over the Internet.
NASA and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics invite the community
to share views of the universe in this exciting astrophotography project.
The images taken using online robotic telescopes will be featured on
the NASA and International Year of Astronomy Web sites.
Anyone with an e-mail address can use the MicroObservatory robotic telescopes
to request electronic images of astronomical objects. Participants 13
or younger will need a parent or guardian to enter their photos for them.
Photos can be taken all summer long. Images must be submitted by Sept.
30, 2009, to participate in the project.
Select photos from the project will be featured on the NASA and International
Year of Astronomy Web sites beginning on Labor Day.
For more information, visit http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/seuforum/iyacosmos/individual.htm.
Enrollment Trends
Recently I was asked if enrollment in 4-H down much, steady or up. The questioner was surprised when I shared that it is actually up as they had the perception that it is down. While this may be the perception of some, data provide by county staff does not support this statement. In fact, total 4-H participation is the greatest it has been in the past five years. It was greater than the current year back in 2003. The greatest growth appears to be taking place in the Southwest District where there has also been a notable increase in the number of 4-H clubs over the past three years. This growth supports the idea that more clubs with certified volunteers produces more club members. While the upfront investment of time is greater when recruiting and training volunteers it pays off in membership and makes life easier for Extension Educators in the long run. The following summaries and comparisons are provided simply as a point of reference is should not be used to infer performance of staff.
Total 4-H Participation from 2003-2008 without duplications eliminated*
|
Male |
Female |
Total |
# Units |
2008) |
95699 |
106251 |
(2)201950 |
5881 |
2007) |
81746 |
89861 |
171607 |
4700 |
2006) |
78722 |
88062 |
166784 |
4575 |
2005) |
86659 |
95917 |
182576 |
4846 |
2004) |
94660 |
100697 |
195357 |
5895 |
2003) |
99738 |
107904 |
207642 |
6174 |
Total Participation in 4-H over the past three years with duplications eliminated
|
Male |
Female |
Total |
2008) |
62131 |
78907 |
141038 |
2007) |
61066 |
66297 |
127363 |
2006) |
63731 |
70410 |
134141 |
Total Participation in CLUBS in the past three years with duplications eliminated
|
Male |
Female |
Total |
Units |
2008) |
14302 |
17532 |
31834 |
984 |
2007) |
14121 |
17250 |
31371 |
945 |
2006) |
13611 |
17299 |
30910 |
988 |
Total Participation in CLUBS in the past three years without duplications eliminated*
|
Male |
Female |
Total |
Units |
2008) NE |
4392 |
5236 |
9628 |
258 |
2007) NE |
4287 |
5189 |
9476 |
235 |
2006) NE |
4189 |
5360 |
9549 |
303 |
|
|
|
|
|
2008) SE |
3501 |
4589 |
8090 |
250 |
2007) SE |
3666 |
4994 |
8660 |
259 |
2006) SE |
3889 |
5322 |
9211 |
266 |
|
|
|
|
|
2008) NW |
2109 |
2389 |
4498 |
141 |
2007) NW |
2188 |
2283 |
4471 |
148 |
2006) NW |
2027 |
2436 |
4463 |
170 |
|
|
|
|
|
2008) SW |
4300 |
5318 |
9618 |
335 |
2007) SW |
3980 |
4784 |
8764 |
303 |
2006) SW |
3506 |
4181 |
7687 |
249 |
Teen Enrollment for years 2003 – 2008
Grade in School |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2005 |
2004 |
2003 |
9th Grade: |
5561 |
5078 |
4930 |
5182 |
4725 |
4289 |
10th Grade: |
3908 |
4146 |
4327 |
4299 |
3896 |
3415 |
11th Grade: |
4206 |
3639 |
3523 |
3735 |
2970 |
2714 |
12th Grade: |
3468 |
2663 |
2476 |
2259 |
2168 |
2359 |
Post High School: |
1140 |
984 |
1628 |
915 |
1111 |
1963 |
Total Youth 9th Grade and Above |
13917 |
16510 |
16884 |
16390 |
14870 |
14740 |
Not in School: |
2868 |
1115 |
2210 |
3530 |
1964 |
1137 |
* When duplications are NOT eliminated it could report youth who participated in a club, special interest group, camping program, and/or school enrichment. All data reported is based upon enrollment data provided by county staff to their District Office via the ES-237.
I trust that you will find this data informative.
Art and Science: Creating the Perfect Recipe for Volunteer Success
By Melanie Lockwood Herman
As an avid fan of the Food Network, I love watching experienced chefs
blend ingredients in a seemingly nonchalant manner. A pinch of this,
a handful of that, and always—salt to taste. And of course everything
looks mouth-watering at the end of the show. But when the featured
chef is demonstrating how to bake a cake or other pastry item, I’ve
noticed how they carefully measure and sometimes even weigh the ingredients
before adding them to the mixing bowl. I’ve heard an explanation
of one distinction between “cooking” and “baking” described
as the difference between art and science. When I think about the world
of volunteer management, and the myriad risks that arise when dedicated
volunteers are recruited and deployed, it occurs to me that both art
and science are required.
An Artful Look at Volunteer Risk Management
Most aspects of volunteer risk management depend on personal taste and
appetite—including the culture and circumstances of your nonprofit.
If your volunteers are children in a service-learning program then you
will address matters of safety in a much different way than you would
with adult volunteers who are using power tools to help with a renovation
project. There are a number of ingredients in risk management that are
necessary, but require customization based on your circumstances. We
describe two of these ingredients below ...
To read the rest of the article go to http://nonprofitrisk.org/library/enews/enews.shtml and click on August 12, 2009 issue.
National Youth Science Day: Biofuels are a blast
On October 7, 2009, 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) will give young people nationwide the opportunity to join leading scientists in experimenting with biofuels to discover which ones will lead us to a sustainable future. Be part of this opportunity to explore, learn - and have a blast - with the Biofuel Blast National Science Experiment.
NYSD is an excellent opportunity for you to engage your 4-H youth and other youth in science and technology. NYSD is a chance for you seek publicity for your 4-H program through all your local media outlets. Last year NYSD was featured nationally through several outlets.
To help with this program I can purchase a Biofuel Blast kit for every
county planning a NYSD event. If you are interested in this opportunity
send me your NYSD plan and we will purchase a Biofuel Blast Kit for your
county. We will need your order by September 4, 2009 this will give us
just enough time to receive and distribute the Biofuel kits.
Each kit provides enough experiment material for five youth to work independently,
or up to 15 youth working in small groups, and includes an experiment
facilitator’s
guide and five youth guides, individual packets of yeast, coupons for
free bottles of corn syrup, funnels and 4-H branded balloons.
For more information on the NYSD go to: https://www.4-h.org/NYSD or contact me.
Centennial Clover Classic Golf Tournament
This year’s golf tournament will be held on Monday, October 12 at the Winter Creek Country Club in Blanchard. We have reduced the fee for teams and individuals to play, in hopes that more will be able to participate. For more details and registration information, contact the 4-H Foundation at 405-744-5390 or robin.morris@okstate.edu
P Bar Farms – 4-H Day at the Corn Maze – Oct. 10
Find yourself in 4-H at the P Bar Farms 4-H Centennial Corn Maze in
Hydro, Okla.! Ticket orders are now being filled for the event. T-shirts
are available, too.
Tickets:
Morning Session (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) - $12
Includes lunch and a variety of activities for everyone!
Afternoon Session (4 p.m.-11 p.m.) - $20
Includes a chuckwagon dinner, band performance, haunted maze (after dark) and other activities!
All Day Pass - $30
Includes both meals and all activities
Click here for the order
form
Deadline to register is Oct. 1!
The maze will open in mid September for school groups and individuals to visit. We are excited to be able to promote 4-H through this unique tool.
Hazing in 4-H
When most people think of hazing they think of wild and crazy things that sometimes have given living groups a bad name. But, did you know that it goes well beyond forcing someone to drink too much or forcing them to perform some humiliating act. Hazing is a ritualistic test and a task involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a gang, club, military organization or other group. The definition can refer to either physical (sometimes violent) or mental (possibly degrading) practices. All forms of hazing are illegal in Oklahoma and as such are grounds for a member, volunteer or staff member to be removed from the program for practicing or permitting this kind of activity. Traditions that maybe meant for fun may be a form or humiliation to others and must not be part of installations or conditions of membership.
Two New Centennial Resources
In response to a request for a coloring page to use at a county
fair we have developed two simple Centennial Resources that you are welcome
to use in your county. The documents were created as Word Documents
so they can be modified and used for local promotion. The files are
attached. Color Page
One, Color Page Two
This year’s National 4-H Week Theme is “Celebrate 4-H.” The 2009 National 4-H Week kit will be available on the 4-H Brand Network Web site at the end of August. In addition, an Oklahoma-themed 4-H kit is being developed. Look for kits in September on the Oklahoma 4-H Web site – http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu.
Green Tie Gala Ticket Order Forms Available
Ticket orders for the 4-H Centennial Green Tie Gala are now available by clicking here, on the Oklahoma 4-H Web site at http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu, or by e-mailing Jessica Stewart. The gala takes place on Friday, Nov. 6. Tickets are $125 for adults and $100 for youth. Ticket orders will be filled in the order they are received. Please get your ticket orders in early to guarantee your seat or table! Call Jessica at 405-744-7960 for more information about the gala.