Project of the Year Kits now available
Nebraska 4-H is thrilled to announce the first-ever Project of the Year, focused upon Entrepreneurship and featuring the TEC Box Educational Kit! The Project of the Year provides the perfect 4-H Club project and is also a great way for new youth and families to get started in 4-H.
This year's Project of the Year educational kit introduces youth to the exciting world of entrepreneurship through the TEC Box curriculum! The kit includes the materials youth need to complete four hands-on activities that lay the groundwork for a county and state fair eligible exhibit: Class F531006 - Entrepreneurship Challenge. The activities help youth think for themselves, practice empathy and solve problems as they learn about entrepreneurship. Youth will invent their own product to make bicycles safer and develop a new game that can be enjoyed with family and friends.
The TEC Box Educational Kit includes a printed facilitator guide, a youth workbook, an inflatable 4-H kickball, sports cones, washi tape, felt, yarn, pipe cleaners, foam, and dice. Kits are only $25 plus shipping, but supplies are limited!
Helping Youth Cope with Holiday Stresses
2020 is delivering more challenges than many of us have experienced before. The holiday season is quickly approaching and potentially could be more stressful than previous years given all of the events of the past year. As individuals and families plan holiday gatherings during a global pandemic, many will be modifying holiday traditions based on ensuring the safety and well-being of families and others. Breaking from rituals can be challenging and upsetting, however, with some planning and creative thinking these changes might help your family develop new traditions.
Children and youth often anxiously await the holidays which often mean a time to gather with family, share gifts, and participate in traditions such as baking favorite holiday foods, decorating one’s home, or attending religious celebrations. Changes to holiday traditions and routines might add to youth’s feelings of anxiety, sadness, or depression. Research shows that the social, emotional, and mental health of our youth have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental health impacts of COVID-19 and potential changes to a typical holiday routine can compound the feelings and emotions youth are experiencing.
2023 Enrollment Now Open!
Enrollment is now open for the 2023 program year! Enrollment is not required for many 4-H programs and events. However, club and independent members are required to officially enroll through 4-H Online each year to maintain membership. By enrolling, youth have the opportunity to participate in county fairs, the Nebraska State Fair, and additional statewide opportunities and events. Youth have the opportunity to enroll in specific projects which they plan to complete throughout the years. Club and project leaders must also enroll through 4-H Online each year.
There is no state-level fee for officially enrolling. However, some counties or clubs may implement their own annual fees. Please contact your local 4-H office for more information.
While enrollment is open year-round, youth interested in participating in their county fair or the Nebraska State Fair must complete the online enrollment process no later than June 15th.
Enrollment instructions are available for new club members, returning club members, new club leaders, and returning club leaders.
New Self-Paced Biomedical Engineering Camp Now Available
Do you enjoy learning STEM and have an interest in learning about real-world medical problems? In this engaging hands-on program, youth will use the engineering design process to work through Biomedical Engineering challenges. Youth will get to participate in activities like:
- Nanotechnology in the Body,
- Laparoscopic Surgery,
- Biomedicine in Space, and
- Prosthetics and Pills.
Youth will also get to experience a Biomedical Career Day where they will listen and work with staff from UNMC. Youth won't want to miss it!
This virtual self-paced camp is offered in partnership with Imagine Science! Imagine Science is an unprecedented partnership between four leading national youth organizations to bridge the STEM gap by igniting the imagination of historically underrepresented youth. We believe in the next generation of problem solvers and innovators. By 2022 the U.S. will be short 1 million needed STEM professionals. Too few young people are pursuing STEM careers. We believe that prolonged, informal exposure to STEM increases a child's interest and builds a foundation for proficiency through high school and beyond. Nebraska 4-H is proud to partner with Imagine Science to deliver STEM programming to 4th-8th grade youth in and around Omaha, Nebraska.
Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center News
Since 1976, when the initial group of 235 campers arrived at the Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center to enjoy a week of summer fun, our mission has been to serve the youth of Nebraska and provide opportunities for them to Discover, Learn, and Grow. Over the past 44 years, we have been successful in supporting our mission through a variety of program options, including adult and youth retreat, outdoor education, summer overnight camp, and day camp programs.
As you know, COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the world that we once knew, including having significant impacts to our camp program. In early April, we made the very difficult decision to cancel all of our in-person programs including spring outdoor education and summer camp events. As a primarily seasonal business where most of our operating revenues are collected during the summer months to support our operations year-round, this decision had a significant impact on our budget. Thankfully, as sound fiscal managers, we had a reserve revenue fund to continue to operate through this time to continue programming virtually and salaries for five full-time employees. Unfortunately, we have come to the end of this reserve fund and discussions have turned to our next steps.
As part of the process, we explored how the Nebraska 4-H camp program can better reach youth where they are with innovative programs, utilizing research-based curricula delivered with a hands-on experimental learning model by talented youth development professionals. We are pleased to announce a NEW environmental education program series that will include both virtual and place-based programs for schools, home-school families, and afterschool programs. Of course, current and future 4-H members will always be among our key clients. As part of our goal to reach more youth, and with thoughtful consideration of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, our state 4-H team, and the Nebraska 4-H Foundation, we have made the extremely difficult decision to cease all operations at the Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center in Gretna effective August 1, 2020.
While we may not have the same site presence, one thing that remains the same is our commitment to our partnership with you to help us work toward our mission to provide opportunities for youth to Discover, Learn, and Grow and we invite you to consider continuing your partnership with Nebraska 4-H in various ways.
Although we are disappointed in the closure of the Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center, we are hopeful that our renewed commitment to broader environmental education offerings for youth will bring a new era of Nebraska 4-H Camping.
Supporting Young People Through Change
The last month has been a challenging time, to say the least. It feels like it was a hundred years ago that we could high five youth in an afterschool program, get a haircut, or buy toilet paper whenever we wanted. No doubt you have experienced feelings of confusion, grief, disappointment, and loss over the past month. We know that it is the same for the young people that we educate. Indeed, our world as changed.
As a leading youth development organization in the state, Nebraska 4-H Youth Development is offering a series of articles addressing the social-emotional well-being of young people. The articles are designed to help youth development professionals and parents in this challenging time. The series, Supporting Young People Through Change, will include five articles:
- Comfort in a Changing World
- Connecting in Changing Times
- Coping in Changing Times
- Creating Your Plan in Changing Times
- Contributing in a Changing World
Articles will be released weekly throughout April and early May. Visit the link below to access all the available articles, and stay tuned for new releases.
Virtual & At-Home Educational Resources
Looking for learning opportunities you can do from home? We've got you covered! Nebraska 4-H is now offering a variety of virtual learning experiences, such as Living Room Learning and Boredom Buster Challenges. We've also collected some of our favorite activity guides that are perfect for hands-on learning at home. Check out our virtual and at-home educational resources for more information and access to all of our statewide virtual opportunities.
COVID-19 Response
Nebraska 4-H takes the health and safety of our community very seriously and we are carefully monitoring the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation.
As United States and global health officials continue to address the spread of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 infection, health and emergency preparedness officials at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are monitoring the situation in collaboration with our university and governmental partners. In doing our part to be responsible for convening large groups of people, we are carefully reviewing calendars and determining how we proceed with each scheduled event. This will be a fluid process as we continue to monitor all available information in the days and weeks ahead. In doing our part to be responsible about convening large groups of people, we are carefully reviewing calendars and determining how we proceed with each scheduled event. This will be a fluid process as we continue to monitor all available information in the days and weeks ahead.
Presently, we have made the decision to cancel all events scheduled for March 16-29. While this was an extremely difficult decision, we are putting the health and well-being of our staff/families/youth at the forefront. From March 30 - May 9, Nebraska 4-H programming will resume in a virtual format. This includes all scheduled educational programs, competitive events, and meetings hosted by Nebraska 4-H.
For up to date information regarding Nebraska 4-H's response to COVID-19, including state-level event cancellations and postponements, visit 4h.unl.edu/covid-19.
Pick Your Project
The Pick Your Project is an online database and selection guide for finding 4-H projects and their resources. Users can search for projects by keywords or browse by curriculum area, knowledge level, and geographic level.
Looking for a printable list of Nebraska 4-H projects? Visit the Nebraska 4-H Project Listing.