Do you have spirit... How about community spirit

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States' largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. The program was created in 1995 by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to honor middle level and high school students for outstanding service to others at the local, state, and national level.

The program's goals are to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods, and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities. Over the past 14 years, more than 260,000 young Americans have participated in the program, and nearly 90,000 of them have been officially recognized for their volunteer work.

Go to the link above to learn more about this exciting program.  I think you'll find that this program may provide the recognition you are seeking for that special 4-Her.

Take Care,
Kevin

The Seven Deadly Sins of Directing Volunteers

1. To recruit a volunteer for a cause of program in which you do not believe.
2. To worry about the number of volunteers you need to the degree that you sign a peron up even if he or she is not right for the job to be done.
3. To offer volunteers certain opportunities and working conditions and then not deliver.
4. To waste a volunteer's time-ever.
5. To restrict a volunteer's effectiveness by not providing adequate preparation, training, or tools.
6. To ask salaried staff to work as a team with volunteers if you yourself do not have volunteers helping with the responsibilities of your job.
7. To be so concerned about your own job security that you do not stand up and fight for the needs and rights of the volunteers you represent.
   

One Day

One Day 4-H is going to have an awesome State wide 4-H impact.  But don't let the impact of what is going on in your county get lost in the shuffle.  Register your One Day 4-H activities on line by September 30.  You don't have much time, but the process is simple.  Go to the link above and register!!!!!!

A break from Youth Work

I know this is a 4-H Blog, but it's hard not to get excited and want to share when something this cool comes along.  Ranch TV embodies what Extension Education Efforts over the internet should look like.  It is fresh, it's timely, and it is high quality educational material, ready to meet the needs of "education on demand" society.

it's worth your time to visit this site even if you are not a cattle enthusiast.  It will give you some ideas for Extension Education in general. 

Take Care,
Kevin

The ayes have it!!!!

State 4-H Congress has added a pre-congress component that will replace the pre-congress offered by the South Region. 

Based on the highly successful model used by the South Region in 2007 delegates will arrive in Austin a few hours earlier than they did in past.  By arriving early they will participate in a workshop designed to prepare them for the experience to come.

What does this mean for District 9?
- no pre congress
- no additional fees for congress
- based on 2007 success we will not be offering transportation to Texas 4-H Congress

Look for more details as they are released from the State 4-H Office.

Take Care,
Kevin

Bang Bang

The date for the District 9 4-H Shooting Sports Match has been set: April 10, 2009.

For those of you on the ball you will note this is also the date of the Multi-District Horse Judging contest. This just proves you shouldn't shoot and ride..... The shooting sports match will be in Rosenberg, while horse judging will be in College Station. Even though this conflict will probably affect very few 4-hers, please make sure youth in each project are aware of the conflict.

Rules and Guidelines for the District 9 Shooting Sports program will be coming soon from DEA Dale Fritz.

Take Care,
Kevin

Risk Management

As youth educators we incur risk everyday. Facing that risk should not be an obstacle to doing our job. We should manage the risk and take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves and the people we serve. To help you with this, the Extension Spirit committee offers an excellent resources including a video that can be downloaded at http://rm.tamu.edu/

Ease your mind, by taking the time to review this common sense risk management module.

The Inspired Leader Slide Cast

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

The Inspired Leader Slide Cast

View more documents from Matt Church.