Oahu 4-H - Newsletters

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know most of you are probably busy with Christmas shopping and preparation for the holidays, but don’t forget to check the website and your e-mail for any possible updates! I wish all of you happy holidays…

Thank you to those of you who showed up to our last council meeting which was held in October. I hope to see more people at the next council meeting in December!

A few events are approaching soon, such as the annual fashion show in early December. All of you should have already turned in your forms, and I look forward to seeing all of you there!

Also keep in mind that the 2009 food show is coming up, and registration forms as well as committee sign ups will be available. The theme is Asian foods, which consist of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Filipino, and Vietnamese foods. Start digging out those recipes!

This summer, the Warriors discovered the delights of using a microwave oven. Using the Microwave Magic project book, we started with an introduction to microwaves and explored concepts of proper cooking methods and safety. We also learned how to identify and avoid hot spots while cooking with a microwave oven. For our first project, we made hot cocoa with marshmallows. We further continued our learning at later meetings by learning how to cook scrambled eggs, hot dogs, and English muffin pizzas. The club favorite was the banana splits, with each Warrior contributing their own delicious topping. From these experiences, we learned valuable skills such as cooking, caution, and patience.

Twelve people attended a free training in robotics on November 24th facilitated by Myla Gumayagay. Myla, who is the site facilitator for the Keaukaha Technology and Resource Center in Hilo, led participants through a series of hands-on activities, in true “learn by doing” 4-H style. After a short introduction to robotics, trainees were asked to count and log all the pieces in their robotics kits from Lego, to familiarize themselves with the materials. Then, after building the basic robot, participants could try out programming or Lego free-building. All activities were geared towards the leaders to also try them out with youth, such as the “programming blindfold” activity. To demonstrate how it might feel to program a robot, trainees were asked to pair up, and one person blindfolded, had to navigate a course using only verbal “commands” from the partner using three colors.

Participants attending the training came from four Army school-age and teen sites around the island, including Aliamanu, Fort Shafter, Schofield Barracks and Helemano. The 4-H leaders remarked that “Robotics is easier than I first thought,” and “This was fun learning, and Myla is a great trainer.”

Thank you so much to all who participated and good luck with your Robotics 4-H clubs!

Eight-two family members of Reserve, Guard and active duty military arrived at YMCA Camp Erdman in on Oahu’s North Shore on Friday November 14th for a weekend of hiking, kayaking, arts & crafts, archery, swimming and evening storytelling and singing. Families shared cabins, ate meals together and spent the weekend having fun. Children ranged in age from infants to 15 years old and parents who accompanied them are spouses of deployed military personnel or military members who are soon to be deployed. Families participating in the camp expressed joy and gratitude for the opportunity to be together for such a fun-filled weekend amidst the stress of deployments.

One mother commented, “We have had a fabulous time as a family and kept our minds off Dad’s deployment…”

Others appreciated the opportunity to connect with others, and said, “The thing we liked best was meeting other military families that are dealing with the same situation (deployment) as us…”

Thanks to all the families who participated and especially to the YMCA staff and volunteers who helped make this First Annual OMK Family Camp a big success.

Thanks to numerous community groups and donors, 750 young people on Oahu with parents who are deployed overseas will be receiving a Hero Pack this holiday season.

On November 23, 2008, an energetic and efficient group of youth volunteers assembled and packed Hero Packs with tender loving care at the Oahu Veteran’s Center. Besides the items provided by the national OMK project, the packs also included handmade items created by the Puuwai Momi Youth Group, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints-Pearl City, Laie and Hawaii Kai groups and UH CTAHR faculty, staff and students and donated items from the UH Bookstore, CTAHR, Pearl City Longs and Mrs. Sakaye Nomura. Ben Franklin-Mapunapuna also contributed supplies and Costco-Waipio and Hawaii Kai donated refreshments for our hard working packers.

The Hero Packs also contained hand written letters provided by Mid Pacific Institute’s Spirit Club (they wrote 300 of them!), Puuwai Momi Youth Group, Boys Scouts Venturing Crew, Girl Scouts Troop 1069, Iolani Leadership Class, Kailua Methodist Church Youth Group, UH Society of Human Resource Management, Moanalua High School Math class and Moanalua High School’s UK club.

The Hero Pack projected was coordinated by Girl Scouts Alee Broom, Adria Pang, Katey Kolb and Arielle Gregory, Sara Fukuhara, Erin Nakatsuka, Alex Tom and Tasia Mamiya.

Kudos to all volunteers and supporters for contributing to this community effort!

The holiday season is often one of joy and anticipation as children look forward to visiting relatives, eating sweets, and opening presents. However there are a multitude of ways that children benefit from giving the gift of joy to their communities – a gift doesn’t cost a dime. Here are 10 simple and unique ways that children and their families can serve their communities:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
The American Red Cross is pleased to announce that it will sponsor a national “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program in 2008 as it did in 2007! Last year the Red Cross reviewed and distributed over 600,000 cards to our wounded servicemembers at hospitals around the country and overseas. This year we want to expand who is reached with the holiday greeting cards to include not only our wounded warriors, but all servicemembers and their families, as well as veterans. Our goal is to reach 1,000,000 persons this year to show our appreciation for their service and wish them well over the holiday season and with your help we will!

Citizenship Washington Focus Program Assistant
Do you know a 4-H’er who has a passion for government, history, political science, working with youth, public speaking, or leadership?If so, encourage them to apply for the position of Program Assistant (PA) at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center! Application deadlines are approaching soon and we want to give 4-H alumni and Collegiate 4-H’ers an opportunity to make a difference during their spring or summer semester. Our Program Assistants will be touching the lives of thousands of high school-aged students from all over the United States while working for our Wonders of Washington (WOW) or Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) programs in Washington, DC.
CWF provides 4-H’ers the opportunity to strengthen their communication, leadership, and other citizenship skills on a national level. Nearly 2,000 young people exchange ideas, practice respect, and form friendships with other youth from diverse backgrounds throughout the summer. Through hands-on activities, simulations, and tours of various monuments and memorials, participants figure out what citizenship means to them and develop action plans to make a difference in their home communities. As a CWF Program Assistant, these 4-H leaders will create, develop, and facilitate curriculum to be used during the 2009 program.
We are looking for individuals with at least a high school diploma (preferably some college experience) and a passion for youth development, hospitality, teaching, history, politics, or leadership. If you know a college student looking for credit towards graduation, National 4-H Council will happily work with the student and the school to make this possible. Listed below are links for information and application materials for both programs. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact:
Molly Young                                                Freeman Thompson
Director, Youth Opportunities                      Coordinator, Youth Opportunities
myoung@4HCenter.org                               fthompson@4HCenter.org
301-961-2812                                                301-961-2917

My MLK Day
With just six weeks to go until January 19th, there is a great deal of planning and organizing to do to create the largest MLK Day of Service for 2009. My MLK Day is a customizable electronic tool that allows you to manage both projects and volunteers for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and on-going service events that may kick off on the holiday commemorating Dr. King.
The tool is customizable - When you create an account at My MLK Day, you will get a unique URL that you can use when promoting your local projects or doing volunteer outreach. You may customize this webpage with your own local message. You may also share stories, photographs, and videos about the planning and implementation of the event.

The tool helps you recruit and manage volunteers - Community members go to your unique URL at My MLK Day to find opportunities to volunteer for the service projects in your community. This feature allows you to track volunteers that have signed up for a particular project and the number of volunteers still needed.

The tool helps you generate visibility and media attention - When you list your projects at My MLK Day, it becomes part of a national database of MLK Day of Service projects. This information is used by the Corporation for National and Community Service in promoting the Martin Luther King Day of Service to national, regional and local media outlets. It is also used by national and local media to identify newsworthy projects.

To access My MLK Day, visit http://www.MLKday.gov and click on “Register Your Service Project.”

Service Opportunity: Step Up and Feed The Need with Do Something
Did you know that America's Food Banks help donate food to more than 23million people across the country? This holiday season, help Feed the Need! Join Do Something's campaign to collect one million pounds of non-perishables (canned food, peanut butter, boxes of cereal, and more) by December 15.
This Fall DoSomething.org is teaming up with the new film "The Soloist,” coming to theaters in March 2009, to get young people across the country to help fight hunger in their communities and Feed the Need. In “The Soloist,” journalist Steve Lopez(Robert Downey Jr.) discovers Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets of L.A. As Lopez works to help the homeless man find his way back, a unique friendship is formed that transforms both their lives.

Do Something Key Change Grants (Deadline: December 15)
DoSomething.org and the GRAMMY Foundation® have teamed up to give out $25,000 in community action grants to fund teen-led projects that use music to make a difference. This can be a project that you’ve already started or an idea that you’ve been cooking up. All projects should be around the theme of using music to make a difference in your local and/or global community. There will be 5 Grand Prize Winners each receiving a $3000 community action grant and an all-expense paid trip to the GRAMMY® Awards in Los Angeles on February 8th, 2009. There will also be 20 First Prize Winners who each receive a $500 community action grant. http://www.dosomething.org/programs/apply-a-key-change-grant

Do Something Teach Something Grants (Deadline: December 15)
Teach Something Grants are $500 grants that Tutor.com and DoSomething.org are giving to YOU for a project that helps change education in your community. This can be a program that you’ve already started or an idea that you’ve been cooking up. All projects should be around the theme of improving education in your community in a measurable way. http://www.dosomething.org/grants/teachsomething

Ben & Jerry's Foundation Social Change Projects (Deadline: Ongoing)
Ben & Jerry's Foundation provides support to nonprofit, grassroots organizations throughout the United States that facilitate progressive social change. Grant applicants need to demonstrate that their projects will lead to societal, institutional, and/or environmental change; address the root causes of social or environmental problems; and lead to new ways of thinking and acting. Projects must facilitate leadership development and strengthen the self-empowerment efforts of those who have traditionally been disenfranchised in our society. The Foundation does not make grants to support basic or direct social service programs. Letters of inquiry may be submitted at any time. Visit the website listed above to review the funding guidelines and download the application form. http://www.benjerry.com/foundation/

UnitedHealth HEROES Service-Learning Grants
United Healthcare and Youth Service America are excited to offer the UnitedHealth HEROES service-learning grant program for youth-led community education projects. These grants of up to $1,000 support teachers, service-learning coordinators, and students in the health professions to implement service-learning projects around childhood obesity, while engaging children and youth ages 5 to 25 in youth-led solutions. We encourage ‘Semester of Service’ length projects that launch in February, and use Global Youth Service Day (April 24-26, 2009) to bring visibility to their projects.

Grants will support projects in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and in the following specific areas: Florida-selected counties, Illinois-Chicago land and Peoria; and New York-Long Island, New York City, and Syracuse.

Deadline: January 15, 2009.
For application materials, visit http://tinyurl.com/UHHeroesGrant

Trees for the 21st Century Service-Learning Program
Trees for the 21st Century is a unique educational and tree-planting program for children ages 6 to 18, involving a science-based service-learning curriculum, tree planting, and ongoing stewardship activities.

The program provides a fun, outdoor project that helps youth and teachers to provide meaningful service by planting trees in the community. The activity guide allows teachers to connect the tree planting activity to their classroom curricula in science, math and English. Regular reflection is promoted through the activities, helping youth to understand environmental issues and their role in protecting the environment. The planning and communication involved in the tree planting project helps students develop interpersonal skills and promotes mutual respect. Youth take a leadership role in the tree planting, as they are required to find a site, get permission for planting and prepare the site for planting. Partnerships among school, community, and students are important to the success of the project. The activities and tree planting will engage students over a period of weeks and end with an important achievement – the planting of trees in their community, which they will monitor and care for on an on-going basis.

Semester of Service Model - Starting at or shortly after MLK Day of Service, teachers, mentors, or students order ERTHNXT’s Tree Planting Kit and activity guide. The activity guide includes group activities in five age levels, an inspirational DVD about Wangari Maathai, who planted 30 million trees in Kenya, and tree planting instructions. It also includes seedlings, which will be shipped in spring at an appropriate planting date. Teachers, mentors or students can order guides for their grade level, or lead younger children through a set of age-appropriate activities over the course of two to three months. The activities can lead up to Global Youth Service Day for the tree planting and culmination of the project. Order kits here: http://www.erthnxt.or g/programs/order.html

4-H Clover Corner News
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.

We welcome your story ideas and 4-H job listings.
Please e-mail them to nakatsuk@hawaii.edu

Oahu 4-H Newsletter Online