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Staff News & Notes - Week of 08.03.09
Hi,
Junior fair judges: One of the biggest concerns to those of us who have been involved with contributing to the completion of competitive events that involve 4-H youth. Even if you have not had to contact or manage judges during competitions, you may have been a judge, or suffered the brunt of and upset competitor because of the actions of a judge. (By upset competitor – I really mean a parent of a competitor.)
I think there are three major qualifications of a good judge: (1) They are experts in the discipline for the competitive event which they judge; (2) They relate well to youth, one-on-one, i.e. they make the event enjoyable and educational as well; and (3) They can AND do explain the reasons for their placing over the public address system for the audience to understand and learn. If I had to put a priority on these three qualifications, it would be that the second is the most important, then the third, and finally the first. I always liked to see a judge in action before I invited them to one of our events, and in lieu of that, have a solid recommendation from another Extension Professional.
I never quite understood why people offer their services as a judge. Most of the time the event is in the heat of the summer, and in an uncomfortable setting. The judge has taken time off from their day jobs, and the pay for most does not usually compensate for their expertise, time and travel. For some of our project areas, there are only a limited number of people available who can judge. But I am thankful for these quasi-volunteers. Competitions could not happen without their availability.
But competition implies winners, AND losers. No matter what judges do, when they make one youth happy and proud as the winner of a class or event, at the very same time, they are making other youth disappointed. Rules help guide the judges. Anyone who has had the experience to make a set of rules for a competitive event will tell you that it is hard to anticipate every possible situation to which every rule will apply. Likewise, sometimes judges do not follow the rules, or they interpret the rules differently than perhaps originally intended. Judges are human too, and they make mistakes. But judges have been engaged to be the final say on matters related to the competition, and even though we think they might not be right, they are official.
Finally, the most frequent complaint leveled against judges is that they did not place a class the way the parent, or some other bystander, may have placed it. People need to be reminded that almost all of the “judging” that is done in our competitive events depends on the “subjective” evaluation by the judge. We depend on their expert judgment.
That is why we call them “Judges”.
Tom
2009 Ohio State Fair News
Reminder
Food and Nutrition Practice Activities Website
Because the State Fair Food and Nutrition practice activities website was built to work with the EventHandler software, which is no longer available for our use, the interactive functionality of the webpage does not work. Consequently, it is no longer available and will not be replaced at this time. Instead, please encourage your state fair foods and nutrition participants to prepare by focusing on the information in their project books. Should you have any questions or concerns, please let either of us know.
Please know that the website provided no information that participants needed to know to have a good experience at state fair. Rather, it was designed as a state fair preparation activity to give 4-Hers an idea of the kinds of questions and activities they would encounter. If you have questions, contact Kirk Bloir, bloir.1@osu.edu
A call for proposals
North Central Region-Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education YOUTH and YOUTH EDUCATOR GRANTS AVAILABLE
There are two different grants programs: one for educators and another for which youth can apply for directly. This is a new program being sponsored by the North Central Region USDA SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) office.
You can find the Call for Proposals on the NCR-SARE website at:http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/cfp.htm
NCR-SARE Youth & Youth Educator Grants are intended to provide opportunities for youth in the North Central Region of the U.S. to learn more about Sustainable Agriculture. The North Central Region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Applications are due at the NCR-SARE Office in Lincoln, NE by 4:30 pm (CDT), Tuesday, September 15, 2009. There is $34,000 available for this program. Projects must be finished and final reports submitted by December 31, 2010.
There are two options:
1. YOUTH GRANTS - Ages 8 - 18 NCR- SARE North Central Region
Grants for on-farm research, demonstration, or education projects by youth ages 8-18. Research and demonstration projects are for hands-on efforts to explore sustainable agriculture issues and practices. Education projects can involve teaching others about sustainable agriculture or attending a sustainable agriculture conference, workshop, or camp. $400 maximum.
2. YOUTH EDUCATOR GRANTS - NCR- SARE North Central Region
Grants for educators to provide programming on sustainable agriculture for youth. $2,000 maximum.
For more information, contact Mike Hogan
(hogan.1) or Alan Sundermeier (sundermeier.5).
2009 Excellence in 4-H Award Nomination, Due October 5, 2009
Once again it is time to make nominations for the Excellence in 4-H Award. This award honors superior accomplishments by Extension Educator in developing dynamic, innovative, broad-based 4-H educational programs. The award, funded through the Charles W. Lifer Excellence in 4-H Fund is dedicated to the recognition of outstanding professionals who serve as examples in setting standards of excellence in ten major areas of the County 4-H program.
A peer may nominate any Ohio State University Extension Educator providing leadership to 4-H programs. Nomination forms are due to Vicki J. Schwartz, Associate State Leader, 4-H Youth Development by October 5, 2009. schwartz.4@osu.edu Please nominate one or more individuals, whom you think are deserving of this recognition.
CLICK HERE FOR 2009 Nomination form.
Tween Topics: REGISTRATION INFORMATION
What is a tween? What are Key issues for parents and educators working with tweens? At the upcoming in-service, “Tween Topics: Learn to Communicate About Key Issues with youth moving from childhood to adolescence”, we will be discussing critical areas in this age group such as:
Physical, Cognitive and Social Development Tweens Use of Technology
Tweens Use of Technology
Nutritional Health for Tweens
Financial Education for Tweens
How the community of parents and/or mentors shape future goals for youth.
This in-service is targeted to those who work with parents of tweens and for those who work directly with tweens. We would like to open this up to Extension Professionals and community partners, as well as key 4-H volunteers. The price for the conference is $15 for Extension Professionals and $20 for community partners. If you have volunteers that would like to attend please contact us for the price. We understand that this is a hard time financially for many counties and we have worked hard to keep the price of the in-service, which includes lunch, to a minimum. However, if the cost of the conference is prohibitive please contact us and we will try to work with you.
Apply online at http://surveys.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/cfaes/index.php?sid=72355&lang=en
Registration is now open and will be open until September 18, 2009. Please contact:
Kara Newby, knewby@ehe.osu.edu
Phone: (614) 688-0855
Fax: (614) 292-4365
MiTTNet Launch Successful!!!
The Managing in Tough Times resource directory, MiTTNet, officially launched July 30, 2009. The directory can be accessed at: http://mittnet.extension.org. It is fully searchable and nearly 900 resources can be found in individual and family, farm and ranch, community, and youth topic areas. A national web conference to announce MiTTNet, to demonstrate the site and highlight its contents was held on July 30. For those who could not attend, the web conference can be viewed at: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p78987985/
To learn more about Managing in Tough Times contact Lyla Houglum at lyla.houglum@oregonstate.edu, Jane Schuchardt at jschuchardt@csrees.usda.gov, or Tom Coon, ECOP Programs Sub-Committee and Michigan State University Extension Director, coontg@msu.edu.
Make A Difference Day Ohio
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Please share Make a Difference Day Ohio in your next news letter.
Organize a project or volunteer with a project already organized within you community
Check out promotional resources and further information at:
http://www.serveohio.org/MDDO_MAIN.aspx)
2009 North Central Region 4-H Volunteer Forum
Plan to attend the 2009 North Central Region Volunteer Forum (NCRVF) in Lincoln, Nebraska October 1-4, 2009! The Nebraska NCRVF Planning committee has four days full of educational session, tours, speakers, and much more. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to sharpen your volunteer skills and to talk with 4-H volunteers from 12 other states. A lot of valuable information can be learned at this event to utilize in your 4-H program!
To find out more information or to register,CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE .
Registration is due by August 15th for the early bird rate!
4-H Professionals, please share this with your volunteers and in your county newsletters.
Excellence in Extension Award
Nominations will be open through September 20.
This annual award, sponsored by Epsilon Sigma Phi and OSU Extension, recognizes a superior Extension educator with a cash award of $1,000, plus the addition of $1,000 to the base salary. Nominations can be submitted by faculty, staff, clientele, or emeriti. Any Extension employee who is a current member of Epsilon Sigma Phi is eligible for this award. The award can be received one time only.
To nominate someone, complete a nomination form, found at http://ohioesp.osu.edu/forms/forms.htm Click on Excellence in Extension Award. The nomination form will ask for examples of excellence in teaching, research, and service. You will also need to include a nomination letter.
Please take the time to nominate an outstanding colleague for this award. Remember, those who are not nominated have no chance of being recognized for what they have achieved.
Please submit nominations by September 20 to:
Vicki J. Schwartz
ESP Excellence in Extension Chair
c/o South Central Region
16714 S.R. 215
Caldwell, OH 43724
Fax: 740-732-5992
Office phone: 614-292-6942
Cell Phone: 740-584-2510
4-H Eligibility: Use the Family Guide Statement To Reduce Confusion
Several questions this summer have centered on the age eligibility of youth for 4-H. To reduce confusion, it’s recommended that all counties report the age requirements as it is shared in the Family Guide ,Page 3, ” 4-H Membership Information”. That way all 88 counties can tell that piece of our story in the very same manner. The age requirements that appear in the Family Guide are included below. Thanks for helping us reduce the 4-H age confusion in Ohio!
“Eligibility for 4-H membership begins when a child is age 5 and is enrolled in kindergarten as of January 1 of the current year (Cloverbuds). Membership to the 4-H club program begins when a child is at least age 8 and enrolled in 3rd grade as of January 1 of the current year. Ohio 4-H membership ends December 31 of the year in which an individual attains the age of 19. Membership begins when an eligible individual is enrolled in a club or group that is under the direction of a trained adult and within the scope of Ohio State University Extension.”
Federal Work Study Employment Opportunity
The State 4-H Office has two federal work study student assistant positions open beginning Fall Quarter 2009. If you know a dependable student who will be on main campus and may be Federal Work Study eligible, please have them send their resume to Lisa Jinks, jinks.2@cfaes.osu.edu 614-292-6996.
