Oahu 4-H - Newsletters

Mele Kalikimaka 4-Hers! The holiday season is here, and for many of us, that means a break from work and school. Rest up everyone!

The Communication’s Fair workshop held at W.R. Farrington High School last month was well received by those in attendance. The Friday evening traffic proved to be a bit of a challenge for some, but the twenty-five members and leaders had a great time. Our Oahu County President Farin Fukunaga encouraged all members to participate in this leadership development competition.

Our guest speakers - 4-H members, Cindy Bui and Dwayne-Marie Edades conducted an interactive fun workshop for all of us. Cindy taught everyone the SMILE method to overcome speech anxiety and Dwayne-Marie had everyone on their feet practicing the 5 Ps! Everyone enjoyed the refreshments of curried chicken sandwiches, fresh fruit kabobs, and pumpkin spice bars. One of the attendees commented; “Very well put together, I learned a lot.” We hope that the workshop gave the 4-Hers the confidence to enter the Communication Fair on December 10, 2011. See you there!

The SMILE method to overcome speech anxiety
Stand tall
Make it fun
Ignore mistakes
Loud and clear
Eye contact

The 5 P’s to giving a good speech
Projection
Pronunciation
Poise
Personality
Practice

The new 4-H year just started but it’s not too early to look through your record books and see what you can do to set your goals of what you want to accomplish this 4-H year. As you make your plans, keep in mind whatever you do and participate throughout the year, think of where you can put the information in your record books.

There two divisions for record books are junior (9 to 13) and senior (14 and older). If you are submitting the State record book, then all your information should be for the current 4-H year (August 2011 to July 2012). It is important that you fill out the life skills section with what you learned in your project. For example, if you participated in the Communication Fair, look on the previous page of the record book and there is a listing of life skills under the headings: Head…Heart...Hand…Health. Select a life skill, so for Communication Fair a life skill can be communicating. How did you practice/Learned or Acquired This Life Skill, you would fill in prepared a demonstration on how to make milk shakes. Under comments, you can put I learned how to show and tell through my demonstration. Another life skill can be planning and organizing. Under How You Practice you can put I learned how to organize my speech and my supplies. Under comments you can put, I practiced and practice which I was awarded first place. You may have more than one life skill for each project.

As a senior 4-Her, you may enter the Portfolio which is the same as the record book. When you fill out the Portfolio you may add information from all the years you were a 4-H member. Entering the Portfolio along with a resume’ may qualify you a trip to the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia.
I assisted Dr. Halina Zaleski and Dr. Brent Buckley with judging the Livestock record books for the Livestock awards. I was impressed with a couple of the record books but there were other record books that showed that 4-H’ers needed assistance with filling out their records. I talked with Dr. Zaleski and we decided that we could offer a record book training for the 4-Hers. Keeping accurate and updated records are very important life skills to learn. It is time consuming, but in the long run when you start to fill out applications for college or a job, the record keeping information will be very helpful. I was impressed with almost all the record books submitted for the State Livestock judging because they were all intact in one folder.

Anyone who needs help with filling out their portfolio, please call me at 622-4185.

The 2012 food show theme will be “Eat Local. Eat Healthy.” To support this year’s theme, we have changed a category to “Vegetarian”. Every culture in the world offers flavorful dishes that do not include red meats. Did you know that there are different types of vegetarians? Some eat dairy products, eggs, seafood and poultry. The options are endless.

A bright sunny day at the Pearl City Urban Garden Center welcomed twelve 4-H clubs ready to give back to their community. On November 11, many 4-H clubs decided to get together and meet one another, while making care packages for the homeless. To prepare everyone for the day of packing, club members brought dishes for a potluck brunch. It ranged from pancakes and fried rice, to chicken and ham. There was so much delicious food, some had to take home boxes of food!
After brunch, all of the kids went to the classroom to stuff the donated recyclable bags. In all, 44 bags were filled with non-perishable food, personal care, cleaning, and clothing items. With all the clubs donations, there was a whopping 625 total items! Also, congratulations to the Clover J’s Livestock club for donating the most items per member! Woohoo!! J The bags were taken to the Institute for Human Services where they were so grateful for the contributions. We also got a little tour of the gardens when we finished packing, learning all about the different plants that grow there.

Thanks to all the clubs in attendance: Pearl City Cloverbuds, Clover J’s Livestock Club, Clover Kids, Just Us, Keyblade Bearers, Koolauloa 4H Livestock, 808, Fur feathers, and Fins, Livestock Wranglers, Rabbiteers of Oahu, 4-H Seekers, West Side, and the Warriors. I’m sure we all made new friends and had a wonderful time helping others. Good job 4Hers, we really helped out!!

Dr. Catherine Woteki, Chief Scientist Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics at the US Department of Agriculture visited the Fort Shafter Youth Center on Thursday, November 10, 2011. Dr. Woteki was in Hawaii taking part in APEC and requested to observe a military 4-H club in action. Besides receiving a nice guided tour provided by youth center participants, Dr. Woteki and her press secretary not only spent time with one 4-H club but took part in three different club activities, thanks to the efforts of Mr. Peter Tedtaotao, Fort Shafter Youth Center director, his dedicated staff and the support of Mr. Nelson Acosta, director at AMR Teen Center and his staff.

Fort Shafter 4-H club leaders Kelley Thomas and Wendy Nakayama-Therault led the Health club in a nutrition trivia activity while Cloverbud club leaders Shylla Grubb and Sharissa Fruean Gafa had the Cloverbuds involved in a hand washing activity. Aliamanu Middle School & Teen 4-H club leader Maria Tobin’s cooking club joined forces with Fort Shafter 4-H teens to demonstrate their healthy snack preparation skills.

Accompanying Dr. Woteki on her visit was Dr. Sylvia Yuen, Dean of CTAHR and our three Associate Deans, Dr. Ken Grace, Dr. Charly Kinoshita and Dr. Carl Evensen. Debra Blanchard, Hawaii Army CYS director was also on hand to greet the visitors.

Our 4-H Cooking Club in Kwajalein has reported that one of their first activities of the new 4-H year has been to prepare Native American Flat Bread.

4-H club leader Micah Johnson explained to the 4-H’ers that what made their version of flat bread a "healthier" choice is that normally Native American Flat bread is deep fried in oil (Native American Fry Bread is the correct name) and topped with powdered sugar and honey. Instead the Kwajalein 4-H’ers omitted the deep frying and had a choice of healthier toppings such as: whole pinto and/or black beans, salsa, or cheese.

While making the flat bread the club members listened to Native American music and to promote physical activity, Ms. Micah taught the children a Native American dance (the Rain Dance). Ms. Micah got the idea to incorporate the rain dance into the cooking club because she believes that healthy cooking "should" coincide with learning about exercising. She said, "Dance is a great way to have fun while exercising! November was Native American heritage month and I thought it would be fun to learn how to do a real Native American dance".

Overall, the club members had a blast! They loved the flat bread, the music and the dancing!

4-H items are still available. Contact Wanda W. Kohashi, at wkohashi@hawaii.edu to place an order.

EngineerGirl! 2012 Essay Contest

The National Academy of Engineering’s EngineerGirl! is pleased to announce their annual Essay Contest. Students are asked to write about the role of engineering in providing safe and nutritious food. Details and rules can be found on the EngineerGirl! website: http://www.engineergirl.org/CMS/Contest/food2012.aspx.

Participation is open to both girls and boys in grades 3-12 and submissions must be entered by 6:00 pm (EST) on March 1, 2012. All winning entries will be published on the EngineerGirl! website and winners will receive cash prizes: first place winners $500, second place winners $250, third place winners $100. The 2012 EngineerGirl! Essay Contest was made possible by the generous support of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

The EngineerGirl! website is designed to spark the curiosity of young people, girls in particular, and encourage them to consider careers in engineering. EngineerGirl! provides career descriptions, profiles of successful women engineers, information about exciting engineering projects, and interactive tools for girls, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors, all designed to encourage girls to pursue an engineering education and career. Launched in 2001, the site is visited by more than 18,000 unique visitors a month and has been featured by the Girl Scouts of America, the Society of Women Engineers, and local and national media in the United States and around the world. The #1 website on Google for “girls + engineering,” Engineer Girl! is a trusted and entertaining resource for young girls, parents, educators, and volunteer engineers involved in student outreach. In a 2011 poll, girls’ reported that viewing the EngineerGirl! website or participating in its annual essay contest caused 63% of them to consider a career in engineering and 81% to consider studying engineering in college. Please visit www.engineergirl.org to learn more.
MLK Day of Service

MLK Day of Service - January 16, 2012

Each year, Americans across the country come together on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service to serve their neighbors and strengthen their communities. Find more information below about MLK Day Grants and MLK Day Webinars.

2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

The 2012 Honor Roll will accept applications in two categories for service performed during the 2010-2011 academic year: (1) General Community Service recognizes the quality of, quantity of, and commitment to community service initiatives at a college or university. (2) Special Focus Area recognizes exemplary initiatives aligned with the President's education and innovation priorities. CNCS will select six institutions - three from each category - as Presidential Award winners. All higher education institutions are welcome to apply. The winners will be announced on March 12, 2012 at the American Council on Education (ACE) Conference in Los Angeles. http://bit.ly/pjrNoL

Sodexo Youth Grants

YSA will award 100 Sodexo Youth Grants of $500 each to support youth-led service projects in the United States that address the issue of childhood hunger on Global Youth Service Day (April 20-22, 2012). We're looking for projects that engage your peers, friends, families, neighbors, Sodexo employees, and other community members in creative, youth-inspired solutions to ending childhood hunger in your community. Over 17 million children in the United States live at risk of hunger. YSA and Sodexo are calling on young people, ages 5-25, to help make sure your peers don't have to worry about where their next meal will come from. Learn more at: www.YSA.org/grants/sodexoyouth

National STEM Video Game Challenge

Inspired by President Obama's Educate to Innovate Campaign, the National STEM Video Game Challenge is designed to motivate interest in STEM learning among America's youth by tapping into students' natural passion for playing and making video games. The contest is open to middle and high school students, college students, and educators. Deadline March 12, 2012. For more information, check out http://stemchallenge.org/

2012-12 National 4-H GIS/GPS Leadership Team

National 4-H Headquarters is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2012-13 National 4-H GIS/GPS Leadership Team to continue the progress of 4-H community mapping. State/LGU 4-H programs are invited to submit an application for a team of teen 4-H members (minimum age 14) and adult GIS/GPS leaders for this national 4-H leadership opportunity.

Responsibilities, requirements and other details are included in the attached application. Participation includes a trip to San Diego to attend the 2012 Esri International GIS Conference with a hands-on GIS/GPS service project day at the Tijuana Slough U.S. Fish & Wildlife refuge in late July. Teams are responsible for securing their own funding for this trip. Teams considering this opportunity are encouraged to explore potential funding opportunities in advance of submitting their application.

Enhancing Global Perspectives American Youth Leadership Program with Mongolia

The American Youth Leadership Program with Mongolia will offer 28 youth and 5 adults the opportunity to explore the vast historical and cultural traditions of Mongolia. The four week exchange program will begin mid June and complete mid July, 2012. The educational theme during the exchange will focus on environmental issues that are common to the western U.S. and Mongolia. Youth and adult participants will be selected from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Hawaii, Alaska and Wyoming.

4-H Power of Youth

For additional articles on 4-H youth development nationwide, check out the National 4-H Clover Corner News at http://www.4hblogs.org/ccn/

If you have a disability and require special assistance during any of our planned 4-H activities, please call the applicable County Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent two weeks prior to the event.