The first edition of the Southern Equine Consortium Newsletter is available (click on the highlighted words to access it please). This newsletter is the result of collaborative efforts between the southeastern states and will start to be distributed on a periodic basis (perhaps monthy or bi-monthly) as an effort to offer more resources to horse owners in the southeast.  We are sharing this newsletter which was shared with our county 4-H program by NCSU 4-H Horse program.  Hope you enjoy.

Why 4-H?

This article was written by our own Shea Ann DeJarnette to be published in the Robesonian and Robeson Journal on Sunday, January 31, 2016.

  

Alex Evans teaches Kennedi Lyons how to do an electric project.
Both youth are members of the Dirty Rascals 4-H Junior Master
Gardener Club.

          Do you ever feel like you’re being pulled in so many directions that your head is about to spin off like a top?  It seems things have gotten even more hectic thanks to the introduction of technology. That same feeling has trickled into our children’s lives and schedules.  They go to school and, at an early age, we want them involved in extracurricular activities.  The choices range from athletics to video gaming; we often don’t know which way is up.  Whether you want your child to be involved to keep them busy or the fact that it looks good on college applications, the question is which activity is best for your child?

Some things to consider when helping your child choose an extracurricular activity - cost, commitment, time, logistics, and passion.  The best activities are those your child is passionate about.  Colleges are looking for students with passion who have whittled down to one or two organizations but have done great things within those organizations.  The problem is children often don’t know what they are passionate about.  When picking an organization, find out what is expected in terms of time commitment, wallet commitment, and family scheduling.  For example, when I was in band, I was committed to being a part of it.  My mother bought an instrument and made sure I practiced 45 minutes every night.  However, when it came time to have afterschool practice, Saturday games, etc., we were unable to pull off the logistics and my band career ended abruptly.  Remember, these activities, although meant to enhance your child’s life, depend very much on the rest of the family, so choose wisely.

There are lots of great programs out there, and I have to say, I am partial to 4-H.  First, we work with boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18.  We are committed to an experience for them, one they get to determine.  If they love animals, love to talk, are artistic, want to try something new like an electric project, or climbing a rock wall, we have something for them.  Meetings are meant to fit your schedule.  For example, the majority of our clubs meet once a month.  We also have a place for parents to be volunteers and will offer trainings and certifications.  Being a 4-H member has little to no cost.  The majority of our programs we offer are either free or at reduced rates thanks to funding from United Way of Robeson County.  We do our best to make every opportunity available and affordable to our youth.  The other great thing about 4-H is we allow your child to grow in the program offering them different experiences as they get older.  The learning challenge increases, but so does the fun.  Finally, always wanting to prepare our youth for the next step, 4-H offers an ACT prep course, college scholarships, and even opportunities to be on a college campus. Did you know, 40 percent of 4-H alumni who graduate high school go on to complete a university degree?  In most other programs, only 28 percent of their alums do the same thing.

So if you are looking at extracurricular activities, find what suits your child and your family best.   While you are looking around, think about trying out 4-H.  We are cost and time effective, create passionate leaders, and want to prepare your child to succeed in the future.  Really, what more could you ask for?

            For more information, please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, at 671-3276, by E-mail at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu, or visit our website at http://robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/.  North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.  In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation.

The Dirty Dozen find a New Year Electrfiying

  Today marked the first meeting of 2016 for the members of the Dirty Dozen 4-H Shooting Sports Club.  Club members and parents completed their annual paperwork as part of their organizational meeting and went over club expectations.  After it was time to elect officers.  After several campaign speeches and voting (which included a run off election) the club officers for this year are:

President:  Lucas Collins
Vice President-Alex Evans
Secretary:  Laci Rozier
Treasurer: Brooke Canady
Treasurer-Elect:  Cameron Graham
Reporter:  Hart O'Breint
Sergeant at Arms:  Christian Graham
  After the business meeting we all sat down to work on an electric project lead by Alex Evans.  Alex is working toward a trip to Electric Congress by teaching electric projects to as many 4-H members as she can.  Many of us had never used a solder iron before and this was our first time with electronic components.  It was all very educational.
Our next meeting will take place in February at O. P. Owens.  We hope that come March we will be back out on the range so we can practice our skills and maybe put a team together.

Welcome to our New 4-H Club!

Robeson County 4-H would like to welcome the newest specialty club to the 4-H Program. We are excited to introduce the Explore NC Together 4-H Club.  The club leaders, Bonnie Canady and Gina Rozier, held their first meeting last night and we would like to thank them for their commitment to the club and the youth of Robeson County.  

During the first club meeting new members got to know each other and talk about all the things they can explore in 4-H.  The youth also learned the 4-H pledge and made the 4-H bracelet to help them remember the key 4-H concepts.  The club will meet the second Tuesday of every month at 6 pm.  Enrollment is open to all youth between the ages 5-18. Although the club is still determining their exact focus, however youth will have the opportunity to explore a variety of areas such as citizenship, leadership, animal science, public speaking and more. 

 If this sounds like something you would like for your child to be a part of or you would like to start a 4-H club, contact Wendy Maynor, Extension 4-H program assistant with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, at 910-671-3276, by email at Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu, or visit our web site at http://robeson.ces.ncsu.edu.

Dirty Rascals Do a Shocking Project!

 
The first meeting of the Dirty Rascals 4-H Junior Master Gardner Club involved something a little different for this group.  Yes, dirt was involved, but so were soldering irons, batteries, and a new lingo concerning circuits, leds and more.  The group met to put together electric projects.  Taught by Alex Evans who is working toward being a 4-H Electric Congress delegate, the club members learned about the soil probe, how to put it together, what resistors are for, and the agony and defeat of making little Hersey kisses with molten metal.  In the end the projects were completed and lit up when the coper probe was placed into the soil.  It was a great project to learn about soil moisture and electricity all at one time.
  This club meets each month on the second Tuesday of the month beginning at 5:30 pm.  For more information about this or any of our 4-H clubs please contact Wendy Maynor at Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu or (910) 671-3276.

Gettting Crafty in the New Year!

The members of the All Around All Stars 4-H Arts and Crafts Club held their first meeting of 2016 on Thursday night.  The group met to organize their calendar for the year and do a little project.  The club determined that they would meet on the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 pm at the O. P. Owens Agriculture center.  The following is the schedule of planned activities:
January-Collage
February-Presentation Prep
March-Candy/Goodies-Community Service Project
April-Humane Society Supply Drive/Make dog and cat toys and treats
May-Relay for Life booth/Balloon Animals
June-Electric Project
July-Spray Paint Art
August-Plan Fair Booth
September-Fair Booth Set Up
October-Paper mache
November-Blankets/Operation Christmas Child
December-Christmas Celebration

If you are interested in becoming a member of this club please contact Wendy Maynor at Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu or (910) 671-3276.

State 4-H Council News Letter

Ever wonder what is going on in the state in terms of 4-H or what the officers are up to?  Now is your chance to find out.  The January edition of the State 4-H Council Newsletter is here.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2016!  We know this is a new year filled with lots of anticipation and excitement.  We hope that you will join us in this journey of 4-H over the next year.  You will see some things that have gone by the wayside and new programs pop up and we hope that you will find it fun, and exciting while maybe learning a little along the way.  To help you find your way we would like to offer you an electronic map of what is going on in our program.
Programs that we offer  
If you are curious what is going on, you can check out our google calendar 4-H County Programs.  You can google the calendar or you can just scroll to the bottom of this blog and see it there.  Please know that although calendars were sent out in the packets, dates sometimes change as well as deadlines so we would encourage you to check the calendar often.  We will also do our best to offer printed calendars in the lobby of the Extension office and update them once a month so you can stay up to date that way as well.
4-H Current Events
  See what is going on in 4-H and stay up to date with deadlines, and past programs through our various social media opportunities.  You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and of course Youtube.  These media sites are listed on the web page and can also be located under the following names (or just feel free to click on the links):
Facebook:  North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center
Twitter:  RobesonCounty4H
Instagram:  Robeson_4H
Youtube:  RobesonCounty4H
Pinterest:  Robeson County 4-H

  Also New this year we will be offering a parent e-mail list serve as well as our club list serve.  Each will boost a 4-H Top 4 list every Monday, and we will post it here on our blog as well.  As soon as we have folks signed up for both we will split the two lists, in the meantime we will offer our top 4 to those who are currently signed up for the list serve.  If you are interested in being a part of our e-mail list please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette, 4-H Extension Agent at, Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu to be added to the list.
Please check back often to see the updates of programs and photos right here on our blo
g.  We are proud of the youth in Robeson County and are looking forward to all that they will accomplish this year.