4-H News:

National 4-H Week Marketing and Media Resources Kit Now Available

Join the 4-H community to celebrate 4-H during National 4-H Week—October 1-7, 2006! The National 4-H Week kit is now available and contains a wide of marketing and media relations materials to help you successfully promote National 4-H Week events and activities in your community.

Visit 4HMediaResources.org to view the kit. The kit contains logos, print materials, ads, media relations materials, tip sheets, activity ideas and more. New this year are a variety of Web banners, the 4-H Helps activity planning guide, and materials to promote National 4-H Week to donors and leaders throughout your community. Be sure to check back often as more items will be added regularly.

Many of the materials are available in a version that you can easily save and open in Microsoft Word, customize with your community and contact information and print on color printers. All files are in .jpeg (graphics), Adobe .PDF and Microsoft Word. There is a link on the site to help you download the Adobe Reader software.

We hope you find these materials helpful and look forward to promoting National 4-H Week across the 4-H community. Once you have used the site, please take a moment to fill out our survey so we can make National 4-H Week 2007 even better!

If you have any questions, please contact Allyson McMahan at amcmahan@fourhcouncil.edu or 301-961-2915.
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2006 Salute to Excellence Regional Award Winners Announced

The 2006 4-H Salute to Excellence Award Selection Committee has announced the regional winners of the National 4-H Salute to Excellence Volunteer Recognition Awards.

The awards recognize 4-H volunteers who demonstrate exemplary service to 4 H while promoting service and volunteerism as both an opportunity and a privilege. Volunteers are awarded in two categories: Lifetime Volunteer, for more than 10 years of service to 4-H, and Volunteer of the Year, for less than 10 years of service. Two national winners will be selected from the pool of winners from four regions.

This year’s Lifetime Volunteer regional award winners include: Northeast – Marjorie Bezilla, Pa.; Southern – Belinda Krumtum, La.; North Central – Sue Kunkel, Wis.; and Western – Pat Stackhouse, Mont.

The Volunteer of the Year regional award winners include: Northeast – Linda Sullivan, Del.; Southern – Leah Culwell, Okla.; North Central – Gloria Lukes, Wis.; and Western –Catherine Bethune, Alaska.

The committee, made up of 4-H youth and 4-H volunteer specialists of the Cooperative Extension System, selected the winners in each category due to their dedication and great contributions as a volunteer with their local 4-H Youth Development programs.

Gene and Sharon Swackhamer established the National 4-H Salute to Excellence Volunteer Recognition Fund to emphasize the important work of 4-H volunteers across America. The awards are made possible through the National 4-H Salute to Excellence Volunteer Recognition Fund and Monsanto Company, the premier corporate sponsor. For information on how to nominate a 4-H volunteer for an award in 2007, contact Audrey Adams at aadams@fourhcouncil.edu or 301-961-2819.

Monsanto Company is a leading provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto is proud to partner with prominent youth organizations like 4-H that are making a marked difference in the lives of young people by promoting worthy values like citizenship, volunteerism, patriotism and cooperation. For more information on Monsanto Company, visit www.monsanto.com.

4-H is a community of more than 6.5 million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. 4-H youth engage in hands-on learning experiences with support from 540,000 volunteers across the country. National 4-H Council is the national, private sector, non-profit partner of the 4-H Youth Development Program and its parent, the Cooperative Extension System of the United States Department of Agriculture. Learn more about the 4-H adventure at www.4husa.org.
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2006 Art of Leadership 4-H Volunteer Academy Participants Plan for the Future

Participants in the 2006 Art of Leadership 4-H Volunteer Academy discuss volunteer recruitment and retention.

Participants in the first ever Art of Leadership 4 H Volunteer Academy, held April 18-20, 2006 at the National 4 H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Md., are using their summer vacations to continue building on the 540,000-strong 4-H volunteer base.

The Art of Leadership 4-H Volunteer Academy, through the support of the Monsanto Company and UPS Foundation, brought together 37 thought leaders in the 4-H system to challenge thinking about 4-H youth development and reach innovative solutions around volunteerism that will bring strength and vision to 4-H for the future. The teams, each made up of a 4-H professional and a 4-H volunteer, made a commitment to collectively begin the work of building a strong volunteer base to work with the next generation of 4-H young people.

The academy challenged participants to: implement and test strategies that address two or more of the issues and challenges identified at the academy and document and share their results; expand dialogue around the future of volunteerism in 4-H; create focused plans to attract, develop and retain volunteers in 4-H at state and local levels; and increase their knowledge of youth development, organizational leadership and personal development

Each team that attended the academy is eligible to apply for a competitive grant of up to $2,000 to bring their plans to life in their respective states. The grants are supported by Monsanto Company.

Monsanto Company is a leading provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto is proud to partner with prominent youth organizations like 4-H that are making a marked difference in the lives of young people by promoting worthy values like citizenship, volunteerism, patriotism and cooperation. For more information on Monsanto Company, visit www.monsanto.com.

Established in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its backing clearly impacts social issues. In support of this strategic approach, The UPS Foundation has identified literacy, hunger relief, and volunteerism as its focus areas. In 2004, The UPS Foundation distributed nearly $40 million worldwide through grants that benefit organizations or programs such as 4-H, and provide support for building stronger communities.

4-H is a community of more than 6.5 million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. 4-H youth engage in hands-on learning experiences with support from 540,000 volunteers across the country. National 4-H Council is the national, private sector, non-profit partner of the 4-H Youth Development Program and its parent, the Cooperative Extension System of the United States Department of Agriculture. Learn more about the 4-H adventure at www.4husa.org.
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New Journal of Youth Development Will Share Latest Youth Research

The National Association of Extension 4-H Agents announced the launch of the Journal of Youth Development ~Bridging Research and Practice, an online resource for youth development researchers, practitioners and policymakers. The multidisciplinary, applied journal will be published three times a year on the NAE4-HA Web site, http://www.nae4ha.org/directory/jyd/index.html, and will focus on the development of school-aged youth through the transition to adulthood (ages 6-22). It is funded by NAE4-HA and the National 4-H Leadership Trust.

Patricia Dawson, editor of the Journal and 4-H Agent at Oregon State University, in Pendleton, Ore., said “This valuable resource will further the mission of the youth development profession by facilitating the transfer and application of research-based knowledge in an easy-to-access online format.”

The Journal of Youth Development is a refereed publication that seeks to enhance knowledge about matters of current interest to professionals in youth development. It will provide access to the latest youth development research, practices and information from the fields of psychology, youth development, family and consumer sciences, education, sociology, public health and nutrition, agricultural education and other disciplines.

The Journal will contain feature and program articles, articles on research and evaluation strategies, and resource reviews. Professionals in youth development or related fields of study are invited to submit articles for consideration. Contributions solicited for feature articles include critical analysis and interpretation of major trends, research with clear implications for youth development programming, and evaluations of research-based programs and outcomes. Submission guidelines can be found at: http://www.nae4ha.org/profdev/joyd/index.html

NAE4-HA is a nationwide organization of youth development professionals focused on building professional and personal competencies in order to better serve the community of over 6 and a half million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills in 4-H programs.

For more information, contact Joseph Donaldson, Extension Specialist, The University of Tennessee Extension at 865-974-7245 or jldonaldson@utk.edu.
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Susan Halbert Leaves National 4-H Council to Launch New Business

Expert facilitator, Susan Halbert, will draw on three decades of community leadership to launch new consulting firm.

At the end of June, National 4-H Council Senior Vice President Susan Halbert concluded 33 remarkable years dedicated to 4-H and embarked on a new career as head of Susan Halbert Consulting, LLC. The firm will specialize in community convening, organization development and meeting facilitation.

“4-H has given me wonderful opportunities to learn, grow and give back to society,” says Halbert, “including working with a wide diversity of people, organizations and communities. Above all, I’ve learned the importance of building relationships. If you want to help communities find solutions for tough challenges, you have to connect with the people involved and find ways to bring them together.”

Halbert’s new business will draw on her extensive experience in organizational systems and her widely respected skills in convening and facilitation. She will continue to work with 4-H as a consultant, helping state 4-H leaders with challenges in their communities, as well as addressing national system-wide priorities for National 4-H Council. Halbert will also share her expertise with other nonprofit organizations, corporations and government agencies.

Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, worked closely with Halbert on The National Conversation on Youth Development in the 21st Century, sponsored by National 4-H Council. Halbert brought together the coordinating committee for this historic project, which involved 46,000 participants from across the nation and culminated in a national conversation event in Washington, D.C.

“Susan does her homework, she knows how to listen and she is an incredible facilitator,” Gunderson says. “She doesn’t have a personal agenda, and she isn’t wed to a process. Instead, she goes into every project with one unwavering commitment: achieving real outcomes. I have no doubt she will continue to bring exceptional benefits to community clients through her new venture.”

Halbert began her 4-H career in 1973 as a cooperative extension agent in Rochester, N.Y. In 1979, she became director of the University of Alaska’s 4-H Statewide Youth Development Program. Her work on ATV safety led to her first position at National 4-H Council in 1989, when she was named director of the Community ATV Safety Program.

Since then, she helped develop the Building Common Ground program, served as director of National 4-H Council’s Workforce Preparation and Environmental Stewardship programming and was appointed vice president of strategic initiatives and organization and systems development in 1996. Since 2000, Halbert has served as a senior vice president at National 4-H Council.

“Susan is simply the best facilitator I’ve ever seen,” says Donald T. Floyd, Jr., president and CEO, National 4-H Council. “She has the invaluable ability to organize and structure a productive convening process, even in the most complex, volatile situations. Time and again, she has brought together people who didn’t even want to be in the same room and shown them how to overcome their differences and walk away with an action plan.”

Susan Halbert earned her Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Master of Science in Community Organization Administration. She also has a certificate in Organization and Systems Development from the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and is a doctoral candidate in Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Tech University. Halbert can be reached at swhalbert@frontiernet.net or 240-994-1975.
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4-H Alumna becomes Ambassador to Burkina Faso

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with 4-H alumna Jeanine Jackson, Ambassador to Burkina Faso.

Jeanine Jackson, a native of Sheridan, Wyo., said her childhood involvement in her local 4-H club contributed to her development of the necessary skills that have aided her through her career today. A far cry from Wyoming and from the typical skills one might envision 4-H of encouraging, Jacksons’ childhood experiences have given her lessons in leadership, citizenship and the necessary life skills that have brought her all around the world and back.

The 4-H alumna was nominated by the President on Nov. 1, 2005 as the U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso, a landlocked West African nation. She was sworn in on March 15, 2006.

“I had a lot of great teachers in the Sheridan public school system,” Jackson said. “I was in 4-H and other organizations that gave me a great basis for what I’m doing today.”

Before her U.S. Ambassador nomination, Jackson served as a member of the Senior Foreign Service, a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and as a diplomat in Switzerland, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Kenya and Afghanistan.

Jackson most recently served at the State Department as the management coordinator for opening the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. She also helped open the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban.

“Every morning I woke up and thought, ‘Why would anybody want to be in Paris?’ Jackson said of her time in Afghanistan. “It was interesting every day, a challenge every day. It was so fascinating.”

Click here to check out the full story.
Thank you to the office of U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., for use of this photo.
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Tornado Victims Take Gold Medal in Christopher Columbus Awards

T.A.S.K. Force, “Tornado Awareness and Survival Kit," gold medal winners from left to right: Samantha Wood, Dylan Brooks, Coach Jackie Nunn, John Scott and Steven Goldman.

In September 2004, a tornado storm hit Madison County, Ga. destroying everything in its path. Unfortunately, what lay in the path of this particular tornado, were the homes, properties and lives of the friends and families of 4-H members Dylan Brooks, Steven Goldman, Samantha Wood and John Scott.

The four students, now in eighth-grade, were mobilized by their tragic experience to develop a tornado survival kit and community education program to help prevent future tornado-related injuries and property damage. Through the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension 4-H Program, they entered their project into the Christopher Columbus Awards, a national competition where students identify and answer a community problem using hands-on experience with the scientific process.

Their education program included tornado drill practice, designation of safe rooms in houses, education of weather warning signs and a survival kit containing food, water, communication equipment, protective footwear and identification bracelets.

The students, who were the first and only 4-H group competing in the program, were chosen to continue the competition in Disney World as one of eight finalists out of some 1,200 students who entered nation-wide.

In the end, the group of 4-Hers were one of two teams to win a gold medal and collectively received a $2,000 savings bond.

David Stooksbury, state climatologist, said in the past five years, 122 tornados have ripped through Georgia.

“We’re keeping our community from getting blown away by a tornado,” the group said in the conclusion of their presentation.
Their coach, Jacqueline Nunn, is a sophomore at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga. “It’s very, very exciting,” she said. “I’m very proud of them. I know how hard they worked.”

Click here to see more photos about the T.A.S.K. team. To learn more about the Christopher Columbus awards, visit www.christophercolumbusawards.com.
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Maryland Clover Member Wins Xerox Contest to Honor Soldiers

Ten-year-old 4-H member, Ellie Vandergriff, demonstrated her patriotism and her artistic side by drawing a picture to be sent to soldiers overseas. Her 4-H group from Silver Spring, Md., was notified of a contest held by Let’s Say Thanks, a national program created by Xerox Corp. designed to deliver thousands of cards to soldiers overseas with messages of support and gratitude.

Some two months later, Ellie, along with 15 other children from across the country, was notified that her drawing was chosen to appear on the Web site. The contest winners’ pictures are displayed on LetsSayThanks.com as postcards that onlookers can click to personalize a message of encouragement.

“It makes me feel really excited and happy and kind of surprised,” Ellie said about winning the contest. Ellie, who has been attending 4-H meetings since before she was old enough to be a Clover, said her local 4-H leader encouraged her club to enter the contest. “I thought they might like to have a picture to make them feel better,” Ellie said. She added that her neighbor has family members who were deployed to Iraq, and she plans to send them her postcard.

Let’s Say Thanks prints and mails the postcards for free on a monthly basis. More than 12,000 have been sent to soldiers to date, and more are being sent every month. The 16 final drawings were chosen by a graphic design professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Visit www.letssaythanks.com to send Ellie’s card to someone you know overseas.
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Resources and Opportunities:

Interactive Education Media Available Through Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University has recently added interactive training materials to itsWeb site. Created by the Multimedia Development Group, the instructional technology help teach youth about a number of topics using 2D and 3D animation and modeling, interactive objects, professional quality audio and video, as well as an array of graphics, illustrations, and photographs.

The kits include materials about road signs, bicycle safety, insects, small engines and more. To view the materials, click here.
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Research-based Alcohol Prevention Web Site Available

Are you looking for a new, engaging way to cover lessons on peer pressure and resistance skills? Check out a new, research-based alcohol prevention Web site for youth aged 11–13, the Cool Spot. The site was created by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

For educators and other staff, the site has an interactive quiz that assesses whether youth have learned some of the chief objectives. In addition, the site will soon feature a guided reading activity and two dynamic role-playing lessons plans covering peer pressure and resistance skills.

Click here to visit the site.
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