A Message from the Director

Dear 4-H Colleagues,

It seems premature to start talking about the beginning of a new 4-H year while some programs are still in the midst to their county fair.  Nonetheless, we launch into the 2019-2020 program year in a month.  Our 4-H Online enrollment is rolling over in mid-September, so please remember to get your group enrollments into the system.

This is also a great time of year to start recruiting volunteers for your 4-H program.  The Montana 4-H Center has posted a variety of Volunteer Recruitment tools on the volunteer page of Montana4h.org.  You can assess our community needs, use the promotional materials, and even have your ambassador record radio PSAs from the scripts provided.  Articles for members or leaders to use as recruitment tools are included in this newsletter.  Those currently in 4-H are often your most passionate recruiters.

In closing, I want to thank the dozens of clubs and counties having turned in the Citizenship Survey for both 3rd-6th Grade and 7th-12th Grade.  We are working on analyzing the data and will announcement those impacts within a few weeks.  We will launch the Leadership Survey soon afterward.  Also, don’t forget to use 4-H impact statements in your Activity Insight reporting this winter. 

I look forward to what this 4-H year has to offer.

Sincerely,

Dr. Todd Kesner
Director, Montana 4-H Center for Youth Development

In This Issue

Member/Volunteer Resources

4-H Impact Surveys 
National 4-H Week
Recruitment

International Programs & Citizenship

Outbound Program information
Citizenship Webinars

Statewide Events

Ambassador & Teen Leader Training


Foundation Updates

Annual Montana 4-H Gala & 50Th Anniversary Celebration

Upcoming Dates

September 20 / Montana 4-H Foundation Gala

October 6-12 / National 4-H week

October 18-20 / Ambassador & Teen Leader Fall Training. State Registration Dealine October 8. 

November 15 / Outbound program applications due (Youth delegates and Chaperones)

January 28-30 / 4-H Agent Update 

Member/Volunteer Resources

National 4-H Week

national 4-H week logo in bright green with date October 6-12, 2019Join over 6 million young people, 500 000 volunteers and 3 500 4-H professionals to celebrate America’s largest youth organization during National 4-H Week!The theme of this year’s National 4-H Week, which takes place from October 6 – 12, is Inspire Kids to Do 

This theme highlights how 4-H encourages kids to take part in hands-on learning experiences in areas such as health, science, agriculture and civic engagement. The positive environment provided by 4-H mentors ensures that kids in every county and parish in the country  ̶  from urban neighborhoods to suburban schoolyards to rural farming communities  ̶  are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles and are empowered with the skills to lead in life and career.  

National 4-H Week provides members, volunteers, and supporters the opportunity to showcase their 4-H pride. In addition to nationwide events such as National Youth Science Day, [insert county] 4-H has some special activities planned, including [insert count specific National 4-H Week event]. And don't forget to wear your 4-H green and clover on Tuesday, October, 8!

Visit www.motnana4h.org and check the Montana 4-H Facebook page to find out more.

County Agents and Support Staff:  Please watch for an email on September 4 regarding the National 4-H Week toolkit and campaign specifics.  For questions, please contact [email protected].

4-H Volunteers and Members Make the Best Recruiters

Volunteer recruitment banner. Image of a female with a young boy and a steer.

As a current 4-H volunteer or member, you may not yet recognize the influence you have on your community.  When it comes to recruiting new adults and youth into 4-H, however, there are no better spokespersons than you.  Who is better versed on the impact the 4-H program has had on you?  You can speak from experience, express how you’ve grown, and communicate with passion.

Volunteers make 4-H possible.  If there is a demand for a project, but not a volunteer, don’t be afraid to ask someone you know.  The most successful recruit technique is a personal invitation whether the potential volunteer has previous 4-H experience.  Adults who do not have an agricultural background often assume they have little to offer the 4-H program as a volunteer.  While agricultural programs are a 4-H tradition, 4-H youth also perform better in science, engineering, technology, and applied math subjects and are more interested in pursuing science careers than non-4-H youth.  In fact, 4-H offers over 200 projects ranging from photography to rocketry and from foods and nutrition to robotics.  Outdoor related projects include camping, hiking, sport fishing, shooting sports, and wildlife conservation.

When it comes to volunteerism, the 4-H program has the flexibility to adapt to your schedule.  Project volunteers can lead an activity from once a week for a series of weeks to once a month for a year and everything in between.  Club leaders usually hold meetings once per month and assist youth with organizational, communication, service, and teambuilding skills.  All it takes is the willingness of an adult to share their time and talents with young people as a mentor and positive influence.  A relationship with a caring adult is one of the essential elements of the 4-H program and the rewards are endless.

Members of 4-H can find success recruiting both volunteers and new members.  Any adult asked by a young person to volunteer has a hard time turning them down.  Recruiting new members is usually even more successful.  Youth like to try new activities with their friends.  Invite your friends to join 4-H.  There is much greater chance they will join with a friend than all by themselves.  In the end, your community will be much stronger with growing 4-H program.

Volunteer Recruitment Resources

4-H Impact Surveys 

Those of us involved in Montana 4-H believe that 4-H makes a positive difference in the lives of young people. As an organizational volunteer leader, you are likely to see first-hand the growth and development of important life-skills. While our believing and your first-hand experiences motivate us to continue working/volunteering with 4-H, more concrete information can only help to support the program. To that end, Montana 4-H has developed surveys to be administered at club meetings.

There is still time to complete and turn in the citizenship surveys (3rd-6th Grade or 7th-12th Grade) at your closest meeting. Turn completed surveys into your Extension Office.

The results of these surveys will help Montana 4-H to: continue to make a positive difference in the lives of youth; identify areas of programming that may need more focus; and to communicate the value of 4-H to legislators, commissioners, and other decision-makers.

We at the Montana 4-H Center appreciate your assistance with these surveys. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at the 4-H Center or your county MSU Extension Agent. 

ADMINISTERING AND COLLECTING SURVEYS

Organizational leaders should please follow these instructions for administering the surveys.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Montana 4-H Center or your County Extension Office.

MEMBER INCENTIVES

Stickers are still available to order as a member incentive for completing a survey. The club leader or county office can complete an online form to order stickers that can be given any member who turns in their survey. We feel this will help members to understand the value of sharing their experiences with 4-H. visit the incentives page.

DATA ANALYSYS

Reports will be complied by the Montana 4-H Center and made available to counties in October/November.

International Programs & Citizenship

Outbound Program information

There are a variety of outbound travel opportunities available to current and former 4-H membersApplication deadline is November 15. 

2020 Summer Outbound

  • Costa Rica – 15-18 year-olds, June 18-July 17, approx. $3,000
  • Norway – 15-18 year-olds , June 24-July 24, approx. $4,200
  • South Korea – 14-18 year-olds, July 15 – August 13, approx. $4,600
  • Japan (4 or 8 week) – 14-18 year-olds , July 8 – August 6 or June 10-August 6, approx. $5,200 or $6,400
  • Taiwan – 14-18 year-olds, June 28-July 28, approx. $4,500
  • Romania (NEW) – 15-18 year-olds, June 24-July 24, approx. $3,750

International Program for Young Adults (IPYA) – 3 or 6 month exchange for 18-30, former 4-Hers, price varies

Go to www.montana4h.org for applications and more information. Or contact Stephanie at [email protected].

Citizenship Webinars

The GLOBE program (domestic and global citizenship)

September 10, 2019, 2:00 PM EST https://zoom.us/j/682504457   
 Presented by Darlene Locke, Ed.D., Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Texas A&M. The focus of the GLOBE program is to educate and prepare youth participants to become globally competent citizens. Presenters will discuss how the two-tiered program works and highlight what they teach participants in advance of their attendance at the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. In the second year, participants have an international travel experience to immerse in a new and different culture. The program’s webinars focus on understanding the meaning of culture, poverty, agricultural sustainability, and philanthropy, and how these relate to different sectors of a society/community. The final aspect of the program is a service-learning project addressing food insecurity or other social issue in their own community. 

 

Going Deeper into Global Youth Citizenship (global citizenship)

November 12, 2019, 2:00 PM EST https://zoom.us/j/911866123    

Presented by Jennifer Skuza, Ph.D., Associate Dean and Director, MN 4-H, University of Minnesota Extension. Following on a popular 2018 webinar, Dr. Jennifer Skuza will go into more detail about the WeConnect: A Global Youth Citizenship Curriculum Second Edition, how it is used and specific activities that you can use in your state along with how to add social inquiry to programming. Global youth citizenship emphasizes the importance of our thinking which drives our attitudes, behaviors and actions. The presenter will discuss why global youth citizenship is important, define key terms, and frame global citizenship within the context of 4-H Youth Development. 

Statewide Events

Ambassador & Teen Leader Training

Leadership makes the mission possible with green 4-H clover logo on right of image. black silhouette man with dark glasses and top secret stamp on left of image.

Friday October 18 - Sunday 20, 2019
Holiday Inn/Bozeman, MT

Fall Training is the annual leadership development retreat for Montana 4-H Ambassadors and Teen Leaders. The event is planned, implemented, and evaluated by the State Ambassador Officer Team. Youth will leave the weekend prepared and excited to take the knowledge and skills they have gained and apply them in their counties. It is also a great place to have youth leaders exchange ideas and create a statewide network of resources. This year the officer team has chosen the theme “Leadership makes the Mission Possible” to emphasize the importance of developing one’s own leadership skills and have an impact on your local 4-H program and community.

Friday evening speaker Steve Beck will join us to present his 20 plus years of experience talking about and teaching leadership. There will be plenty of time to interact with peers from across Montana through mixers, games and lots of hands on activity.

Saturday will be a packed day! There will be morning workshops focusing on developing leadership, service and promotion skills to bring back to your county. The afternoon will be filled by small group workshops led by the officer team full of useful information. Saturday night will be closed with a banquet dinner and dance.

Before heading home to get to work, the weekend will be closed with an ambassador meeting and some highlights to get your 4-H year started off right!

 [please add any county specific registration details]

State Registration Information for county offices:

Registration cost is $162, including lodging (4 to a room) meals and program costs. Adult chaperones will have lodging options during registration, also listed on the worksheet.

Those participants interested in attending need to register using 4honline. There is a registration worksheet to help collect information. Youth participants must be 14 on or before October 1, 2019 and volunteer chaperones must be at least 21 and a certified volunteer.

Registration deadline in 4honline is October 8. This is a tight turn around but is unavoidable due to deadlines with the hotel and 4honline rollover dates. The enrollment process does not have to be complete, but members and volunteers must be active for the 2019-2020 year in order to complete the registration and to be covered by liability insurance. Please be sure the information in 4honline is up to date for the CURRENT (2019‐2020) 4‐H Year by the date of this event, including media authorization and code of conduct.

Foundation Updates

Annual Montana 4-H Gala & 50Th Anniversary Celebration

This year the Montana 4-H Foundation turns 50 YEARS and we are planning a PARTY you won’t want to miss. Join the Montana 4-H Foundation board of directors and fellow 4-H supporters for a night of celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Montana 4-H Foundation! Indulge in a Farm to Table dinner while being entertained by musical entertainment and comedy. Win goodies and support the foundation by participating in the silent auction, live auction or balloon prizes!

By supporting the Montana 4-H Foundation, you are helping kids learn responsibility, compassion, respect and the value of hard work. Together we can grow the next generation of true leader.

Contact the Montana 4-H Foundation for more details 406-994-5911.

 invitation page 1 invitation page 2

 

 

Montana 4-H Center for Youth DevelopmentMSU Extension logo
PO BOX 173580 . 210 Taylor Hall, Bozeman, MT  59717
Phone: (406) 994-3501 Fax: (406) 994-5417

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Montana State University and the Montana State University Extension Service prohibit discrimination in all of their programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital and family status. Issued in furtherance of cooperative extension work in agriculture and home economics, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dr Cody Stone, Interim Director of Extension, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717