View the Entire Kansas 4-H Calendar

Deadlines:

IMPORTANT: In consultation with Mark, there is a change in the date for the first meeting. The Ad Hoc Committee will now convene on Wednesday, March 28, 6pm for supper and an informal team building session that evening at Rock Springs. The meeting will conclude with lunch on Friday, March 30. This change has been added to the information posted on the website. Please share this information with relevant individuals in your local Extension Unit.
McNally

Citizenship in Action
Final details about Citizenship in Action have been e-mailed to participants who have e-mail and posted on the web.  Item include a schedule, participant letter, and information about parking around the Capitol Complex.  Please note that the event is at a different hotel this year; the Capitol Plaza Hotel next to the Kansas Expo Center.  Wiebers

Kansas City 4-H Global Conference
Kansas registrations for KC Global are down 30% this year from last year!  The cost for youth delegates was reduced $25 from $265 to $240 and adult chaperone fees were reduced $20 from $335 to $315.  Cost does not appear to be the biggest factor in determining participation. Was it the weather?  Was it insufficient promotion?  Did you have kids who planned to go and decided not to? Help!  I would be very interested in your insights on why registration dropped so much this year.

A delegate letter is being mailed out to all participants. A courtesy copy will be e-mailed to agents and will be posted on the web.  Please watch your e-mail for details.  Wiebers

State 4-H Ambassador Workshop
Sign up now for the Kansas 4-H Ambassador Workshop.   All county/district 4-H Ambassadors and their advisors are invited to the 2007 State 4-H Ambassador Workshop, starting Friday evening March 23, and running through Saturday afternoon March 24 at Rock Springs 4-H Center. The 2007 theme is “Rocking and Rolling with 4-H”, and the conference will build upon last year’s successful conference. The conference is designed to give county/district 4-H Ambassadors the skills and training they need to be successful in their roll to support and promote 4-H.   

Amee Patel, Marketing Communications Coordinator and Allyson McMahan from the National   4-H Council in Chevy Chase, Maryland, will be the keynote speakers on Friday evening as they present information on “Branding 4-H in Kansas.”  In addition, they will present 4-H Branding workshops on Saturday morning in conjunction with the Kansas 4-H Marketing Action Team.

Some of the other workshop sessions that will be offered include:  “Personality IQ,” “Leadership Styles,” “Writing for the Media,” “4-H Advisors, So What Do I Do Now?”, “Interview Skills and Résumé Building” and “Mentorship 101, Walking the Walk”. Participants will be able to choose three different sessions on Saturday morning, and two sessions on Saturday afternoon.

Registration cost is $75 and is due by March 1.  Late registration will cost $85, and will be accepted from March 2-8, 2007.  The Kansas 4-H web site registration system will be used.  Local Extension units determine who may attend this workshop.  For final details and forms, visit the Kansas 4-H website:  http://www.Kansas4-H.org/Events/Ambassador/ or call Deryl Waldren at 785-462-6281 or e-mail him at:  dwaldren@ksu.edu.  

Special note for Extension Staff only:  Counties/districts will be billed after March 9^th, and one county/district payment to the Kansas 4-H Foundation and all Kansas 4-H participation forms are due to the Kansas State 4-H Office no later than March 19^th.  Thanks.
Waldren/Buchele

Take note: Before we can release the CD to your Extension unit, a requirement will be that you have sent a data backup to me and have paid your $47.00 support fee (Invoices were sent September 6, 2006, and were due November 1).
Cheryl Thomas

Rise and Shine with Bread
The 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences Action Team will be hosting a yeast bread training Saturday, March 24, 2007, at the Wamego High School, Wamego, KS. The workshop is for

4-H’ers 12 and over, parents, and foods leaders. This workshop will provide the opportunity for participants to select several workshops including; whole grain bread, artisan bread, shaping/ sculpting/coloring bread, community service baking and/or baking for exhibits.

The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude around 3:30 p.m. Cost of the workshop is $20 with registration due March 1, to Barton County Extension. The event is limited to 50 participants.
Fink

Workshops offered include: Myths of Digital Photography, Cyano Type (photos without a
camera), People Pizzazz – Learn how to take people photos, Photo Composition Elements, Printing and Preserving Photos, Innovative Photos – Bring your camera and tripod. Learn how to set up and take special effect photos.

For the beginners:  Select Jump Start (Know the basics) and Stress the Elements (Hands on) bring your camera (digital or film), Instruction will be given on what photos to take.
Buchele

The conference website is:
http://4h.sdstate.edu/av.cfm?area=Adults/volunteers&page=Adults/volunteers

The keynote speaker is Nancy McDuff. Nancy is the president of Macduff/Bunt Associates and is nationally known as an expert in volunteer management. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member with the Washington State University Graduate School in Adult and Youth Education, as an instructor for the Center for the Study of Non–Profit Management of Concordia College.

Her published works include: Volunteer Recruiting and Retention: A Marketing Approach, Building Effective Volunteer Committees, Designing Programs for the Volunteer Sector, Episodic Volunteering: Building the Short–Term Volunteer Program. For more information on Nancy, check out her website: http://www.volunteertoday.com/

Specific workshop topics include volunteer training, episodic volunteering, character focus, multi-generational volunteers and building community partnerships.
Buchele

Basic 4-H Operations I training begins at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 9 and goes through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10 in Throckmorton Hall on the K-State campus. This training is part of the New Agent Training Cycle, but anyone in the system that would like a refresher course is welcome. Click on the link above for more details.

Topics to be addressed include: 4-H Financial Management, VIP, Accountability to the 4-H mission, Learning through Events, Risk Management, Program Planning, Program Management and more.

Diane Mack, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, NE and Beth Hinshaw, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, SE are co-presenters for this training. If you have questions, please contact Diane or Beth. Cost to attend is $20 payable to the Kansas 4-H Foundation. Please contact Diane Mack at: dmack@ksu.edu by March 23 if you plan to attend. Mack/Hinshaw

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK -- April 15-21

The 2007 National Volunteer Week toolkit has the necessary information and resources to recognize your volunteers with a special event, or just to tell the rest of your community about how wonderful your volunteers are! Use this toolkit to leverage the nation's focus on volunteering during the Week and honor your deserving volunteers.

Click on the Promotional Toolkit to receive event planning information, media outreach tips, background information on the Week and volunteering, and template materials for easy tailoring.
 Buchele

We have just discovered that there have been some issues with the VIP Online Orientation course and Firefox and Netscape internet browsers. We are working with IET to solve the problems. For now, the course is only accessible using Microsoft Internet Explorer. You will be informed with the issues have been resolved. If you have a question that is not covered, please contact me.
Buchele

Commitment- Individuals grow personally from wanting and choosing to do the right thing. There is psychological and practical value in developing and maintaining trusting relationships. Individuals of good character enjoy high, genuine, self-esteem and peace of mind. They experience good feelings and practical advantages of a good reputation and of being respected. In addition, good character is its own reward because it reinforces feelings of self-worth as well as fulfillment of moral duty.

Consciousness- People of good character intentionally consider the consequences of their choices in terms of "who will be helped or harmed?." They systematically filter all decisions through the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

Competence- Enhanced ethical competence means that people will attain mastery in moral reasoning and judging/problem solving. They will evaluate facts in light of ethical principles, distinguish known facts and informed opinions from conjecture, speculation and assumption, and anticipate possible unintended consequences. In addition, persons of good character will be better at developing creative, realistic options. They can apply decision-making models and implement the decision with tact and good sense.

I hold that while man exists it is his duty to improve not only his own conditions but to assist in ameliorating mankind. I am for those means which will give the greatest good to the greatest number.- Abraham Lincoln
Gerhard

The workshop starts on Friday evening at 6 pm and concludes on Sunday afternoon at approximately 2 pm. Check-in is from 6 to 7 pm on Friday. Only full time participants will be allowed. The cost is $170.00 which covers refreshments at breaks, project material handouts, and meals from Saturday breakfast through Sunday lunch. Participants will be responsible for their own dinner on Friday night. The registration fee for a Junior Apprentice will be $85.00. Registrations are due in the State 4-H Office by 5 PM on Thursday, March 1, 2007. Complete information and registration forms may be found by clicking on the link above or at the Kansas 4-H Shooting Sports homepage: http://www.kansas4-h.org/ShootingSports/
Gerhard ggerhard@ksu.edu

* WHAT: Spring 4-H Shooting Sports Instructors Workshop
* WHERE: Kansas State Fairgrounds (Hutchinson)
* WHEN: Friday-Sunday, March 23-25, 2007
* REGISTRATIONS DUE: Thursday, March 1, 2007
* WHAT: State 4-H Spring Match (BB, Air Rifle, Air Pistol, Archery)
* WHERE: Great Bend Expogrounds, (Great Bend)
* WHEN: Saturday, April 21. 2007
* REGISTRATIONS DUE: Monday, April 2, 2007
Gerhard

Disciplines to be included are archery, air rifle, air pistol, and BB gun. Deadline for entries at the State 4-H Office is 5 PM Monday, April 2, 2007. Please note that ALL events now require prequalification prior to participation in state 4-H matches. State 4-H match rules and local and area qualifying matches are listed with details at the Kansas 4-H Shooting Sports "Local Matches" website - http://www.kansas4-h.org/ShootingSports/Default.htm. Participants may attend any qualified match that accommodates their schedules.
Gerhard

Discovery Days – Win an iPod or a Palm Pilot!
Discovery Days information has been posted on the web and on-line registration is open now until April 15!  Detailed information is available to download from the web including a registration worksheet, workshop descriptions, tentative schedule, a 4-H newsletter article, theme logo and a SECRET LETTER only Agents can read!

To recognize 4-H members and volunteers who attend Discovery Days and influence others to come also, the action team will be giving away a 30GB iPod!  As participants register on-line, they are asked to indicate who most influenced them to attend Discovery Days.  The top 10 most frequently identified youth and/or volunteers (self nominations excluded) will be entered into a drawing for the iPod!  Every participant who is identified by someone else as an influencer will be recognized!

Agents have opportunities too!  The delegation (county or district) that grows by the largest percentage over last year’s attendance will receive a pizza party in the Union at the conclusion of Discovery Days.  Their Agent will receive a Palm T|X Palm Pilot!  Last year, Ellis County set the standard; growing 800% from one delegate to eight!

The “Unlimited” opportunities this year include: exciting new class options; “4 to 5er” workshop sessions where anyone can teach games, lessons, hobbies, recipes, crafts, etc.; a talent show; a service learning project to benefit our troops and/or the children of Iraq, a career fair at the Alumni Center; Call Hall Ice Cream Social; the return of Discovery Days T-shirts; two dances; swimming; the tailgate party; and more!  Wiebers

2007 Steer and Heifer shows - The steer and heifer shows will be no fit shows, "Blow and Show". "No Fit" at the Kansas State Fair is defined as using no adhesive, glue, paint or powder products. After the first warning, violation of this rule may lead to total disqualification of a          4-H/FFA member from the show and all premiums forfeited. Anyone wishing to report unauthorized people grooming animals must follow the Protest procedure as outlined in the Competitive Exhibitor Handbook.
McNally

Important News from the SpaceTech Action Team Regarding Rocketry
It became apparent after the Kansas 4-H SpaceTech Educators’ Workshop in February that we needed to get more information out to Extension Agents and to 4-H members, volunteer leaders and parents regarding the rocketry section of SpaceTech. 

Unless the member is 14 on January 1^st, the member is limited to one “D” sized motor in the rocket for flight or its equivalent such as, two “C’s”, four “B’s”, eight “A’s”, and etc.  Estes makes a kit called the “Double D Squared.” We have heard that there are many 4-H members making this rocket who are not yet 14.  At the Kansas State Fair, this rocket is classified as a high power rocket!  The under-14 age group will receive a participation ribbon only, if this rocket is entered.  This is not a change from previous rules.  This is clarification of a rule that already exists! 

As per federal law, if a rocket at launch time weighs more than 1 pound and/or uses more than 4 ounces of propellant, under FAA Part 101, notice must be provided to the local air traffic control facility 24 to 48 hours before flying the rocket.  If the rocket weighs in at more that 1500 grams (3.3 pounds) or uses more than 125 grams of propellant, a waiver must be obtained from the FAA to fly the rocket.  A waiver takes 30 or more days to obtain.  These items will be looked for in the entry packet for the Kansas State Fair.

Please read the 2007 Kansas State Fair rules at http://www.Kansas4-H.org/Events/KSF/ to see if any of the rules affect rocketry in your county.  Contact your Extension Agent or Deryl Waldren at 785-462-6281 or e-mail him at:  dwaldren@ksu.edu for questions.
Waldren

AC Electric Projects; Electric projects with a 110 or 120 V alternating current (AC) power source.
DC Electric Projects; Electric projects with a battery or direct current power source.
Electronics Projects; Electronic projects with a battery or direct current power source .
Educational Displays and Exhibits; This class includes any educational displays or exhibits which DO NOT have a power source.
Buchele

Please contact Professor Bauernfeind at 532-4752 or email him at rbauernf@ksu.edu
Bauernfeind

Amy Taylor, Trego County, developed a brochure that is now available. It's in a PDF format. If you would like to edit it with your local information and have Microsoft Publisher, contact me and I'll send it to you.

Kansas 4-H Apparel Items
Anndee Biltoft of N Zone Sportswear recently sent an e-mail note describing Kansas 4-H Apparel items that are available. The Kansas 4-H Marketing Action Team worked with Anndee during the Kansas 4-H Centennial to provide items and continues to work with her to offer local offices Kansas 4-H items. If you have questions, please contact me or one of the 4-H Marketing Action Team Members.
Mack

Second Ever Campference
The Kansas 4-H Youth Leadership Council is excited to introduce the 2^nd ever Campference!!!  This event is focused on youth ages 12-14, and will be held June 26-29, 2007, at Rock Springs   4-H Center.

Participants will experience the feel of a conference, while enjoying the “camp” activities Rock Springs 4-H Center has to offer. Campference will feature workshops about opportunities in the  4-H program and activities to energize youth that will help them learn leadership skills and how to better interact with others.

Complete information will be available in mid March, and a note will go over the counties listserv when the information is posted.
Hinshaw/Kansas Youth Council Campference Committee 

Keynoter, Dr, Susan G. Weinberger ("Dr. Mentor") of Norwalk, Connecticut enthusiastically rallied the participants marking highlights in the history of the mentor movement in history and across cultures. She told the audience that the definition of mentoring has evolved over time. No longer is it limited by factors of "at-riskness", economic levels, family structure, or age, for that matter. All children, youth and teens, whether in one-on-one matches or in small groups, do better with actively engaged role models. 4-H fits well the contemporary definition of mentoring: a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals who offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the competence and character of the mentees.

Workshops were held related to grant writing, risk management, the Elements of Effective (Mentoring) Practice, as well as marketing and recruiting volunteers. In the afternoon, conference attendees discussed the findings of the Kansas Mentors Survey for Mentoring Programs in the State of Kansas and ways to make Kansas Mentors more effective and sustainable. Data for the survey was gathered from school districts, community-based agencies and all Extension offices, it was reported. The results will be posted shortly on the Kansas Mentors website: http://www.ksmentors.ks.gov/. Participants learned that Kansas Mentors will hold six regional conferences across the state during the next year to bring resources closer to communities. No additional information is available at this time but will be shared just as soon as more in known.

For more information on mentoring check out MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership at www.mentoring.org,
Gerhard

Shanholtzer Available to Talk on Experiences in Botswana
Beth Shanholtzer, Crawford County 4-H alumna who completed six months as a 4-H Exchange delegate in Botswana in southern Africa last December, is now booking presentations in southern Kansas counties on weekends.  Beth can share experiences in rural areas of this African nation which has a 4-H type program 4B and a dry climate where grazing and dry land crops predominate.  She can tell about agriculture, home and family life and 4B as well as general issues affecting the southern Africa area.  Since she is now working at Oklahoma State University, she will be restricting presentations to weekends and sites not too distant from Stillwater.  Messages Beth wrote from Botswana and some pictures may be found on the web page:  http://www.Kansas4-H.org/worldcitizenship/experiences/ .  Contact Beth through her e-mail at bshanholtzer@gmail.com.
Munson

Hosts Needed for Inbound International Exchangees
February and March are the months for families to apply to host international exchanges for summer 2007.  Since the Finland 4-H Exchange is being managed by the International Programs Committee and its contractor WorldWise Exchange Services, state placement of the incoming teens with 4-H hosts is based on a first come basis out of Seattle.  The Finnish teens would each be placed in one family between June 18 and July 15.   Kansas has one placed, and we would love to have additional families apply though placements across the US are going fast.  Contact Mary Kay Munson at 785-238-3631 or munsonm@nqks.com to find out if any Finns remain to be placed and to get application materials.  Inbound host family applications and reference forms are also available on the web site http://www.Kansas4-H.org/worldcitizenship.

 Kansas has identified counties to host Japanese teens ages 12-16 from mid July to mid August, but families in other counties will be considered.  They should have a family member within two years of exchangee’s age and the same gender as the incoming Japanese teen they will host.  At this time we are waiting to find out if International 4-H Youth Exchangees (IFYE’s) from other countries will chose Kansas this year.  They would likely be in the late teens or early 20’s and would be placed for 2-3 week periods between June 18 and either August 1 or September 9, depending on their program.  Contact Mary Kay Munson at the number and address listed above for the latest information.
Munson

Events Matrix (Excel) (PDF) (Password Protected)
In response to a request from the KEAA 4-H Task Force, a Kansas 4-H Events Matrix has been developed and is available on the Agents web page and the Events web page.   This matrix outlines many of the major events conducted through the state 4-H Office and approximates when information is posted, registration is due, and events are held.  Exact dates are not included based on feedback from Task Force members (it would require near constant updating and event dates and deadlines are already provided on the 4-H calendar on the web).  This tool is designed to help Extension Staff track upcoming events and deadline for planning purposes.  In it’s Excel format, local activities and specific dates can be added or modified as desired.  If you have ideas, suggestions or comments on the document, please contact Justin Wiebers.  Wiebers

You gotta be nimble to get the $$$!
I’ve heard that luck is actually just when preparation and opportunity meet. Recently, National   4-H Council called to say they had some grant money from Carhartt for expanding involvement in Citizenship Washington Focus.  Kansas delivered more applicants than the previous several years and because of that, our delegation received $4,750 to use for scholarships toward this year’s registration!

Delegates, their families, and their agents were notified of this opportunity by an established CWF e-mail listserv that day and 14 delegates submitted essay applications by the noon February 1 deadline.  Scholarships were awarded based on delegates’ efforts to earn their own registration fees, challenges their families have faced, and how they planned to pass on this generosity in the future.

Recipients have been notified of their scholarship amounts and new balance due.  So, in three weeks time, we found out about money available, established a process, sent out notification, collected and reviewed applications, and awarded almost $5,000 to benefit youth!  It’s good to be nimble!!!  Wiebers