Editors Notes
Blue Ribbon Youth Enrollment Upgrade Reminder
So far, I have received verification from about half the counties that they have upgraded to the latest version of the Blue Ribbon Youth Enrollment program. I just wanted to send a friendly reminder to everyone else that the new version is available and needs to be installed before any year end processing can be done. If you have not upgraded to version 2.5, the executable file and instructions are available at: http://www.ohio4h.org/blueribbon/downloads.html . If you are using a dial-up connection, please contact me and I will mail you a CD.
The first patch for v2.5 has also been released. It is also available on this webpage. Once you have upgraded your software, download and run this patch to be as current as possible.
For those of you who are unaware, I have also created an email list specifically for news relating to Blue Ribbon. Anyone using Blue Ribbon should be on the list, as well as any educators that want to be informed of dates, upgrades, patches, etc.
Please call me at 614.292.9976 or email merritt.36@osu.edu for questions or concerns regarding Blue Ribbon.
Andy Merritt
Systems Manager
4-H Youth Development
Organizational (4-H Youth Development) Updates
C.W. Lifer Excellence in 4-H Award Nomination Open
The nomination process is open for the C.W. Lifer Excellence in 4-H Award to be given at the 2005 Extension Annual Conference. All county 4-H Extension Educators who have not previously received the recognition are eligible to be nominated. To nominate your colleague, please complete the very brief form found at http://www.ohio4h.org/staff/info_index.html in the right-hand column of the webpage. Completed nomination forms are due to Ryan Schmiesing by September 15, 2005. All Extension Educators nominated will be invited to complete an application that includes highlighting their programmatic efforts in their county. Past recipients of this award include:
1985 Chuck Bell
1986 Scott Kleon
1987 Bob Cripe
1988 Dale Blackledge
1989 Paul ZumFelde
1990 Tom Archer
1991 Cindy Lattner
1992 Carla Hague
1993 Mary Lee Lofland
1994 Jayne Roth
1995 Lucinda Miller
1996 Rebecca Cropper
1997 Susan Rhinehart
1998 Vicki Schwartz
1999 Fred Deel
2000 Judy Villard
2001 Ken Lafontaine
2002 Julie Dalzell
2003 Nikki Eyre
2004 Carolyn Wilson
Nominees must have made a major contribution to superior 4-H programs in Ohio. These programs may be new and innovative, or reflect effort that greatly improves the Ohio 4-H program. Consideration will be made for dynamic and effective achievement that has considerable depth and scope with longer range implication for broader use (beyond the boundaries of one community or county). Again, the nomination form may be found at: http://www.ohio4h.org/staff/info_index.html
Volunteer Background Checks - What's Acceptable? and What's not?
What if someone wants to volunteer for Extension in your county and they have had a BCI&I report run on themselves previously? Will a copy of their previous background check be adequate for OSU Extension's selection policy?
IF the background check has taken place within the last 12 months, it will be allowed for their application to be an Extension volunteer. If the check took place more than 12 months ago, it will not be accepted. The applicant will be required to be fingerprinted again to have a new background check.
ONLY reports from Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation are acceptable. more and more employers are hiring "pre-employment services" to investigate new employees. These reports, while similar to background reports, are not acceptable for Extensions policy.
Questions? Contact Ryan Schmiesing or Vicki Schwartz.
Where are Electronic Webchecks?
Many counties have found the volunteer selection process to be expedited by having applicants use electronic webchecks, rather than ink-and-card method of fingerprinting. Locations that have the electronic process available are posted on the Attorney General's website at:
http://www.webcheck.ag.state.oh.us/webcheckcommunity.htm
Ohio's Inaugural Team Places at National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational
Teresa Stone, Extension Educator, Natural Resources/4-H Youth Development
Four teens from Washington County comprised the inaugural Ohio team to the National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational held in Columbia, Missouri, June 28 - July 1, 2005. The team competed in the smallbore rifle discipline which consisted of three different matches (NRA 3-Position, CMP Sporter and Hunting Sihouette).
Awards for each match were presented to the top ten individuals with first through third places receiving medallions and a picture with the event sponsor. Fourth through tenth places received a ribbon. The top five teams were recognized with first through third places receiving medallions and a picture with the event sponsor. Fourth and fifth place teams stood for recognition.
The Ohio team's best performance was in the NRA three-position match. Pete Deem placed seventh in the nation out of 36 shooters in this 50-yard outdoor event. Deem said he was surprised with his accomplishment. 'The temperature was in the high 90's and I usually shoot indoors at 50 feet," said Deem.
Deem, along with team members Staci Collins, Natasha Hupp and Eric Wesel placed fifth out of ten in the team standings for the three-position match. "We're very proud of our whole team," said Bill Wesel, father of Eric, who accompanied the team to Missouri. "In these weather conditions, they did a fantastic job."
Missouri was the first place overall team in the smallbore rifle discipline. The sweepstakes (combination of all nine shooting disciplines) winner for the Invitational was Texas. Twenty-one states were represented by 332 participants at this sixth annual event in 2005. The Invitational has the largest number of participants of any national 4-H event.
The inaugural team will encourage other 4-H'ers to attend this national 4-H competition through a presentation at the Ohio 4-H Shooting Education Camp, July 31 - August 5, 2005. The 7th Annual National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational will be held in Rapid City, South Dakota, June 25-30, 2006. Information regarding the invitational is posted on the National 4-H Shooting Sports webpage:
http://4-hshootingsports.org
Individual Smallbore Rifle Match Results:
NRA 3-Position Match - 5th Team
Pete Deem - 7th
Staci Collins - 14th
Natasha Hupp - 23rd
Eric Wesel - 27th
CMP Sporter Match - 8th Team
Pete Deem - 17th
Staci Collins - 26th
Natasha Hupp - 27th
Eric Wesel - 34th
Hunting Silhouette Match - 9th Team
Staci Collins - 29th
Natasha Hupp - 32nd
Eric Wesel - 35th
Pete Deem - 36th
Overall Composite Smallbore Rifle Results (combination of three matches) - 8th Team
Pete Deem - 19th
Staci Collins - 23rd
Natasha Hupp - 27th
Eric Wesel - 31st
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News & Notes
Celebration of Youth Auction Item Request
On September 23, 2005 the Ohio 4-H Foundation will be holding their eight annual Celebration of Youth event at the Aladdin Shrine Center in Columbus, Ohio. Again this year, the planning committee is asking each county to consider donating an item for the live or silent auctions to be held during the Celebration of Youth. You could give an item that represents your county, or anything else you choose! Counties have been very generous with their donations in the past, which has made an impact on the success of this event. If your county is interested in donating an item to the Celebration of Youth, please call Karen Henderson at 614.292.6943.
4-H Volunteer Award Forms Now Available
Nomination forms are now available for the Volunteer Awards recognized at the Oho 4-H Volunteer Conference. The Recognition sub-committee has revised the award applications to include a cover sheet for each application, and then a one-page description of what should be included in the nomination of the individual. Submissions do not have to be typed on a specific form which will hopefully make it easier for nominations to be written.
The Recognition sub-committee also made revisions to the criteria of the awards such that all awards, with the exception of the Meritorious Service, can be received more than once, but not more than once in a five-year timeframe.
The Ohio 4-H Hall of Fame nomination form is also available on the state website.
Applications can be found at http://www.ohio4h.org/adult/volunteers/07.html Deadline for submission is December 2, 2005 to Vicki Schwartz.
North Central Region Volunteer Forum
Seats are still available on the bus that will be traveling to the 2005 Regional Forum to be held in South Dakota. Information and reservation forms can be found ont he Ohio 4-H web page, under the Adult tab. The entitled "Promoting the Volunteer Forum in South Dakota" is a news article for counties to include in their newsletters.
National 4-H Camping Institute Call for Proposals
South Dakota, home of Mt. Rushmore, is excited to be the host for the 2006 National 4-H Camping Institute. Plans are underway to make sure all attendees have a Monumental Experience! The National 4-H Camping Institute will be held February 17-21, 2006 at the Decar Canyon Wesleyan Camp in the heart of the beautiful Black Hills. At this time we are looking for workshop proposals from individuals interested in sharing their camping knowledge with the camping enthusiasts attending. Please take the time to visit the South Dakota 4-H Website at http://4h.sdstate.edu and go to the National Camping Institute link to fill out the Call For Proposals and return it to the address on the form. For more information, contact LaDonna McKnight at 605-673-4971 or email at mcknight.ladonna@ces.sdstate.edu.
Call for Papers - Journal of Youth Development ~ Bridging
Research & Practice
The National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) is pleased to announce the creation of an exciting new multidisciplinary applied research and practice on-line journal, Journal of Youth Development ~ Bridging Research and Practice. This journal will be focused on the development of school-aged youth through the transition to adulthood (ages 6-22). The inaugural issue will be published in early November, 2005. With funding support from the National 4-H Leadership Trust, this refereed journal will feature original research, best practices in youth development programming, innovative research and evaluation methods and strategies, and reviews of resources of interest to youth development researchers and practitioners.
The Journal of Youth Development ~ Bridging Research and Practice is currently accepting submissions of papers for publication consideration in any of the following categories:
1. Feature Articles - 2,000 - 3,000 word original research articles.
2. Program Articles - 1,500 word articles that highlight unique, successful, or promising youth development programs or initiatives.
3. Research and Evaluation Strategy Articles - 1,000 word articles that describe innovative methodologies and strategies in the collection and analysis of quantitative or qualitative research and evaluation data.
4. Resource Reviews - 300 word critical reviews of resources and tools that would be helpful to youth development professionals.
Please visit the following link to download the submission guidelines: http://www.nae4ha.org/profdec/joyd/index.html Please contact the editor, Patricia Dawson, with questions at Patricia.dawson@oregonstate.edu.
Tuscarawas County General Livestock & Dairy Judging Contest
When: Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 9:00am (during Tuscarawas County Fair)
Where: Tuscarawas County Fairgrounds, Dover, Ohio
Who: Any and all 2005 4-H and FFA members, clubs, and chapters in Ohio
Deadline to Enter: Saturday, September 24 at 8:30am
For more information, contact Ann Mumaw, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development at the Tuscarawas County Office.
2004 State 4-H Camp Counselors Workshop wins NC Region Excellence in Camping Award
Congratulations to the Planning Team for the February, 2004 State 4-H Camp Counselors Workshop. Their program is being recognized as the NAE4-HA North Central Region Excellence in Camping award winner. This award will be presented in October at the North Central Regional Breakfast during the NAE4-HA Conference in Seattle . Planning Team members included:
Erin Dailey , Jackson County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Nadine Fogt , Fayette County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Graham Cochran, Adventure Central OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Kathy Cox , Extension 4-H Specialist, Youth Development
Barb Demmy, Madison County Volunteer, 4-H Youth Development
Nikki Eyre , Highland County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Kyle Fogt , State 4-H Working with Teens Initiative Team Youth Representative
Ann Golden , Seneca County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Larry Hall , Knox County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
MaryBeth Harp , Crawford County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Alex Henry , Madison County Volunteer, 4-H Youth Development
Stephen Heppe , State 4-H Working with Teens Initiative Team Youth Representative
Greg Homan , Van Wert County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Christy Leeds, Union County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Vicki Oboy , Carroll County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Jayne Roth , Wood County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Susan Russell , Hancock County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Keith Russell , Washington County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Ed Werner , Portage County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Betty Wingerter , Montgomery County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Luke Woods , Former Fairfield County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Brenda Young , Wyandot County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Connie Goble, Pike County OSU Extension Ed., 4-H Youth Development
Professional Development
New Directions for Youth Development Summer Issue Released
The Summer 2005 Issue of "New Directions for Youth Development" is focused on "putting youth at the center of community building." The issue features outstanding articles on a variety of programs. You can read the abstracts for each chapter and purchase .pdf versions of indivdiual articles at the following website: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/97015503
Grants & Resources
Jim Hoorman, Extension Educator, Water Quality & Grants provided the following information for Extension professionals:
2005 KIDS COUNT Data Book Released by Casey Foundation
A very useful publication focusing on the nearly thirteen million children living in poverty in 2003 was recently released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. To browse the KIDS COUNT Data Book on-line, visit the following website: http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/3548/aecf/kidscount
State Farm Good Neighbor Service Learning Grants
With support from the State Farm Companies Foundation, one hundred $1,000.00 grants are available for Youth Service America for teachers, youth, and school-based service-learning coordinators to implement service-learning projects for National Youth Service Day, April 21-23. For more information, including an RFP, visit the following website: http://fconline.fdcenter.org/pnd/3671/statefarm
4-H Cloverbud Corner
Scott Scheer,
Extension Specialist, Preadolescent Education
The 4-H Cloverbud program is designed to promote healthy development of children by advancing life skills. We have our curriculum series that provide ready-to-use activities with life skill objectives given for each curriculum piece. We have the volunteer guidebook that provides direction to our committed volunteer leaders in areas form developmentally-appropriate practice to ideas for planning youth 4-H Cloverbud activities. Another strategy to consider is group games for developing life skills.
Group games are fun, engaging, fun, activity-based, and fun! Have I mentioned fun??? Yes, group games are fun, but as Marianne Tolbert, an expert on play from Temple University points out, "well-designed, active group games are more than just fun, they can help children develop essential life skills that impact their development," (2005, p.72).
Here are some idea games that you may have played, but can be very effective with 4-H Cloverbud Kids:
"Tiger, Tiger, Where's the Tiger" helps with awareness. Children close their eyes while one child pretends to be the "Tiger" and moves around the room, when the 4-H Cloverbud leader points to the pretend "Tiger," she/he growls. The children point in the direction of the sound. They open their eyes to see how well they did in locating the "Tiger."
Playing the group game "Freeze," children move around until the 4-H Cloverbud leader says the word, "Freeze." The children hold their position until the leader says, "Melt." Cloverbud kids learn how to self-regulate their behavior which is necessary for paying attention in school and making friends.
The game, "Balloon Keep Up," helps children to learn how to work together and enhance their physical skills as they keep balloons up in the air while trying to prevent them from touching the ground.
I am sure you and your 4-H Cloverbud volunteers have many other group game ideas.
A few things to keep in mind for 4-H volunteers when selecting/using group games:
(1) make sure the game allows children to play at their own level;
(2) should be non-competitive for a cooperative-learning environment; and
(3) children should interact with each other as they learn and engage together.
So, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
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