Two Deadlines... Two chances for youth to win $$$$

There are two relatively new contests being offered at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and both of them support the work many 4-Hers are already doing: Public Speaking and Livestock Exhibition. First prize in the public Speaking Contest is $700, and First Prize in the Quality Counts Multi Media Contest is $750 Savings Bond.

Contest Details -

Public Speaking:

Entries Due: Feb 5, 2010

Contest Date: Two days at HLSR, March 14-15, 2010

Categories and Divisions: 7 Divisions (see rules) and two age groups

Time Limit: 6 to 8 Minutes with Questions to follow

Quality Counts Multi Media Contest:

Entries Due: Jan 5, 2010

Contest Date: Judging done prior to show with Winners announced March 1. (Do not need to travel to Houston)

Categories: None - Top Three entries will be show cased at HLSR

Time Limit: 3 to 6 minutes

As an added bonus here is a link to last years winning Quality Counts Multi Media Presentation. http://tinyurl.com/ydgxcoz . Show this to your young people and I think they will understand the possibilities.

If you have any questions regarding either contest please contact me. I'll be glad to help.

Kevin Chilek (k-chilek@tamu.edu)

Presidential Environmental Awards - THINK JMG!!!

EPA's Environmental Education Division also sponsors the President's
Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) program, an annual program that
recognizes young people across America for projects which demonstrate
their commitment to the environment. Young people in all 50 states and
the U.S. territories are invited to participate in the program. The
deadline for submitting a PEYA application is December 31, 2009.
Please visit the PEYA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/peya/ for
additional details and application forms.




Lisa A. Whittlesey
Extension Program Specialist
National Junior Master Gardener Coordinator
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
Texas A&M University
225 Horticulture/Forestry Bldg.
College Station, TX 77843-2134
Phone:(979) 845-8565
Fax: (979) 845-8906
email: l-whittlesey@tamu.edu
Website: www.jmgkids.us

SET, Discover Science Method, and Livestock Projects – A Winner on all Fronts

Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) are definitely the buzzwords surrounding 4-H and Youth Development. It seems like no matter where any of us go, SET is the acronym we keep hearing. While all of us are committed to SET, we may also be having trouble connecting the dots of how to take a concept like SET and implement programs at the county level. For some counties, they have developed a standalone project / program that teaches SET. This is excellent!!! However, there are certainly other strategies.

One of those strategies is to implement SET as a part of existing projects. This could be any project, but there is one that exemplifies practicing science every day. That one is through the livestock project. It is the ultimate science project! Our youth start from day one by purchasing a livestock project and determining the best strategies to feed, care, exercise, and provide shelter for their project. At each and every one of these steps, our youth are analyzing the livestock project and determining what they need to do to make it better. This may be exercising the project, changing/adjusting feed rations, feeding an additive, practicing showing, feeding individually, or going to a practice show. The point is each of these items is addressing a problem by forming a hypothesis, testing it, and evaluating results.

Does that sound familiar? It should because that is the scientific method. It is outlined below:

1. Name the problem or question


2. Form an educated guess (hypothesis) of the cause of the problem and make predictions based upon the hypothesis


3. Test your hypothesis by doing an experiment or study (with proper controls)


4. Check and interpret your results


5. Report your results to the scientific community

As educators, lets make sure our youth know that they really are scientists! This is the reason why the Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program is initiating the Discover Science Method Program. It is aimed at allowing youth to conduct a science project to learn and apply the scientific method.

At the 2010 Texas 4-H Roundup, there will be a Discover Science Method Program (poster competition) for any 4-H youth ages 12 and older. One of the specific categories is Biology, which includes animal science.

Biology: Animal Sciences (including livestock), Plant Sciences, Microbiology, Cellular and Molecular Biology

Like any other event, there are rules, guidelines, and additional information you should read as you share with your youth. So, to learn more, visit:

· http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/set/index_set.php

We all know that there are kids that love livestock projects. This is yet another opportunity for them to learn about animal science through their love of livestock. Do not let them miss this opportunity!!!

Deadline Extended- 2010 Cancer Mini-Grants

Due to this busy time of year, filled with planning meetings and various conferences, we are extending the deadline for submission of 2010 Cancer mini-grants until Friday, November 13, 2009. The mini-grant funds can be used to support cancer prevention and risk reduction strategies in the areas of:
- Tobacco Prevention
- Second Hand smoke Prevention
- Skin Cancer prevention/sun safety education
- Breast, cervical and/or colon cancer early detection
- Increasing Physical activity (w/high risk youth in title I schools)

To access the application and other information for the mini- grants:
1. Go to http://fcs.tamu.edu
2. Select Agent Login from bar on left side of homepage
3. When prompted enter the following:
Login Username: Your County Name
Password: Your County Office Zip code
4. Select the Health Tab at the top of the page
5. Under the Cancer heading, select NEW Mini grant Money
6. Complete and Submit your application via e-mail to Alice Kirk - ab-kirk@tamu.edu or fax to 979-845-6496 by November 13th.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me or Carol Rice.
Alice



Alice Kirk, MPH
Child Health Specialist
Family Development and Resource Management Unit
Texas Agrilife Extension Service
Texas A&M System
2251 TAMU
College Station, Texas 77845
PH: 979/458-2098
Fax: 979/845-6496
E-mail: ab-kirk@tamu.edu

one day 4-H Video Featuring Full Version of one day by Brison Bursey and Photos from Across Texas

The Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program is pleased to present the full version of the Brison Bursey song "one day" in the first video featuring photos from one day projects from across the state of Texas. The song is scheduled for release by the end of this week on iTunes for downloading.

The video can be viewed on the Texas 4-H YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/tx4h

or

At Texas 4-H and Youth Development: http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/

Please continue to remind any groups that have not reported their participation and successes from one day to the one day site at: http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/oneday/

Thanks again for making one day a great day for our 4-H Program.

4-H Consumer Education YOUTUBE Videos

Wendy Scott has recently posted a couple of You Tube videos on 4-H Consumer Decision Making. The link is:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=consumer+decision+making&search_type=&aq=0&oq=Consumer+Decision.

When you go to that site, you will see "4-H Consumer Decision Making " Part I and "4-H Consumer Decision Making" Part II. Please view both of the videos. The videos discuss the Consumer Education project and the CDM Contest. The contest portion is broken down into: how to coach a team, a sample class and reasons.

We hope you find the video to be useful!

Wendy Scott wmscott@ag.tamu.edu

GREAT WORK WENDY!!!

one day 4-H - What a Day!

one day 4-H has come and gone for 2009. What an experience it was for our entire 4-H Program and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Through this experience we saw the good in our employees, members, parents and volunteers. Never in the history of 4-H both in America or Texas, has so many youth and adults come together under the name of 4-H to give back to the communities and counties that have helped support and grow our 4-H Program and especially our youth for more than 100 years.

As this week concludes we have received approximately 80 submissions on the reporting page of the one day website. Please work with the groups in your county to report their successes. If for some reason, the event did not happen, that is ok, but please just drop us a note and let us know. We can assure you that every written word is being read, every videos is being looked at with amazement and appreciation, and every photo is being viewed as to where it can be used to tell the story of one day 4-H.

Through our evaluation of one day, we ask many questions about the knowledge and behavioral changes of those youth participating in the event. In hindsight, the most amazing result from one day has been the words of thanks and appreciation from 4-H members, volunteers, and agents for bringing our program together to focus on the good of our state. These words mean a great deal because they truly are from the hearts of our program participants. In one e-mail, a 4-H leader, and mom stated:

“I am exhausted from a full weekend of “one day”. It sort of turned into “Four Days” for us. I will submit our project results when I come up for air, but I wanted to let you know that it was a FANTASTIC idea. We had great participation because everyone wanted to be a part of the statewide push to make a difference. Some of our members are participating in a number of clubs and each had a project going. Like local club, shooting sports, and county council . . . Well ... I can't tell you how many people asked me if the 4-Hers were trying to overachieve now because they had seen them cleaning the Lion's club, gathering trash on the side of the highway, at the nursing home, and canning stew! How great that we called that much attention to our organization! I can't wait to see all the articles in the newspaper! So much visibility because we were all out on the same weekend. I think we really created good will for our organization.”

As we close out the first week of post reporting, we want to give you a snapshot of the impact the 4-H Program has had on our state through one day 4-H:

• Total Number of People Involved: 2,471
• How many hour contributed on October 10th: 859,908
• Value of Hours contributed to one day 4-H: $17,388,188
• Number of people 4-H Program was interpreted to through one day: 167,643
• Number of new 4-H members recruited: 60
  

The deadline for reporting is October 30, 2009.

Please help us in getting all of the project numbers in. We are already in the process of preparing a state-wide report that Texas AgriLife Extension Service can share with all of our stakeholders demonstrating our youth commitment to giving back.

A sincere thanks for all the hard work and commitment everyone contributed to one day. Texas 4-H did show that a difference can be made in one day!

Submitted by Dr. Topy Lepley