4-H District Project Record Judging

 

Please see the following email from Shannon McCollum regarding judging project records.  We are excited that Robeson County is one of the in person host sights for this event.  Please note, to volunteer you must be an approved adult 4-H volunteer active in 4-H Online and your will need to register ASAP because space is limited.

To:   Potential 4-H Project Record Judges

From:   Shannon B. McCollum, Ed.D                        

Youth Development Specialist, Extension 4-H Associate

 

Re:   Judges Needed for Record Book Judging - Quick turnaround time

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting 4-H Record Book Judging this year in person.  We will have very strict limitations and will offer 5 locations for judging; however, the key is that we are going to be able to do this in person.  We all know that judges are a vital part of this process and we are writing to request your help.  If you would like to judge please see below for the specifics.  

It will be held in the following locations:

May 15 - Robeson County - Lumberton 

May 15 - BJP 4-H Camp - Reidsville

May 15 - Mitchell County - Bakersville

May 22 - Nash County - Nashville 

May 22 - Millstone 4-H Camp - Ellerbe

Due to the pandemic restrictions that are in place and the university guidelines, we will have to limit the number of judges per location to around 20 and judging will be held on one day only.  Judging will be handled on a first come first serve.  I have to cut it off at around 20 due to our indoor limit restrictions for space and people. Registration will close on May 7th.  

Judging locations and dates are listed above. Each district has roughly 95 books to judge and we should easily be able to do that in one day if we work hard.  We are also asking that if you could pack a bag lunch and bring it, that will help with some of the restrictions we are under.  We will provide snacks and drinks but this will help us stay within our guidelines easily.  If you are able to judge, please select the location that is closest to you that you can drive there and back on the day of judging.  Judges must wear a mask and follow all guidelines by the Governor. We will have masks and hand sanitizers available at each location as well.  

4-H Volunteers who are judging:  In order to judge we need to have all of our judges registered and approved in 4HOnline.  I anticipate most of you are however if you are not, please work with your 4-H Agent to register or go here:  https://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in

If you are already registered then you are all set. Go to the link below to register for judging. Please note that registering in 4HOnline using the above link does NOT register you to judge – see link below for that.

If you are available to help, please mark the dates for judging on your calendar. Your participation in this process will benefit the 4-H'ers as well as yourself.  If you want to help both weekends, please understand that at this time unfortunately we are not able to provide lodging.  If you can judge both weekends, please fill out a separate entry for both weekends. This will help me keep it all organized in one spreadsheet.  Once I have the judges confirmed, I will send an email with specific instructions and the address for the judging location.  

Day of Judging Schedule

8:30 am - 9:00 am - Judges Check-in

9:00 am - 9:30 am - Judging Guidelines

9:30 am - 12:00 Noon - Judging

Noon - 1:00 pm - Lunch - bring your own packed lunch

1:00 pm - 5:00pm - Judging continues

5:00 pm or as close to it as possible - Judging concludes

As you can see we have a very tight schedule but we can make it happen if we all arrive on time and work diligently throughout the day.  Please use the link below to sign up for judging and let me know if you have questions! Thank you so much for considering this opportunity.  I know it’s a short turn around but please register by May 7th.  

Thanks again and let me know if you have questions:  shannon_mccollum@ncsu.edu

Click the link below to register online for judging:

https://go.ncsu.edu/recordjudging

Shannon

School Garden News

 

America Ferrera invites you to check out the sneak peak for April 27!  If you haven't heard the news, on April 27, we're celebrating the power and promise of school gardens with a virtual tour from Hawaii to D.C!  Join U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in this "virtual school assembly", complete with lesson and activity extensions to keep the learning going. Share with your networks and register today. We hope to see you there!  Details & Registration Click on the map to get details about each tour stop!  Meet the MC  David Antonio Robles of FoodWhat?! Farm We're thrilled to have David lead us through our school garden tour on April 27! A farmer, activist, and artist, David loves to use his skills to cultivate community and resilience among youth.  Check out David in action teaching healthy eating recipes straight from the garden!  Photo from Jones Valley Teaching Farm in Birmingham, AL - stop #6 on the April 27 tour. Grow with us on Social Media!   Find us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @sgsonetwork. Let us help you get the word out about your school garden initiatives and successes-tag us! Join the "Grand Opening" with our #growingschoolgardens contest in April for a chance at weekly $100 Gardener's Supply gift cards: Follow @sgsonetwork on Instagram and Twitter Post a photo of your student(s) engaging in school gardening (in person or virtually) Use #growingschoolgardens Tag @sgsonetwork and your school social media handles (if you have them) Share widely!  This celebration of school gardens is for everyone - we'd love if you invited others to join us! We've created a digital toolkit to help you get the word out, including a shareable one-pager, sample social media posts, graphics, and more!  April is Kids Garden Month-Win $500!  We're partnering with KidsGardening to celebrate all throughout the month of April. Head to Kids Garden Month and share with them "What do you love about your garden?" for chances to receive weekly prizes and one of six grand prizes of $500 specifically for school gardens. Tell us about your SGSO by Updating Your Organization's Profile The School Garden Support Organization Network (SGSO) connects over 4,100 individuals and organizations. We aspire to build a constellation of organizations and schools that support, sustain, and advance the school garden movement at a district, regional, statewide, or national level.

Virtual Cooperative Leadership Camp

Virtual Cooperative Leadership Camp June 21-25, 2021 Whether you're a teacher/parent/co-op staff member wanting to give a teen an awesome at home experience over the summer or wanting to volunteer yourself, use the below links to get your applications in for Virtual Cooperative Leadership Camp! FREE FOR STUDENTS! I am a Student wanting to attend! I am an Adult or Teacher wanting to help as a Volunteer Staffer This robust at home virtual experience will start with an at home kit being mailed to each teen. They will get to be a part of a diverse group of teens coming together on a zoom platform to participate in social events, business challenges and building a worker/owner tee shirt cooperative. They will get to work with small groups to learn, have fun and create solutions for their cooperative. This event includes a virtual escape room, an adult financial simulation and lots of fun times to connect with other teens across the state! Teens will also participate in games and incentives during camp to win prizes as well as be qualified to apply for the Jim Graham Scholarship in their senior year of high school. Learn More [CCNC | [919-834-5544] | [E-mail] | [Website] Connect with us  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌

 

Schedule Some 4-H Fun into Your Routine

 This article was written by our own 4-H Program Associate, Wendy Maynor, for the Robesonian.

Are schedules and routines the same thing? Do they benefit families and children? How do programs such as 4-H fit into your schedule and routine? What are the benefits for making time for programs like this?

Schedules are the big picture, usually planned and time specific. Routines are things we do every day without having to make time for it such as brushing our teeth, eating, and going to sleep. Being a part of programs like 4-H takes some scheduling and flexibility, but in the long run the life skills your child will demonstrate will be routine. Valuable life skills, such as leadership, decision making, planning, public speaking, responsibility, and accountability, will become second nature as they learn them in the 4-H program and exhibit the skills throughout life. Although this might not seem like your child right now, practicing these skills will lead to increased self-esteem, caring for their community, and will increase their self-confidence. We know when most children join, they are shy and uncomfortable stepping out of their comfort zone, but over time you see the growth and leadership skills develop. Soon they are hooked, committed to the program – the big picture – and it becomes a part of their weekly or monthly routine.

Studies show children who grow up with routines are less likely to have time management or attention problems as adults. Studies also show children who take part in family routines, such as family meals or quality family time, are more likely to be socially and emotionally advanced. When children have safe, loving, and nurturing environments they are happy, feel secure, and are able to learn and build confidence. We are able to offer those safe and nurturing environments thanks to our trained and caring 4-H adult volunteers. That’s probably why studies also show 4-H has a positive impact on youth; they make healthier choices, excel in school, and make better grades – all the things you want for your child. Thanks to our 4-H volunteers, we can make learning fun.

Did you know you can make 4-H time family time too? Think about it, you set some time aside at night for quality family time and read a book together, watch television, play a game, work on a puzzle, go for a walk, or whatever the family enjoys doing together. We enjoy having parents at meetings, or you can become a 4-H volunteer and be more involved. Club meetings are scheduled and structured yet flexible enough to allow for hands-on learning and fun.

Take a look at your schedules. You already know the routines. Do you have time to add something into the schedules and routines to enhance your child’s life? Meetings and activities with 4-H are currently being held virtually. However, face-to-face overnight camp is still on the schedule. We hope in the fall we can return to more face-to-face activities along with some hybrid events as folks become more comfortable with our new normal. You can learn more about the 4-H programs offered and which ones fit into your schedule by downloading the Robeson County 4-H app from your App Store. For more information, contact Wendy Maynor, Extension 4-H Youth Development Program Associate, at 910-671-3276, by email at Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu, or visit our website.

4-H Top 4 for the week of April 19, 2021

 

Happy April!  Happy Spring!  Happy Monday!  Most importantly Happy National Volunteer week!

Just a few reminders:

-4-H District Teen Retreat Deadline to register is noon on Tuesday, April 20. The event will be virtual taking place Tuesday, April 20 from 6-8:30pm and is open to all 4-H members (active profile on 4-H Online) between the ages of 14-18.  For questions please contact Shea Ann DeJarnette at sadejarn@ncsu.edu.  You can register on the app under programs or at https://forms.gle/jDcJY9J3xUxqgwiT6  For more information go to our blog post at https://robeson4-h.blogspot.com/2021/04/se-district-teen-retreat.html

-4-H Animal Science is an online registration. Please read all the directions carefully in the registration form. You will have the option of mailing or dropping off a check or paying with a credit card through eventbrite. If you use eventbrite there is a small convenience fee added in to cover the costs of credit card processing. To register for the program and choose your payment method please go to https://forms.gle/TkXyV7Qrn6CMFTsbA. You may also register on the app under programs. Deadline to register will be May 7. Animals will be given out the beginning of June. 

- 4-H Volunteers-Please check our blog and app. There are so many training available to you to pick and choose from from the county, district, state, and regional levels. Please remember you just need two hours of training each year, but with the available opportunities we believe everyone can find something they would really enjoy so please keep your eyes open

-4-H Summer Fun will be virtual this year.  We will be having the following camps; Citizenship, Animal Science, Jr. Chef, 4-H Congress, Biotech, and Cloverbud day camps.  We will also be having face to face overnight camp this year.  We will travel to Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Center.  The week of July 25-30.  All youth participating in that experience will have to follow COVID protocols including having a negative COVID test 3-5 days prior to departing for camp.  

For more information about opportunities being offered please keep an eye on our 4-H blog which can also be found on our app under News, just click on the Robeson County 4-H Blog tab at the top of the screen.

That's all for this week.  Hope you have a spectacular week and don't forget to say thank you to our 4-H Volunteers.  If you like we have created a padlet that you can go on and say thank you to your favorite volunteers, groups of volunteers, post your favorite photo of them....whatever you think they might like to say thanks.  https://padlet.com/sadejarn/i1tjytf6wktt22kb

Christy, Wendy, and Shea Ann

State Officer Candidates-New Information for Campaigning During COVID

  

 For those 4-H members wanting to run for the State 4-H Council (State Officer Positions)  please see the following information.  

  The state 4-H Council's mission is to share the diverse opportunities 4-H offers to help youth develop social responsibility, empower them to live an authentic life, and grow leaders who can make the best better, regardless of circumstances. Whether planning events, leading community service activities, serving as ambassadors for our organization, or creating a safe and welcoming environment for all,  the council members lead by example for the over 262,000 North Carolina 4-H youth members, thousands of adult volunteers, hundreds of 4-H professionals, and countless others who support 4-H.

This year there are new requirements / COVID-19 Updates for candidates wishing to run for State 4-H Office in 2021.   The state 4-H Council positions are as follows:  The Executive Committee includes District Officers, State 4-H Council Officers, State Council Coordinator, and the State 4-H Leader or his/her designee.  As well as district officers and one representative from each county.  If you would like to serve as a state 4-H officers please review the candidate documents and requirements carefully.  You can find the new guidelines at:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bt2oOaJhFDVH3FJWVMNPYuZQgJKjD9a9/view?usp=sharing

 Read more at: https://nc4h.ces.ncsu.edu/youth-3/4-h-teen-programs/state-council/.

Being a Leader

 

This article was written for The Robesonian and will appear in the weekend edition of the paper.

Have you started thinking about what’s next? After the pandemic, after vaccinations, after we all feel like we can safely move forward, what’s next? Lots of folks are researching what we want, what we will need, and are looking at the after effects of the pandemic on us now. As we shift to a new way of life that will hopefully include many of our pre-COVID-19 social protocols, we have an entire generation of folks who will need help readjusting to norms that they aren’t used to.

Generation Z, or Zoomers as they are tagged, is the population born between 1995 and 2010. They are between the ages of 11 and 25, and range from middle school to beginning professionals. This generation is considered to be the most racially and ethnically diverse generation according to researchers. This is also the generation who is going to be most profoundly affected by the social fallout from the pandemic.

Think about it. All of these youth have experienced traditional schooling. They have also been, during their most formative years, adjusting to virtual learning from institutions that were forced (and perhaps not well prepared) to leap into that learning format. They went from keeping full schedules of practices, lessons, and social engagements to suddenly having none and being told not to leave their homes. This generation has been wide open with technology (they don’t remember a time before digital communication), which means once vivid lines for most of us have blurred for them – the lines between work, education, and entertainment; public versus private; and always being “on.”  Things that were clear for us are not for them. This is probably why recent studies show this generation has felt more overwhelmed by the pandemic. More youth are reporting panic attacks, anxiety issues, and depression. As we move back toward a face-to-face society there will be some key things this generation will need to practice and relearn, such as eye contact – looking in the eye of the camera isn’t the same as a person. This generation is now entering a workforce that is fluctuating between work at home and office. When you are just starting in the workforce, working from home will take focus, self-motivation, and accountability; things many young workers will need to develop as they figure out their job responsibilities, which may be difficult to do remotely.

How can you help? In 4-H we are always looking for those generational leaders who came before (baby boomers, Generation X, millennials) to help us work with youth in safe, caring, and nurturing environments. Volunteers who can right now embrace technology to reach these youth and build those adult-youth relationships, so when we are back face-to-face, they will know you and trust you, and be ready to meet and work their way back to balancing face-to-face situations, technology as a tool, and life. Something the generations before them have done. We hope you are willing to make that difference someone made for you. After all, have you thought about what’s next for you?

For more information, please Shea Ann DeJarnette, 4-H Youth Development with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, at 671-3276, by email at Shea_Ann_DeJarnette@ncsu.edu, or visit our website.