Change!!!!

The District 9 4-H Web Page has changed!!!!!  I think you will like the look.  All of the old content you were accustomed to finding on the District 9 Web Page is there, but the layout has been updated to match the State 4-H Program.  The new page also allows us to do some things we could not with the old design, like, Blog.  So in the very near future this blog will discontinue :( and I will start posting all of my blogs on the new site.

At some point I hope to make updates on the new blog go out to County Extension Agents automatically.  Until then you may want to go to the Blog and include it in your favorite RSS.  In the interim I will try to be diligent about emailing you when I post items of interest in the new Blog.

So long eblogger, Hello Word Press,

Kevin

Leader College Open for Business

District 9 4-H Leader College is open for registration and will remain open until August 1st.  There will actually be registration available until the day before the event which is scheduled for August 14, 2010.  But there is a discount before August 1, or a penalty after August 1, depending on how you look at it.  Early registration is $15 and late registration is $20.

Most of you remember Kelsey Christian.  Her brother is catering the event, "Wannabe BBQ"  One of the more popular caterers in the Huntsville area.

This years sessions:

• Dog
• Entomology
• FCS Community Service
• Healthy Lifestyles Invitational
• Meat Science
• Recordbooks - Beginner and advanced
• Poultry showing and judging
• Scholarships 
• Consumer Decision Making
• Digital Storytelling
• Fashion Story Board
• Leaders 4 Life
• Rabbit
• Wild Life Skill-a-Thon

AND DON'T FORGET 4-H OFFICER TRAINING!!!!!

Any level officer, club, county or district can participate.  For that matter any child that want to be an officer can participate.  This training will be led by your current District Council Officers.

A more detailed brochure can be found on the District 9 4-H Website and registration can be done online on 4-HConnect.  As an almost post script, please remember we welcome everyone at this event.  They do not need to be enrolled volunteers to come and learn!  Give us a shout at the District Office and we'll help you register volunteers that are not enrolled.

Please comment on the blog or send me your questions,

Kevin

RecordBook Results

District 9 4-H Recordbook judging results are being posted to the District 9 4-H Web site in "Real Time"...Go to the District 9 website to see the results as they come in...

Isn't technology COOL!!!

Kevin

For the Record

Just a quick reminder:  Recordbook judging will be held tomorrow, July 7, 2010.  We have the names of those that volunteered for the event, but the more the merrier.  If you have extra volunteers bring them along.

Judges registration and serving of refreshment will begin at 9:00 am.

Bring your best attitude and be ready to be amazed at all the "stuff" our youth have done in this past year.

See you tomorrow,
Kevin

Leadership Lab is Upon us!!!!!!!

Leadership Lab Starts next week Tuesday, June 22!!!!!

Planning for the event has gone smoothly and we are ready for Lab on most fronts, but there are a few reminders for Parents, Participants and County Extension Agents:

• Parking on Sam Houston Campus during Leadership Lab is free but you will need to pick up a parking pass at the University Police Department prior to checking in at the event.  The Police Department is located at 2424 Sam Houston Ave, Huntsville, Tx
• There are costume dances both nights at Lab - 1st night is Sharp Thinkers (nerd) 2nd night is Sharp Dressers (we will be dancing after the Banquet)
• Bring nice clothes for the banquet
• The meet and greet for council officers has been moved up in the schedule to 1:30 pm on the first day at Olson Auditorium
• Don't forget the multitude of paper work you need to bring with you ie, Medical release, code of conduct...
• Don't forget bedding and toiletries.  The dorms have beds but no sheets.

For complete details go to the D9 Web Site.  If you have questions please respond to the Blog.  I'm sure you are not the only one trying to figure things out for next week.

Take Care,
Kevin

Hurry First come First Served, for 4-H Congress!!

Texas 4-H Congress is now accepting youth 14 years of age!!!!!  We only have 5 of these slots available to District 9.

I will approve the first 5 4-H Connect Registrations for youth 14 years old that I receive.  The timing of the submission will be based on the time stamp in 4-H Connect created when the 4-Her submits their entry!

Please make this known quickly!!! After the first 5, the offer closes!

Kevin

District 9 4-H: All Work and No Play....Not With TAE4-HA

District 9 4-H: All Work and No Play....Not With TAE4-HA

New Day...New Concept

At the District 9 4-H Agent training I shared with you a concept paper for changing the way we host contest in 2011.  With a few edits and the addition of Fashion Show (they forced me to add it) I have prepared an updated document.  The document is included in the enclosure link.

Please remember this is a concept at this point, and decisions regarding district contests next year, will be made at the District 4-H Program Planning Conference on July 8, 2010.

Feel free to share this concept with leaders and 4-Hers and garner what feedback you can.

Take Care,
Kevin

Something to Chew On!

Most of you are aware of the changes in the bit rule for district and state 4-H Horse shows.  Knowing that the rules have changed and being able to communicate those changes are two very different things entirely.  Photos to the rescue!  Brett Scott and Teri Antilley have created a slide show that shows what is legal and what is not.  That slide show can be downloaded at the State 4-H Horse Show web site or you can view the slide show on line at this link.

Bits and equipment

View more presentations from Texas Agrilife Extension Service.

This slide show should help those of us with a "bit" less knowledge about "Bits" explaine what the horse should be chewing on when they enter the ring at the District Horse Show.

Take care,
Kevin

All Work and No Play....Not With TAE4-HA

I have posted a few of the photos from the fun we had at the Spring 2010 District 9 TAE4-HA meeting.  Most of the photos I have posted are from the training an Shangri La.  Feel free to post any photos you may have taken.  I know you need an account with Shutterfly, in order to upload, if there are any other tricks you need to know, we'll figure them out together.

Enjoy the photos,
Kevin

Where is the new Customer

I am linking to an article referring to the post recession customer and what they look like.  I know your are busy, but I wouldn't post it if I didn't think it was important.  If you read nothing else read the last couple of lines posted here:

"...ask yourself this BIG question: Will your new customer buy from you, or your competition?"


Our business is a competitive business.  Will the post recession kids be coming to us?


Something to think about,
Kevin


http://bit.ly/9yJYvA

Do you really want to be there?

We have entered that retrospective time of the year for the District 4-H Program.  The District contests are over and the summer activities are about to begin.  This is that time when I look back and think, "What could we have done differently?"  Unfortunately it is easy to dwell on the negative when you look back, but it is also important to remember that WE had an impact on the lives of young people with no fewer 1039 entries in district events/contests thus far.

Looking ahead, we have recordbook judging in July, which brings its own set of issues.  Many of us do not like judging recordbooks, and it's really hard to get motivated to read the books if your heart isn't in it.  That being said, as a 4-H professional, it is our duty to give this task the same amount of attention and the same level of care that we give the exciting aspects of our program.  I hope you will join me in opening your mind to the value that this type of reflection (record keeping) has on the growth of our youth.  There are few opportunities available outside of 4-H to have this type of reflective experience.

Enough FLUFF....

We still need Recordbook judges on July 7, 2010.  If we are going to get them judged in a timely manner it is going to take a lot of people.  Please talk to your strong volunteers and your Ag & FCS coworkers and encourage them to sign up for recordbook judging this year.

We can use all the help we can get,
Kevin

S.E.T. ...Did you miss it?

Did you miss the District 9 4-H Science Engineering and Technology Poster Contest? 

If you did, go to the district 9 4-H Shutterfly account to get a feel for what took place.

The young people presented some really cool displays and the committee did an outstanding job of hosting this inaugural event.  A specila thank you goes to committee members:  Sheryl Nolen, Billy Zanolini, and Starla Garlick, for making this contest a success.

Next year this may be a big event!!!!

Kevin

Social Media

Got an opinion about Social Media?  I would bet that we all do.  Some people think it is the new industrial revolution, others think it's just a new way for teens to waste time and annoy parents.  Whatever your opinion, I think you'll find the facts in this video astounding.

Volunteer Orientation

Orientation of new Volunteers is critical to their success (and ours), and in a perfect world we would make this one of our top priorities.  We all know that our world is not perfect and often times when a new volunteer needs our attention is the same time our general program is screaming for our attention:  Technology to the rescue.

Online training is not perfect, but neither are we, and in the absence of one on one training, it is a far cry better than nothing.  The Texas 4-H Volunteer Orientation Course helps us fill that gap.  Before the 4-H summer programs kick off, take a little time to see what this Online Orientation has to offer.  Next time you are in a bind to get a new volunteer started this just might be the ticket!

For instructions for registering for the course and previewing the material go to the enclosure.

For what it's worth,
Kevin

Males Needed

Please remember the Male Chaperon needs for District 9 Leadership Lab.   We must have one male adult for every 8 male youth.  The female side of the equation tends to take care of itself, but we struggle to meet the male chaperon demands.

If boys are coming to Leadership Lab from your county please make sure you have men going also.

Kevin

Silent Auction Shaping Up To Be a HIT!!!

The Texas 4-H Roundup Silent Auction is shaping up to be a HIT!!!  Can you imagine a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Suite for 20 during the 2011 Stock Show, or maybe a Ted Nugent autographed guitar is more your style.

There is even going to be items for your Red Raiders, and Tea Sips.

Help the Texas 4-H Foundation reduce the cost of future Roundups by promoting the 2010 State 4-H Roundup Silent Auction.

Gig 'em,
Kevin

Texas 4-H Outdoor Challenge

Reminder of the Texas 4-H Outdoor Challenge registration deadline of Saturday, May 22.  Please share this information with those interested.

 

The Outdoor Challenge will be held on June 17-18 in Brownwood at the 4-H Center.  More specific details about the contest (rules, costs, what to bring, etc.) can be found on our website at:

 

http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/youth/natural_resources/outdoor_challenge/index_natural_resources_outdoor_challenge.php

 

You can also get to the website from the Texas 4-H main page.  Either search for "Outdoor Challenge" or click on the "Youth" section down arrow, select "Natural Resources", and then "4-H Outdoor Challenge".

 

Kevin

Scholarship Prep

In years past I have conducted Scholarship Interview Preparation training for the 4-H Opportunity scholarship.  For a number of reasons that is not going to happen this year, but I still want our young scholars to be as competitive as they can be.  I also have confidence that each of you is more than capable of preparing your applicants to do their best in the interview.

To assist with that I am providing an agenda for the training that I provided in the past and a list of interview questions.  Over the years I have quizzed members of the scholarship selection committee and from this I have developed the resources you find attached.

Though these resources are aimed at the 4-H Opportunity scholarship I think you will find they can be expanded to multiple formats.

Good Luck Scholars,
Kevin

Congress Deadline is HERE!!!!!

The deadline for submitting Texas 4-H Congress Intent forms to the District 9 Office is Monday, May 17.

For complete details go to the D9 Website.

The short of it is this:  Every county is guaranteed one participant at Texas 4-H congress, but only if the intent form is turned in to the D9 Office.  After Monday May 17, I will begin the process of notifying standby participants of their ability to register.

Once we reach our District quota of 18, registration closes.

Don't let this one slip by you.

Kevin

All in All Done!!!!

District Contest Season is officially over.  Now we can take a deep breath and gear up for State Roundup and the summer camp season... it never ends, but that's why most of us do it.

A few of highlights from this Spring:

• Photography contest - online!!!! No photos to mount and everybody can see the entries in the contest.
• Intermediates give Reasons at Horse and Livestock Judging.  A large step forward in an area that sets us apart from FFA and develops speaking skills in our youth.
• Scientific Poster Contest is a success... There are things to tweak on this one, but the experience has us pointed in the right direction
• Food Challenge goes to State.  We hosted our 3rd or 4th food challenge contest and this year the top teams go to state competition
• Plaques set aside.  The Food and the Fashion committees ditched the plaques as awards, and found creative items for recognition - jury is still out but kids seemed to like the new ideas.

Now on to the next event(s). 

Contests currently open on 4-H Connect:

• Sate Roundup - Closes May 12, 2010
• Leadership Lab - Closes May 30, 2010
• District Horse Show - Closes June 6, 2010

More to come, but I'll let you digest this much first.

Kevin

State Youth Water Camp to be held in Monahans, Texas, from July 11 - 15, 2010.

State Youth Water Camp provides a wonderful opportunity and environment for high-school aged youth to participate in field trips, tours and hands-on group project work that relate to water-related issues and needs.  It is truly a unique and memorable experience for all who participate! 

 

This year, they're looking for 15 boys and 15 girls from all across the state of Texas to participate.  We're also looking four adults to serve as counselors and cabin directors.

For the Healthy Crowd!!! or the Healthy Wanta bees!

Don't forget this new opportunity at State 4-H Roundup!!!!

This year at Texas 4-H Roundup, youth will have the opportunity to participate in the 4-H Healthy Lifestyles Invitational.  This contest will take place on Thursday, June 10th, beginning at 9:30 am.  Intermediate and Senior 4-H members are invited to compete in the invitational, which does NOT require them to pre-qualify in a county or district contest.  The contest is a team event, with teams made up of three to four 4-H members of the same age division.

With a set-up similar to the 4-H Consumer Decision Making Contest, the 4-H Healthy Lifestyles Invitational will consist of two parts:

1.  Judging - Each participant will judge/place eight classes, individually ranking the four options provided based upon the given situation.  The eight classes will provide a situation on various healthy lifestyles topics, with class topics being:
Nutritious Snacks/Meals
Physical Activity
Tobacco
Emergency Preparedness/First Aid
Food Safety
Nutritious Beverage Choices
Pre-Game Meals
Altering Recipes

2.  Public Speaking (Seniors only) - Each senior team will have 30 minutes to prepare a presentation on the healthy lifestyles topic addressed in one of the classes.  The class topic to be addressed in the presentation will be designated by contest officials and announced during the participant orientation.

Written Reasons (Intermediates only) - Each intermediate team will have 30 minutes to provide written reasons for one class, designated by contest officials.  A written reasons worksheet is available in the healthy lifestyles invitational packet.

More about the 4-H Healthy Lifestyles Invitational can be found in the attached document and online at: http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/youth/roundup/index.php

Two online seminars have also been conducted to provide an overview of the invitational.  You can access the recorded Centra online by searching for "healthy lifestyles invitational."

If you have any questions contact Courtney Dodd.

Texas 4-H Standard

Don't forget the Texas 4-H Standard.

This news letter goes out monthly to every family email address in 4-H Connect.  This does a couple things, one, it saves you time and energy trying to make sure you have announced all state opportunities; two, it means that you need to read it because your families have read it.

No sense in lamenting the past, this is the future of communication in 4-H, so we need to look for ways to embrace it, and make it work for us.

• Make sure we have all families entered in to 4-H Connect so they all get a copy of the Texas 4-H Standard
• Quit trying to be the expert in all things 4-H!  Know what the state opportunities are and then rely on publications like the standard to provide the details
• Link to it...Whenever possible link to this type of information rather than recreating it.

Tools like the Texas 4-H Standard can make our life easier.

For what its worth,

Kevin

District 9 4-H Photo Results are Posted

The District 9 4-H Photography results are posted at http://district94h.shutterfly.com/


At this website you will find all of the District Photography entries and a separate tab with photos from the District 9 4-H Food Challenge.


Special thanks go to your Photography Contest Co-Chairs, Misty Young, and Shelley Pappas for taking on the challenge of moving this contest on-line.


Enjoy the slide show,
Kevin

State 4-H Dog Show

The State 4-H Dog Show is available for registration on 4-H Connect until May 21, 2010.  Make sure your dog groups are aware of this opportunity.

Also say a small prayer for Michelle Mihalek of Montgomery County.  Michelle is serving as the State 4-H Dog Show Chairman.

Way to go Michelle!!!!

How can I tell???

How can you tell if a child (your child) is using drugs or alcohol? It is difficult because changes in mood or attitudes, unusual temper outbursts, changes in sleeping habits and changes in hobbies or other interests are common in teens. What should you look for?
You can also look for signs of depression, withdrawal, carelessness with grooming or hostility. Also ask yourself, is your child doing well in school, getting along with friends, taking part in sports or other activities?

• Changes in friends
• Negative changes in schoolwork, missing school, or declining grades
• Increased secrecy about possessions or activities
• Use of incense, room deodorant, or perfume to hide smoke or chemical odors
• Subtle changes in conversations with friends, e.g. more secretive, using “coded” language
• Change in clothing choices: new fascination with clothes that highlight drug use
• Increase in borrowing money
• Evidence of drug paraphernalia such as pipes, rolling papers, etc.
• Evidence of use of inhalant products (such as hairspray, nail polish, correction fluid, common household products); Rags and paper bags are sometimes used as accessories
• Bottles of eye drops, which may be used to mask bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils
• New use of mouthwash or breath mints to cover up the smell of alcohol
• Missing prescription drugs—especially narcotics and mood stabilizers

Drug use is a difficult topic to approach and talking to teens about drug use is not easy.  For tips on communicating to teens, and for information for parents consider going to:  Parents. The Anti Drug!

Take Care,

Kevin

State Roundup Registration is Open and there are a couple of things you should know

State 4-H Roundup is open on 4-H Connect for entry, and will close shortly after the District 9 Fashion Show, May 12, 2010.

Of equal importance for you to know is that State 4-H Roundup is set up as two separate events in 4-H Connect:

1st: 2010 State 4-H Roundup Senior/Adult (Full time senior youth, full time adults, one-day pass youth and one-day adults)
2nd: 2010 State 4-H Roundup - Intermediate Youth (only full time intermediate youth)

Basically the intermediate invitational events are set up in a separate Roundup Registration Area inside of 4-H Connect.  Keep this in mind as you try to assist 4-Hers with registration.

Kevin

Registration is open on 4-H Connect for the Texas 4-H Outdoor Challenge being held June 17-18 in Brownwood. Registration will remain open through May 22. Please refer to the contest website for more information, or call Derrick Brutton at 972.952.9256.

Shooting Sports Goes Viral for Montgomery County

You neighbors are doing something good and the media has caught hold of it.  The shooting sports program in Montgomery county may not truly be going viral, but they have had some great pub.  We could only wish for this kind of publicity across the district.

Take a look at what the Houston Media has to say:
 http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=7394601

Congratulations Montgomery County!!!!!

An interesting way to look at our market - Youth

Watch the video to the end and you decide which direction is correct?

Support the Texas 4-H Center

Now you have a new way to be a part of Texas 4-H's success! During the month of April, join 4-H's Give2Vote Challenge by texting CLOVER to 50555 to give $10 to support capital improvements at the Texas 4-H Conference Center. You can also "vote" for your state by clicking here to make a secure online donation at 4-H.org to benefit the Texas 4-H program.  Click the "Find My Program" button and select Texas then 4-H Youth Development for Texas AgriLife Extension.

Each $10 mobile gift or online donation during the month of April counts as one vote towards your state. The state with the most votes at the end of the challenge receives an additional $5,000. It's that easy!

All Texas proceeds from this National 4-H Council fundraising effort will support capital improvements and repairs at the Texas 4-H Conference Center in Brownwood, TX.

A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. You will also receive up to 1 message per day from National 4-H Council Alerts. Msg&Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of National 4-H Council by the mGive Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.mGive.com/A. To unsubscribe text STOP to 50555, for help text HELP to 50555. Privacy policy available at http://mgive.com/PrivacyPolicy.aspx

The 7 jabits of highly effective writers by Daphne Gray-Grant

For those of you working on Masters Thesis, Disertations, or just trying to keep up with scholarly work, Daphne Gray-Grant, offers some great tips about writing....Read on.


Have you ever wondered why some people write easily and fluently, while others struggle and strain as if trying to squeeze a 185-lb body into a size six pair of jeans? In 30 years at this trade, I've noticed that effective writers tend to share seven traits. So, with apologies to Stephen Covey, here is my list.

Effective writers ...

1) Separate the writing and the editing processes. When they write, they write, not worrying about the quality of their work. Writer/director Cecil Castellucci says: "The best flowers are fertilized by crap." Remember this and give yourself permission to write a crummy first draft.
Editing is a job for later. That's when you'll have plenty of time to rearrange big chunks of text, monkey around with sentence structure, obsess over word choice and fix punctuation.

2) Focus on the interesting. Effective writers (and speakers) always tell lots of stories. If they have to communicate something "theoretical," they illustrate it with real life examples and anecdotes. They know that human beings don't just crave food-they are also starved for stories.

Want better results? Make your content likable and linkable - by Jeremy Porter

This brief article by Jeremy Porter, of Journalistics.com is targeted toward authors that write on-line, But wait!!!  Before you hit the delete button because you do not write for online distribution, think about how people access your 4-H newsletter.  Some get it in the mail, many of them get it through your county website, and wouldn't it be great if people new to our program saw the newsletter because of a viral link to the content we produced.

Whether or not you write for the internet, I think you'll find Porter's insights useful in the writing you do.


Want better results? Make your content likable and linkable
By Jeremy Porter
Like a great unpublished novel on a closet shelf, your terrific writing might not be reaching its audience

If there's one area where journalists and public relations professionals are in complete agreement, it's around writing quality. Whether you're writing articles, blog posts, e-mails or subject lines, great writing trumps all.
If your writing is exceptional, more of your articles will get read-and more of your pitches will be spared from the delete button. Unfortunately, great writing skills are only half the equation today. If you want to drive results with your content, your writing needs to be engaging, interesting, relevant and compelling, but also linkable.

Linkable content is about writing content people will want to link to. Content they will share with others, who in turn share with others. This is how your content goes viral and reaches the maximum number of people possible. Isn't that what you're writing for in the first place? It should be.

If you're not doing so already, evaluate the content you're producing on a regular basis in terms of its potential appeal to your audience, as well as how easy it is to share across multiple channels. If you only have a basic understanding of this concept, here is some additional food for thought that might help:

* If you write for a newspaper or other print publication, do your articles also appear online? Are the articles available to any visitor to the site for free, or do users need to subscribe or register to read the articles? If the latter, you're limiting your audience. Encourage management to break down the barriers.
A good example of this point is PRWeek, my top source of news for the PR industry. There is so much good content I would love to share with other people, as well as discussions I'd like to engage in, but the subscription wall stops much of this from happening. People are less likely to share content their readers will have to jump through hoops to access it.

* If you write and distribute press releases, do you write them as a journalist would write a story? Do you answer the who, what, when, where, why and how in your release? Do you avoid industry jargon and gobbledygook that is so commonly used in releases these days? Would you want to write about the release if you were a journalist?

* If you do have a newsworthy press release, do you distribute your news on a wire service? Do you also format your release for social media consumption, using a social media release platform such as PitchEngine ? Do you blog about your own news on your site and provide an easy way for your readers to comment, share and link to your post? Your blog might reach more readers than the publicity you generate-don't overlook this option.
And finally, do you tweet about your news on the day it goes out and update your other statuses across social networks? The list goes on and on. If you're not doing most of these things, you could be missing out on thousands of readers.

* Back to the journalism side of the equation, do you share links to your recent articles across these channels? You can't rely on search engine visitors, e-mail and RSS subscribers and your friends and family to pass the word along. You need to get your content into the hands of as many people as possible.

* What are you doing to help people find your content beyond these suggestions? Do you optimize all your content for search engines? If you're not using descriptive page titles, descriptive permalinks, meta descriptions, meta keywords, alt image text and headers to your advantage, you might be missing out on thousands of people searching for the topics you're writing about.

* Include options for sharing. Make it easy for people to tweet about your content, to share your content via social bookmarking sites, or to e-mail your content to their friends. This may sound like common sense to a lot of you, but more often than not, great content goes unnoticed because it's not presented in a format that is easy to discover and share. Writing great, likable content is only half the battle. Today, if you want to get noticed and rack up the results for your hard work, you need to make it easy for your readers to find and share your content.

How are you making it easy for people to find and share your content? What steps do you take to ensure your content is as good as it can possibly be? Jeremy Porter is a veteran public relations professional with more than 10 years of experience developing and managing strategic public relations programs for clients. He is the founder of Journalistics.com .

This is cool for the photo buffs!

Are you looking to take your 4-H Photography group to the next level?

BBC Wildlife is opening its Photo Masterclass archive. The series covers everything about shooting pictures outdoors. This includes time-of-day considerations, wildlife portrait settings, and shooting underwater.


This archive of information is an awesome resource for the 4-H photography leader or the 4-Her interested in a little self study about photography.


Take Care,
Kevin

State Recordbook Judging

I know it feels early to be talking about State 4-H Recordbook Judging (we haven't sent out the District information yet) but we do need to put some thought into the judging process, and more specifically who will be judging at State.

The south region will be judging on August 11, 2010 at the Victoria County 4-H Activity Center.  As in years past there will be 4 judging locations.  In the south we will be judging the following categories:
Aquatic Science
Entomology
Photography
Plants and Animals Open Category
Poultry
Range Management
Shooting Sports
Swine
Veterinary Science

Each of you is invited to judge State 4-H Recordbooks, and any qualified leaders from your county are also invited.  To express your intention to judge, all you need to do is fill out this simple form.

I'll put your name on the list and send it to the State 4-H Office and we will awaite confirmation.

Ultimatly we need 8 to 10 judges from our district.

If you have questions drop me a line.

Take Care,
Kevin

District 9 4-H Leader College - Sneak Peek

The District 9 4-H Leader College Committee has met and here is a sneak peek into the plans for the August 14, 2010 event.

The plan is to host the event in the Huntsville area.  Kristi Titzman is providing leadership for finding a location.

We are adding a 4-H Officer Training to the agenda.
The District 9 4-H Council Officers will host workshops in the afternoon to prepare 4-H club officers for their upcoming role.  Some counties may see this as a substitute for county level officer training, but more likely you will see this as an opportunity to send your county council officers and have them glean information for a club officer training at home.  Either way, this is going to be a youth teaching youth activity.  The District 9 Council Officers will be leading these sessions.

Topics we plan to offer include:
Fashion Story Board
Leaders 4 Life
Consumer Decision Making
Healthy Lifestyles Sweepstakes
FCS (food and fashion) Community Service
Share the Fun
Dog Project
Rabbits
Poultry
Meat Science
Entomology
4-H Connect for you (focused on Club Managers)
Nuts and Bolts of Recordbooks
4-H Opportunity Scholarship
Wildlife Skill-a-thon

If you have a passion for one of these topics and would like to volunteer your services, let us know.  The committee asks that you also start talking about the event early.  The goal is 200 or more leaders in 2010 at the event.

Any other ideas to make this event even more successful are welcome.  Feel free to post them here.
Kevin

Dog Project Opportunity for Volunteers

We are need of some adult volunteers to serve on Dog show committees.  We are needing volunteers (agents and/or leaders) for the following committees: facilities, awards, management, tabulation, marketing, set-up/clean-up, registration, risk management, and publicity.

 

Volunteers are also needed to serve on the NEW Dog Project Advisory Committee.  Applications are below along with a description of the roles and responsibilities of the committee.

If you or any of your volunteers are interested in the exciting area please let me know or go to the State 4-H Web Site and complete the Dog Project Advisory Committee Application.

Michelle Mihalek

District 9 4-H Discover Scientific Method Research Poster Guidelines

The Rules and Guidelines for this contest are now posted on the D9 Website!

Good luck with the research projects!
Kevin

Taking a new perspective on old tasks

Excerpt from: Twice as Much in Half the Time,
by Amy Jones

What does it mean to manage your time (and life) better? Simply put, it means to live your life in such a way that you are able to accomplish more, so that at the end of each day you can realize measurable results and enjoy a sense of fulfillment. This often involves learning to do things differently so that the outcomes are more efficient and effective (and even less time-consuming) than before. After reading from countless resources and speaking to over half a million people on the subject of time management, I have come up with a simple truth. Learning to manage your life and your time isn't rocket science. Anyone can do it! In fact, it is often the simple things you can do that will make profound differences. Sometimes you even have to go backward in order to go forward; so let's go back-to-basics with this example.

First, grab a pencil and paper. Think back to the time you started school, all the way back to kindergarten. One of the first things you learned was how to identify shapes. Next you learned to draw them. On that sheet of paper I want you to do something very simple. Draw one triangle. That was simple, wasn't it? Now, draw as many triangles as you can in twenty seconds. Stop. Count how many you were able to draw. Write down that number. Do you think there might be another way to complete this activity and draw more in less time?

Start at one side of the paper and draw connected W's all the way across the page. Now put a line across the top and the bottom. See how many you can draw in twenty seconds using this method. Wow, that creates a lot of triangles! In only a few seconds you have learned to do this activity more efficiently and effectively in a much shorter amount of time. A seemingly insignificant change can make a significant difference in what can be accomplished in a given amount of time. In fact, you most likely made up to four or five times as many triangles the second time around.

What if you could do four or five times your sales volume by making a simple change? Or what if you could get four or five times as much done each day by making a simple change? Would that work for you?

If so, always be on the lookout for "new" ways to do "old" things, and keep your mind open to using alternative methods and plans of action.

4-H FCS 101

The Texas 4-H and Youth Development Program places great value on the 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences projects. These projects expose 4-H members to the academic disciplines of family and consumer science and help them gain valuable skills and knowledge that can be applied to daily life. These projects also teach leadership skills.

Under the 4-H FCS 101 Initiative, resources and training have been developed to support new county Extension agents (Family and Consumer Science and 4-H and Youth Development). The purpose of this resource guide is to help agents understand the 4-H Family and Consumer Science projects and how to manage them. 

OK, that was the official mantra regarding 4-H FCS 101 here is what you need to know.  The information designed to help new FCS agents is also "good stuff" for the seasoned employee.  At the 4-H FCS 101 website you will find quick giudes with the essentials to managing each of the FCS projects and guides to conducting things like the county food show or fashion show.

For some of you this may be "old hat" but I'll bet at the very least you'll find something that makes your 4-H FCS programing a little easier.

Happy cooking,

Kevin

Food Challenge Photos

Hey it's been a while since the D9 Food Show and Food Challenge, but it's not to late to share photos from the event.... Plenty of time to get the photos for the Recordbook.

Since the District is now using Shutterfly for the photography contest, it made since to use this service for sharing district photos from events.  The old photobucket site is not going away, we are just transitioning to using this new Shutterfly account.

The website I have linked to is open to the world so post responsibly.  If you have a shutterfly account you can receive notices when pictures are added.

Smile,
Kevin

Outdoor Challenge

Agents should have seen the email from Derrick Brutton regarding the upcoming Wildlife Challenge Webinar.

What may not have been obvious is that this webinar is also available for Volunteers.
We are all busy, and keeping up with all of the 4-H opportunities is almost impossible, so don't try.
Forward this one directly to volunteers and let them tell you what's going on.

Here is the original note from Derrick Brutton:

I wanted to take a brief moment and re-introduce you to the Texas 4-H Outdoor Challenge.  It is a great summertime contest for 4-H members to showcase their knowledge and skills in outdoor education projects.  Think of it like a decathlon, but instead of hurdles and long jumps, it has events like wildlife ID, shooting sports, sportfishing, and the like.  Also, instead of competing as an individual, members pair up with a buddy and earn points as a team as they work through the various challenges.

 

To learn more about this year's contest, please join in on Tuesday, March 23 at 10 a.m. for a brief webinar overview of the contest.  This will also be a great time to have any questions you might have answered.

 

Centra link:  http://165.95.250.7/GA/main/0000004764a100000123527bb461b1ce

Let me know if you have any questions regarding the Wildlife Challenge,

Kevin

District Shooting Sports Contest Change

The District 9 4-H Shooting Sports Contest is open on 4-H Connect and is available for entry.  Summaries of teams and individuals are due in the District 9 Office by March 29, 2010.  Entry deadline on line for youth, is April 4, 2010.

Now for the changes:

• There will no longer be an open division for competition.  Counties can enter as many teams and individuals as they like in the "Qualifying" division, which negates the need for an open division.
• Counties will need to enter a team name for each person entering the contest so we can determine how to group the scores on the day of the contest.  The system will ask you for a team name even if the kid is not on a team (I can't fix this).  If the child is not on a team, just state that in the blank for team name.

Take Care,
Kevin

SET and Forestry Opportunity

The forests of the southern United States are a vital natural asset for the region, the country, and the world. Southern Forests for the Future seeks to raise awareness about this important natural resource and the ecosystem services forests provide, such as fresh water, timber and recreation. You can learn more about these forests by exploring data, maps, and other information to highlight key features and trends for southern forests.

All of this can feed into a research project for a young person interested in Forestry and considering the SET initiative...I think we are calling it a poster contest in D9.

To see more and to share with youth go to:  http://www.seesouthernforests.org/

Wildlife...The 4-H kind of wildlife

District 9 4-H will be hosting a Wildlife Skill-a-thon during District Roundup!!!!

Before you roll your eyes and say how can I support another contest, I would like to share with you what our plan is.

Yes we will be hosting a Wildlife Skill-a-Thon "Contest" but the format will be appropriate for those young people that are interested in wildlife as well as competitive in the subject area.

We will work hard to make sure that youth with little to no experience with wildlife learn what this contest is all about and go home with a positive experience.

In short, if you have kids that want to try this out, but have not taken the time to study and become proficient, SIGN 'EM UP. Aaron Sumrall and the crew running this contest will make sure they learn something!

Please promote this opportunity to the general 4-H population and especially your shooting sports, and field and stream groups.

Take Care,
Kevin

The Qualities of Skillful Leadership by Jim Rohn

If you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills, and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manager, as a parent. I call leadership the great challenge of life.

What's important in leadership is refining your skills. All great leaders keep working on themselves until they become effective. Here are some specifics:

1) Learn to be strong but not rude. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable leader with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It's not even a good substitute.

2) Learn to be kind but not weak. We must not mistake kindness for weakness. Kindness isn't weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. We must be kind enough to tell somebody the truth. We must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. We must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.

3) Learn to be bold but not a bully. It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you've got to walk in front of your group. You've got to be willing to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem, discover the first sign of trouble.

4) You've got to learn to be humble, but not timid. You can't get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. Humility is almost a God-like word. A sense of awe. A sense of wonder. An awareness of the human soul and spirit. An understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life. Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we're part of the stars. So humility is a virtue; but timidity is a disease. Timidity is an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem.

5) Be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride to win the day. It takes pride to build your ambition. It takes pride in community. It takes pride in cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming a good leader is being proud without being arrogant. In fact I believe the worst kind of arrogance is arrogance from ignorance. It's when you don't know that you don't know. Now that kind of arrogance is intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we can tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that's just too much to take.

6) Develop humor without folly. That's important for a leader. In leadership, we learn that it's okay to be witty, but not silly. It's okay to be fun, but not foolish.

7) Growth.  Don’t join an easy crowd. You won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform and achieve are high.

Lastly, deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony. Just accept life like it is. Life is unique. Some people call it tragic, but I'd like to think it's unique. The whole drama of life is unique. It's fascinating. And I've found that the skills that work well for one leader may not work at all for another. But the fundamental skills of leadership can be adapted to work well for just about everyone: at work, in the community, and at home.

Recognizing Two Great Volunteers!!!!

Each year District 9 has the opportunity to recognize two of our finest 4-H volunteers on the state level as Salute to Excellence Awards Winners.  These two honorees are given special recognition during State 4-H Roundup at a ceremony in the George Bush Presidential Library.

We only get to recognize two, so there is a selection process.  First we encourage you to submit a nomination for both of your most previous County Outstanding Leader Award Winners.  In addition to this we encourage you to submit nominations at large on any other Adult Leaders in your program that deserve state wide recognition.

The nominations are due on March 12, 2010, in the District 9 Office.  For complete volunteer award program details and nomination forms go to: 

http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/volunteers/recognition_volunteer/index_recognition_volunteer.php#handbook

If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, give us a shout,

Kevin

Bang Bang!!!

Did you know we had a shooting sports workshop scheduled in District 9?  I'm not sure I did either, but the good news is, if you haven't yet promoted the workshop the date change will not affect you much.

The new date for the District 9 4-H Shooting Sports Workshop is September 18-19, 2010.  The training will be held at the Fort Bend County 4-H Shooting range.

Look for registration information as the date draws nearer.

Take Care,
Kevin

Children in Crisis - America in Crisis: Obesity

Being Extension professionals we all work with children, and we know we make a difference.  Though we often find that the difference we make, can not be seen immediately.  When it comes to diet, nutrition and exercise the difference we make may not  be immediate, but it can certainly be measured, and the results are visible.

I know I'm not the picture of health nor am I qualified to teach any of you about healthy lifestyles, but I can see with my own eyes that our nation is in crisis, when it comes to the health of our children.  I am also part of the generation that is leaving to our children the potential for a shorter average life span than that of their grandparents.  All of this because we (Americans) are not doing enough to educate youth about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.  And we are not doing enough to create healthy eating habits among our youth.

We have many of the answers to the problem in Extension.   We also have the opportunity to see the results of our efforts by pursuing educational programs that create healthy eating habits in children.

If you are looking for the motivation to include healthy lifestyles in your programing efforts, take the time to watch this video.  I think you will find information here that is both inspiring and transformational.

For what it's worth,
Kevin

Act now for more information about the Dog Project

Shelley Pappas and the Fort Bend County Office of the Texas Agrilife Extension Service is hosting an informational meeting regarding the dog project on Saturday, February 20th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Please RSVP by contacting Shelley Pappas by Thursday, February 18th!!!

Expansion of the program is always on our mind, and companion animals (dogs) may be the ticket to reaching new audiences.

Please share this opportunity with coworkers and interested leaders.

Kevin

Is the next 4-H Idol in Your County

Well it's not the 4-H Idol competition but it could be.  It's the 4-H Has Talent Competition.

The first ever 4-H Has Talent Competition will provide ten youth the opportunity to compete for a cash prize at the Wednesday night assembly in front of all of their peers. To make this event even more interactive, the audience will have the opportunity to select the winner via texting, just like on American Idol. For more information on how to submit entries please visit the following link http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/library/files/4-HHasTalent.pdf .

Please note the deadline for entry submissions is March 19, 2010.

Please remind your people of this neat opportunity!!!!

One for Support Staff

I think the 4-H support staff across the district will find this tidbit useful.

Derrick Bruton has created another instructional video (the man is good with a computer).  This video shows you how to use the 4-H Connect calendar feature with your TECO website.  If we are going to use computers, we might as well use 'em smarter.

Kevin

18 Random Rules of Life

18 Random Rules of Life shared by Michael Josephson of the Josephson Institute for Ethics.  There is something in this list for everyone.

1. Find the lesson in every failure and you’ll never fail.
2. The likelihood that you’re right is not increased by the intensity of your conviction.
3. Real friends help you feel worthy and make you want to be better.
4. When you’re in a hole, stop digging.
5. Don’t confuse fun with fulfillment or pleasure with happiness.
6. Refusing to let go of a grudge is refusing to use the key that will set you free.
7. Hating hurts you more than the person you hate.
8. Counting on luck is counting on random chance. Your odds are much better when you plan and work.
9. Being kind is better than being clever.
10. Don’t underestimate the power of persistence.
11. The easy way is rarely the best way.
12. It’s much easier to burst someone else’s bubble than to blow up your own.
13. You can’t avoid pain, but you can avoid suffering.
14. Self-pity is a losing strategy. It repels others and weakens you.
15. Shortcuts usually produce short success.
16. Control your attitude or it will control you.
17. It’s more important to be significant than successful.
18. The world is waiting for you to heal it.

Scholarship Applications Due Feb 12

Please do not forget that 4-H Opportunity Scholarship Applications are due in the District 9 Office Friday, February 12, 2010.  If you put the application in the mail on Friday WE CAN'T GET IT ON FRIDAY.

We will be reviewing all submitted applications on Monday, February 15, 2010.  If you are in a jam and need extra time to get the application to us, plan on driving it to our office first thing Monday morning.  This is all the room we can fudge on the deadline!!!!

Good luck to all your 4-H Scholars!
Kevin

District Roundup

Information regarding District 9 4-H Roundup now posted on the District 9 Web Site.

Note we have added the wildlife challenge, and quiz bowl participation is open for youth participating in presentations and share the fun.

This will require some flexibility the day of the event but I think we can make it work.  We will also be addressing the length of  Share the Fun by organizing a more detailed working order.  Once entries come in, we will send to the District a list of start times for Share the Fun Acts.  This should keep us on track.

Wow! 2010 started so fast I think I missed January.

Take care, and let me know if you have any questions,
Kevin