4-H News:

75th Annual National 4-H Conference Begins Today

Washington, DC - The 75th National 4-H Conference, hosted by National 4-H Headquarters at USDA, begins today at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, MD. The anniversary conference will continue until Wednesday.

Known as the "Secretary's Conference," the National 4-H Conference continues to be the major annual youth development conference for USDA. Delegates of the conference have a chance to voice their ideas to the USDA, and then have them shared with the Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns. USDA's National 4-H Headquarters is located in the Families, 4-H, and Nutrition department of the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service in downtown Washington.

National 4-H Conference serves as an avenue to assist youth and adult leaders in developing recommendations to guide 4-H programs nationally and in their communities. This year's theme, "Build the Future-Tag, You're It," was chosen by youth and adult members of the conference planning committee.

"Meeting 4-Hers my age from all around the country showed me that even though we live many hundreds of miles away, we still share a common love for 4-H and our country, said Lizzee Eccleston, who attended National 4-H Conference in 2004. During conference, I greatly developed my leadership skills and acquired a better understanding of how our government is run." Today Lizzee works for the National 4-H Youth Conference Center as a Wonders of Washington Program Assistant. She knows that National 4-H Conference is what opened her eyes to this opportunity.

Through conference workshops and activities, conference attendees learn about youth and adult partnerships, capacity building and civic engagement. This year's conference highlights include roundtable discussions, Capitol Hill Day, 75th National 4-H Camp/Conference Anniversary Celebration, USDA Assembly and breakfast reception, Spirit of Washington Cruise on the Potomac River and the annual variety show. One of the highlights of conference is the delegates visits with their Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill.

Other events include the 4-H Capitol Hill Luncheon/Reception, coordinated by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, which will be held on Tuesday. Also, conference delegates who remain in town are invited to attend the Operation: Military Kids celebration on Wednesday at the Dirksen Senate Building. The celebration is sponsored by Senator Grassley of Iowa. Operation: Military Kids is a collaborative outreach effort to provide support to children and youth of National Guard and Reserve Soldiers before, during and after their parents are deployed.

Stay tuned for complete coverage of National 4-H Conference in a special edition of Clover Corner News next week. Until then, check out the 75th National 4-H Conference site here.


Chevy Chase, MD - The National 4-H Youth Conference Center stands ready for the incoming National 4-H Conference delegates.
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4-H Media Resources Available Online

4-H county and state staff can now access a multitude of 4-H media relations and marketing communications resources online. With just a click, you can download materials with the 4-H message, 4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills, to reproduce quickly and easily.

From mouse pad templates to customizable news releases to eye-catching newsletters, the marketing communications team at National 4-H Council has been working hard to get these tools in the hands of all 4-H staff, volunteers and members. Access the resources via www.4husa.org by clicking on the 4-H Media Resources button on the left column. The site will continue to be updated as more resources become available.

Of course, 4HUSA.ORG continues to provide other great resources to link the 4-H community together. The 4HUSA.ORG Web Crew has created seven versions of buttons for download so that everyone involved with 4-H or who supports youth development can link to the site. With blogs, message boards, the latest 4-H news, and links to every 4-H website in the country, youth today are using 4HUSA.ORG to get involved and stay in touch with 4-H!


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4-H Programs of Distinction Information Sessions

National 4-H Headquarters will be holding two 4-H Programs of Distinction Information Sessions for people who would like to learn more about how to submit a manuscript. The Information Session will walk people through the submission process and provide information about the criteria that peer reviewers use to assess manuscripts.

The two timeslots are:

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. April 14, 2005 EDT or 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. April 21 EDT

The sessions will be conducted using CENTRA Web Meeting. In order to register, please send an e-mail request indicating the time slot that you would like to participate in to Shannon Bedo, sbedo@csrees.usda.gov. Participants will receive a web link and call-in number prior to the session. Please note that registration is limited to 15 people per session.

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Digital Camera Promotion at 4HUSA.ORG

Click! Snap! Flash! Say cheese! Participate in the 4HUSA.ORG digital camera giveaway promotion.

It's a snap! Register at 4HUSA.ORG (It's free!), upload your favorite photos of 4-H related activities into the photo gallery album with the 4-H Photo Promo icon, and you may win a Kodak digital camera in our random photo promotion. Upload as many photos as you wish. 4HUSA.ORG digital camera giveaway promotion ends at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, April 30, 2005. Showcase your snapshots here!

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MD Team Wins at Eastern National 4-H Horse Roundup

Louisville, KY The National 4-H Horse Bowl can be best described as "It's Academic" for horse enthusiasts. Thanks to many years of hard work and experience in the 4-H horse program, four members of the Maryland 4-H Horse program received first place at the National 4-H Horse Roundup Horse Bowl in Kentucky.

The four members of the Maryland team are Maria Anselmo, Alexandra Barnard, Nora Crist and Laura Messenheimer. Their coach, Dr. Al Starr, led the team to their victory. These youth, ages 16 and 17, have been involved with 4-H for over 8 years each. With projects ranging from horses to leadership, they know what time management is all about. In between schooling and everyday responsibilities, the team spent hours each week preparing for horse roundup.

Nora Crist felt Nationals was perfect. This trip was my first one and I don't think it could have been any better. We had a great team and a great coach and everything came together for us, Nora said.

Once they arrived at the event, they mentally prepared for first place and it paid off. Teams of four faced off in front of a panel of judges and a moderator. The Maryland Horse Bowl Team won its first ever National Championship, beating out other teams from around the country in the double elimination type play.

Young people throughout the 4-H program enjoy getting involved in national competitions because it opens their eyes to meeting so many others with similar interests. Alexandra "Alex" Barnard has been busily involved in the 4-H youth development program for over 10 years. I love meeting new people and participating in the 4-H contests, says Alex.

And sometimes, in meeting teammates, lifetime friendships are made. Maria Anselmo and Laura Messenheimer have been on the same Horse Bowl team for years. Maria gave a speech about her trip after returning from the competition. During it, she thanked Laura for the many fun learning experience. Since the beginning of our friendship we had our eyes set on playing on the same team at Nationals. My trip to Nationals on the horse bowl team wouldn't have been complete without her.


Maria Anselmo, Laura Messinhimer, Alex Barnard, Nora Christ and their coach, Dr. Al Starr, were the overall Horse Bowl Team Champions at the Eastern 4-H National Horse Roundup.
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Resources and Opportunities:

2005 Idea of America Essay Contest

Washington, DC - The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) invites all eligible high school juniors to enter the 2005 Idea of America Essay Contest. Open to 11th grade students and 16-and 17-year-old home-schooled students, the 2005 Idea of America Essay Contest offers a cash prize of $5,000 for the author of the winning essay. Five national finalists will each receive cash prizes of $1,000. The deadline for entries is April 15, 2005.

For the 2005 contest students will answer the question, "Describe totalitarianism by comparing the goals, methods, and results of fascism and communism. How were the tenets of these totalitarian movements different from the ideals that unite Americans? How did the ideals embodied in the American founding prevail?

Judges will consider whether the essay demonstrates a strong understanding of American History, reflects familiarity with primary sources, demonstrates the student's own serious reflection on the question, is focused and well-reasoned and is written clearly with correct spelling and grammar.

Eligible students are encouraged to submit their 7,500-character (approximately 1,200-word) essays online at the Endowment's We the People web site, which also offers specific guidelines for entering the contest, a lesson plan on essay-writing and other resources.

NEH will announce the winner and five national finalists in fall 2005 and will honor them with an award ceremony in Washington, DC. The winning essay will be published in a national forum.

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Celebrate Global Youth Service Day April 15-17, 2005!

Celebrate Global Youth Service Day on April 15-17, 2005! On Global Youth Service Day, millions of young people in countries everywhere highlighted and carried out thousands of community improvement projects. GYSD offers a way for local, national, and international organizations to:

BUILD the capacity of an international network of organizations that promotes youth participation, service, and learning;
EDUCATE the public, the media, and policy-makers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders around the world;
MOBILIZE youth and adults to meet the needs of their communities through volunteering; and
LEARN and share effective practices in youth service, youth voice, and civic engagement in the world today.

Click here to get involved today!