| [Image: Photo] |
| [Image: Link to PDF Newsletter] |
|
Reminders:
Complete the online 4-H orientation and print the certificate for your records. See more information later in this newsletter.
October 6-7 - Paint Your School Green judging; make St. Martin Parish 4-H proud!
October 8 - Louisiana 4-H Papa John’s Pizza Day; please publicize !
October 19-20 - Officer Training Workshops; please give your officers their “tickets” that were given to you in September (in the green folder)
Send Talent Show registration to us by November 9, 2009, remember, two acts per club!
Start collecting PULL TABS!
New opportunities we are offering to you and your club members:
- Fall Fest Contest Day
- SET workshop-see October newsletter for more info.
- Photography Workshop-see October newsletter for more info!
I pledge my head to give the information I can, to help them see things clearly and to make wise decisions.
I pledge my heart to encourage and support children no matter whether they have success or disappointments.
I pledge my hands to help children’s groups; if I cannot be a leader, I can help in many equally important ways.
I pledge my health to keep children strong and well for a better world through 4-H, for the children’s groups, our community, our country and our world.
Submitted by:
Niki Nestor McNeely, District Specialist
4-H Youth Development - Ohio State University
Volunteer Leader Workshop
October 19-4-H office
October 20-Trinity Catholic Lower Campus
4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Be prepared to rope in some new ideas, take a ride on the 4-H youth development trail and hold onto your hats as we get prepared to round the barrels of the new year and new challenges!
Earn points for the Pre-Achievement Day club award by attending one of the workshops.
This will count as an activity to choose on your list! Learn and get points for your club!
Questions:
337-332-2181
Laura Brumbaugh or Hope Guidry
National Creed for Officers
The 4-H member is more important than the 4-H project. Learning how to do the project is more important than the project itself.
4-H’ers should be their own best exhibits. No award is worth sacrificing the reputation of a member or a leader.
Competition should be given no more emphasis than other fundamentals of 4-H work.
Enthusiasm is caught, not taught.
To learn by doing is fundamental in any sound educational programs and is characteristic of the 4-H program. Generally speaking, there is more than one good way to do most good things.
Every 4-H member needs to be noticed, to feel important, to win and be praised (leaders, too). Our job as a leader is to teach 4-H members how to think, not what to think.
Source: Anonymous
LCES PS-23 Volunteer Policy
The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework and direction to staff and volunteers engaged in volunteerism with the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service (LCES). The procedures in this policy are intended to apply to staff and volunteers in the 4-H program. Volunteers in other program areas should follow similar principles and guidelines. In addition, these guidelines apply to local, parish, region, and state level volunteer committees and boards, which are working on behalf of the LCES. The policy is designed to reduce volunteer risk and protect the interests of the LCES and the LSU Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter), its volunteers and the communities it serves.
Volunteers will continue to be a critical and viable component of outreach efforts of the LCES and an understanding of this policy, as well as effective management of program volunteers, is critical to reaching a more diverse, ever-changing clientele.
Sincerely,
Paul D. Coreil
Vice Chancellor and Director
To view the policy: LCES PS23 Volunteer Policy
Volunteer Training and Development Online System
We are very excited to invite you to be a part of our new Volunteer Training and Development System. This system has been created to allow volunteers to track and monitor their Education and Service Hours. By registering in the system, you will be able to enter and track the Educational hours you complete. This includes anything from the Volunteer Orientation to Marketing 4-H or any other trainings or education you may receive. You can also track your Volunteer Service hours. You will be able to record impact statements, personal touch stories, and the number of people you reached by volunteering. By using the system, you can document your mileage driven and your unreimbursed expenses for personal tax purposes. This will hopefully be a great tool to assist 4-H volunteers.
By registering in the Volunteer Training and Development System, you will also gain access to the Louisiana 4-H Volunteer Continuing Education Site. This website is designed to give volunteers education and training from the comfort of their own home or office. Through this site, volunteers will be offered online educational modules. These can be taken for your own educational benefit or for advancement in the Master Volunteer Program (MVP). Resources available through the site include: the 4-H Volunteer Orientation, Master Volunteer Program Educational Modules, Going Camping Educational Modules, and much more. You will also be able to communicate with other volunteers from around the state to share your ideas and thoughts.
We hope that you are as excited as we are about our new advancements for volunteers! Please check out our system at:
http://www2.lsuagcenter.com/4H/mastervolunteer.
Our goal is to have ALL club leaders and volunteers enrolled in the system by February 2010. We are asking all volunteers to complete the online orientation as well, which is a module course on the site. Please help us accomplish this.
Do YOU create a sense of BELONGING for your 4-H Club members?
Essential Elements of 4-H— Belonging, Mastery, Generosity and Independence
What if no youth development program existed? If we were to develop one using the latest research that would assist young people to become healthy, problem-solving, constructive adults, what would it look like? It would look a lot like 4-H! Using the Essential Elements of 4-H, we create opportunities and environments that meet young people’s needs and build life skills.
This month’s focus is the essential element of Belonging.
“4-H Offers opportunities for Belonging-young people don’t just join 4-H...they BELONG!”
And it’s our responsibility to make sure they BELONG. Youth need to know they are cared about and accepted by others. Youth also need to experience a sense of physical and emotional safety. Current research emphasizes how important it is that youth have opportunities for long-term consistent relationships with adults other than their parents. In fact, the research suggests that a sense of belonging may be the single most powerful positive ingredient we can add into the lives of children and youth.
With it being the most, powerful ingredient in our programs we need to evaluate how we are doing in the area of belonging.
4-H is not mandatory. It’s the choice of youth and parents/guardians to join 4-H. It’s our job to make sure that 4-H is welcoming of all youth that show an interest. It’s also our responsibility to meet the needs of all of our members. That means providing opportunities for all youth to be involved on some level. Those opportunities need to be varied in delivery modes to reach all learning styles and personalities. Some activities need to be a learning activity, some just need to be fun! We need to concentrate our efforts to making all youth feel comfortable and accepted while involved in the program.
As we think about belonging, use the questions below to evaluate how well you as a volunteer incorporate this element into your program:
- Are you providing opportunities for 4-H members to experience success and preparing them so that they may have emotional safety?
- Are you expanding your current volunteer base and recruiting new volunteers to create those long-term consistent relationships with adults that youth need?
- Are you creating barriers that do not provide opportunities for inclusiveness?
- Is there awareness on your part of the youth’s physical safety during 4-H events?
As stated above, 4-H is a choice. If it is not fun or the youth do not feel comfortable then they can choose not to come back. Putting frivolous demands on 4-H youth is unfair. Some youth may not be able to carry out those demands because of external factors. Also, 4-H youth may simply not want to take part in a particular event or activity. That’s okay as well. As we understand the importance of creating a sense of belonging to all youth, remember, all activities/events are optional. In closing, use the above questions to evaluate your current program. We are all trying to make the best better. In order to do that, youth must feel safe, comfortable and accepted. Winning and success will come to those who feel these things. Young people don’t just join 4-H….they BELONG! But it’s our job to create that sense of belonging. Good luck with the rest of your 4-H year!