Welcome to Oahu 4-H's online newsletter.

April 2009

Happy spring everyone!

I hope all of you on spring break had a wonderful time off from school. There are a few months left of this 4-H year, and it really makes me realize how fast it has flown by. The upcoming events to keep in mind are the council elections in May, the Aha'olelo conference on June 10th to the 13th, and the achievement banquet chaired by the Warriors. Further information will soon be announced for that banquet which will be in July.

Respectfully submitted,
Val Inafuku

Leadership opportunities are available to learn the role of President, Executive VP, 1st/2nd VP, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Sargent-at-Arms and Historian.  Nomination deadline is Monday 4/6/09, 12:00noon.  Submit nomination & a brief letter of intent/desire to Kyrra Lau-Eglinton at K12kylaue@ksbe.edu and Rose Saito at roses@ hawaii.edu.

Kyrra Lau-Eglinton

Hey everyone! I hope you all had fun at the County Camp this past month! A big thanks to all of those who participated!! Thank you to the chaperons for watching us, Mr. Merceino for the nature hike, and Aunty Rose and Aunty Sakaye for buying the food.  It was a fun-filled weekend that we'll remember forever!! Thank you!

Tobi Kaneshiro,
Chairperson

Open to all military and non-military youth, ages 12-18; registration and parent info on April 24th, 4:30-6:30pm. Day camp will be held at the Catlin Park Housing Community, off Nimitz Highway.

The Hawaii Speak Out for Military Kids Communications Training Camp is a 2-day event where young people can talk about being a military kid, create messages, work on writing skills, learn story-telling, and gain valuable video-making and editing skills.  At the end of the camp, participants will have created a video from their messages on being a military youth/teen.  The video will be used in other Operation: Military Kids (OMK) events, such as the Ready, Set, Go! Trainings conducted for school personnel and other military community related events.  The camp will prepare youth to be ambassadors for OMK, speak publicly on issues related to military families, deployment and supporting other youth.  The camp will also provide a forum for youth to network, team build and increase confidence levels in relation to leadership and communication.

If you are interested in coming to this camp, you can find the application here: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/4h/OMK/speakout.htm

Applications are due April 3. Please contact Carmen Golay at 956-4125 for more information.

138 individuals from 37 families will be taking part in the 2nd OMK Family Camp at YMCA Camp Erdman.  The majority of camp costs are covered by Operation: Military Kids,  the U.S. Army's collaborative effort with America's communities to support the children and youth impacted by deployment.  This initiative was launched in April 2005.  Operation: Military Kids, as part of the 4-H/Army Youth Development Project, is a vital part of the Army Integrated Family Support Network (AIFSN) delivery system.  4-H is a major partner in the OMK program.

On Monday March 23 Bennett Youth Center at Schofield Barracks hosted “Improv from the Heart” for school-age military 4-Hers.  Bennett 4-Hers participating in Theatre Club, Robotics and Art Club led other youth in activities such as the “Arms Improv” from the show “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and other theatre games, costume try-ons and singing games.  The Bennett 4-H Dance Club also performed and Cloverbud cooking club did a presentation of making “Mud Pies” out of Oreos, chocolate and gummy worms.
           

Organized by Bennett 4-H leaders Max Siaumau, Donna Malone and Shelby Sumner, this event was an excellent opportunity for 4-Hers to practice leadership skills and showcase their talents.  After the event, 4-Hers lead the efforts in clean-up showed themselves to be good role models for other youth.  Thank you to the leaders and 4-Hers for an excellent event!

A Robotics club 4-H’er models her antennae hat	4-H leader Max talks to his club members after the event

On Wednesday, March 25, Helemano School Age Program hosted “A Day of Science & Gardening” at the Urban Garden Center in Pearl City.  This event was open to military 4-H Cloverbud members.  Activities, and 48 youth from HMR and Bennett participated in a tour of the gardens, seed planting and “ocean bottle” making.  Volunteers and extension staff from the Urban Garden Center led groups of 4-Hers on tours of the gardens, highlighting the various vegetables grown and the unique “House Garden.”  The children were especially interested in the “chocolate tree” and the smell of herbs used to make common things such as soap and gum.  Older 4-Hers participating in Science Club at HMR led the cloverbuds in a seed planting activity, and they planted either beans or corn to take home. 
           

The event was collaboratively planned by 4-H leaders Emily Barnhart and Charlene Harvest from HMR with the help of Claire Nakatsuka, Extension educator.  At the end of the day, Cloverbuds earned prizes by answering questions about the garden center correctly and everyone took home 4-H stickers and pencils.

HMR Science Club poses at the Urban Garden Center	Cloverbud 4-Hers plant seeds at the Urban Garden Center

On Monday March 30 Aliamanu & Fort Shafter School Age programs hosted “Keiki Hands Creating Change” at AMR.  Youth participated in scrap-booking stations, gardening, games, relay races and tug-of-war.  The Fort Shafter Dance Club also performed the “Cuban Shuffle” and invited other youth and leaders to join in.  After completing arts activities, planting seeds or winning a game youth earned tickets to get 4-H themed prizes.  The event was well attended, with large groups from Fort Shafter, Bennett and all of AMR’s youth center.

Thank you to 4-H leaders Aileene Kama, Carrie Mirafuentes and Brandi Cortes for putting together the event.

Youth from AMR and Fort Shafter compete in tug-of-war	Youth "go fishing" in the 4-H Clover Pond

Carmen Golay

Are you involved with youth? Would you like to know how to:

• Provide and reinforce positive growth and develop experiences for youth?
• Improve your skills in communicating effectively with youth?
• Apply knowledge of youth development to minimize the risk behaviors of youth?
• If you said YES to any of the above, then join us for this Special Moving Ahead Together Training. This training will include a variety of hands-on activities on working with youth ages 6-18.

Topics that are included:
Ages and Stages
Youth Ecology Model
Risk and Protective Factors
Communications
Colours IQ--Personality test
Understanding Diversity
Peer Groups
Basics of Youth Development

WHEN: 4-6 May 2009
TIME: 8:30am-5:00pm

PLACE: 1st Lt. Brostrom Community Center"
             225 Austin Rd. Bldg. 1064
             Fort Shafter
             Ph: 275-3820

WHO: Child & Youth Services staff, Youth 4-H staff and volunteers. All military
           branches, Boys & Girls Club, 4-H and YMCA are welcomed. (All others $60
           fee)

DRESS: Comfortable Professional Clothes

MEALS: Coffee/Water: Light breakfast items the first day only. Lunch will be on
             your own. Training Materials will be provided.

The Moving Ahead Together training is a joint effort of the Hawaii CES and US Army.

DEADLINE to register is April 20, 2009

For more information contact Beth Adric, Child and Youth Program Operations Officer,
ph. 656-0094 or email beth.fulleradric@us.army.mil

DeAnn Acosta

The Operation: Military Kids team is looking for individuals 18 years and older who would be willing to provide OMK/4-H type learning experiences for youth 5-14 years old at various events.  Individuals will be hired on an on-call basis and will be placed as requested.    Most events are during the evening or on weekends.  Applicants should have ‘experiential learning’ experience, be familiar with 4-H curriculum, have prior experience working with youth and have a car.  Please email nakatsuk@hawaii.edu or call 956-7196.

Dollars for Change Grants (Deadline: April 30)
 
Youth Service America's (YSA), YSA's National Youth Council (NYC) and State Farm Companies Foundation are excited to offer Dollars for Change Grants, as part of YSA's Global Youth Service Grants. YSA's NYC will select the grantees: youth ages 12-25 who will collaborate with a teacher or service-learning coordinator.

Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Youth Advisory Board
2009-2010 Youth Advisory Board Application
Inspire a New Generation of Healthy Kids. Apply for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Youth Advisory Board for the 2009-2010 school year. As a Youth Advisory Board member, you’ll get to:

• Attend two in-person meetings with the entire membership of the Youth Advisory Board, one in July and the second in January 2010 --don’t worry, it’s totally free for you and one parent or guardian!
• Join monthly conference calls to take care of business.
• Serve as Ambassadors of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation in the media, at meetings, conferences and in your community.
• Share feedback on Alliance’s Kids’ Movement campaign tools and materials.
• Lead a service-based community project related to health in your area.
• Make YOUR voice heard on the best ways to empower youth toward long and healthy lives.

As a board member, you’ll need to roll up your sleeves for a few hours a month for critical thinking, good fun, new friends, and high profile leadership. You’ll work to find the best ways to reach kids and teenagers to eat right, move more, and make your community the healthiest ever.

Applicants must be between the ages of 8-17 years old when membership begins July 16, 2009 and live in the United States, including US Territories.

To apply simply click the "Apply Now" button below to fill out the online application. If you have questions or difficulties with applying online, a hard copy application can be obtained by contacting us at empowerme@healthiergeneration.org.

All Applications must be completed and received by 5:00 pm Eastern Time Friday, April 24, 2009.
Recommenders should fill out an online recommendation form by April 24, 2009. Upon completing your application, the recommenders will be alerted and provided with a link to the form via e-mail.

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/

We welcome your story ideas.
Please e-mail them to nakatsuk@hawaii.edu

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