National 4-H Council

Every 4-H’er has a story, and every story is worth telling! The 4-H Youth in Action Awards Program is a premier opportunity for your 4-H'ers to share your stories of how 4-H has changed their lives and how they have, in turn, impacted others. Learn more at https://4-h.org/parents/4-h-youth-in-action-awards.

Now through November 6, middle and high school students who volunteer can apply for the 2019 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The program honors students in grades 5-12 who make meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service. Top honorees earn cash prizes and all-expense-paid trips to Washington, D.C. for four days of national recognition events. Learn more at https://spirit.prudential.com.

Three years ago, the 4-H Grows Here national brand campaign began as a way to unify 4-H messaging across the country. Various promotions related to this campaign, such as Grow True Leadersand Raise Your Hand, have been introduced as a way of keeping the 4-H message fresh and new.

New for the fall of 2018, National 4-H is launching the Inspire Kids to Do promotion during National 4-H Week.

For the 76^th consecutive year, millions of youth, parents, and alumni across the country will celebrate National 4-H Week from October 7-13. This year’s theme, Inspire Kids to Do, will give kids more opportunities to do, empowering them with the skills they need to succeed in life and career. Throughout National 4-H Week, Nebraska 4-H has the opportunity to showcase the many ways 4-H inspires kids to do through hands-on learning experiences as well as highlight the remarkable 4-H youth in our community who work each day to make a positive impact on those around them.

The latest updates regarding National 4-H Week continue to be made available through the National 4-H Professional News and Notes (subscribe at https://4-h.org/newsletters). The following are also resources available to assist you with local promotions of National 4-H Week:

• Review the National 4-H Week Webinar (held live in July 2018) to learn more about this national promotion.
• Access the complete National 4-H Week Toolkit that contains logos, flyers, bookmarks, etc.
• Check out the items from the National 4-H Week Toolkit that are customized for Nebraska 4-H.

National Youth Science Day: Month of October

This year’s National Youth Science Day challenge, Code your World, invites kids to get involved in computer science through hands-on doing and may be conducted anytime during the month of October. NYSD events may be hosted locally by county Extension offices, afterschool programs, school enrichment programs, or even camps. Nebraska’s statewide NYSD virtual event will be held on Tuesday, October 16, from 4-5pm CT/3-4pm MT. More information can be found at http://4h.unl.edu/nysd.

4-H Spirit Day: Tuesday, October 9

As mentioned in the National 4-H Week Webinar, a 4-H Spirit Day will be held on Tuesday, October 9. On 4-H Spirit Day, 4-H participants and supporters across the country are encouraged to show 4-H pride by wearing 4-H shirts/apparel or the 4-H emblem to school or to work; those attending the NAE4-HA Conference will also be encouraged to wear their 4-H pride! National 4-H will be re-sharing photos that are posted to social media using the #InspireKidsToDo hashtag and will feature those wearing 4-H shirts/apparel. Many Nebraska counties encourage 4-H’ers to wear 4-H shirts throughout this week already; if the day chosen as 4-H Spirit Day in your county does not align with the nationally-selected day, not a problem! Continue to encourage 4-H’ers to wear their spirit and share their 4-H pride with others in your community.

Continuation of Inspire Kids to Do Promotion: Through May 30, 2019

The Inspire Kids to Do promotion will continue through May 30, 2019. The Inspire Kids to Do Toolkit contains additional resources that you may use, and many of these have also been customized for Nebraska. A new national video PSA, 4-H Inspires Kids to Do: Love, Mom, will also be shared through national media outlets.

If you have any questions regarding the latest marketing promotions from National 4-H Council, feel free to contact me at 402-472-9016 or at tpracheil2@unl.edu at your convenience!

The 4-H National Youth Summit on Agri-science (https://4hcenter.org/tours-programs/national-youth-summits/#!agri-science) is accepting workshop proposals. If accepted, the summit sponsors will provide registration scholarships for teams of FOUR to attend the Summit. This year the Summit will be January 10-13, 2019. This is a Thursday through Friday.

Last year’s Nebraska 4-H delegates can attest to the high quality program experience they had. Presenting a workshop provides an affordable way to bring a team of teens to the Summit. At the 2018 Summit, Rhonda Herrick, Kerry Elsen and Washington County all submitted successful workshop proposals and were given the opportunity to take teams of 4-H members. 

Again this year, I am serving on the Planning Committee. Workshop proposals are peer-reviewed by the full Planning Committee. The Summit is not exclusively for 4-H members. If you work closely with an FFA Chapter Advisor, you should consider sharing this opportunity and collaborating on a workshop or two. Also the summit is not exclusively for 4-H professional and youth teams. If you are interested in teaching youth about agri-science and cutting-edge agriculture issues, this opportunity is for you too! Please feel free to reach out to Rhonda, Kerry or me regarding our experiences and possible suggestions for workshop ideas.

For more details, refer to the message below.

FROM NATIONAL 4-H COUNCIL …

We’re pleased to announce the National Youth Summit on Agri-Science will be held January 10- 13, 2019 at the National 4-H Conference Center. This national conference is open to high school students, grades 9 through 12. It is not limited to 4-H members.

Find full details including workshop proposal information can be found at https://unl.box.com/s/32sfz1pjj8cr65qyaj2wq6nk5w5cgfls. The past year’s Agri-Science Summit engaged delegates from 19 states in creating impactful community action plans related to agriculture, food security and sustainability. Be sure your state is well represented in 2019!

Important dates:

• Registration is open through December 28. 
• Workshop proposals must be submitted online by October 26. Check out the registration scholarships thanks to Bayer!

We look forward to seeing your program represented at the 2019 National Youth Summit on Agri-Science.

The following are reminders from the 4-H Marketing Team at National 4-H Council regarding 4-H promotions and materials:

• We are very excited to announce the Bechtel Common Measures Viewership Module Survey Giveaway! The first 2,000 participants that take the Module 1: Getting to Know Common Measures & Lesson Study located on the eXtension website will receive a $20 gift card to Shop 4-H.
• The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week is Inspire Kids to Do. Click here for an informational webinar that as presented on July 18. Learn more about this year’s theme and how you can activate locally.
• Want to learn more about Code Your World and how you can make the most of your 2018 National Youth Science Day event? Click here to listen today to the recorded informational webinar from July 31^st.
• National 4‑H Council is looking for 4‑H youth of all ages, educators, leaders, volunteers and parents from our 4‑H States and Clubs who have original ideas for fun, educational and/or service-oriented hands-on activities to be featured in Council’s brand campaign later this Fall. Submit your ideas today!

Get the latest updates on all things 4-H at https://4-h.org/newsletters.

National 4-H Council is looking for 4-H’ers with a great story to tell and a passion for Agriculture, Citizenship, Healthy Living, or STEM to tell their stories through the 2019 4-H Youth in Action Awards.

Through these awards, four confident leaders in our core pillar areas of Agriculture, Citizenship, Healthy Living and STEM will receive a $5,000 scholarship for higher education, along with an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. for National 4-H Council’s Legacy Awards and the opportunity to serve as the official spokesperson for their pillar area.

The application is open now through October 22, 2018. You can start encouraging youth in your community to learn more and prepare to apply now! More information is available on our website, www.4-H.org/youthinaction. Click on the "How to Apply" tab to find the application guidelines as well as a link to helpful resources for 4-H educators to use. The tool kit includes informational and promotional resources that can be used as you share about the program with youth. 

We're also excited to offer again this year a drawing for 4-H educators! Each 4-H agent/educator who has a young person apply for the 4-H Youth in Action Awards will be entered in a drawing for a gift certificate to Shop 4-H! National 4-H Council will give two $250 Shop 4-H gift certificates and one $500 Shop 4-H gift certificate! For each application to the 4-H Youth in Action Awards, your name will be entered to win (each application = one entry). Winners will be chosen at random. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions about the program to YouthinAction@4-H.org.

The following are reminders from the 4-H Marketing Team at National 4-H Council regarding 4-H promotions and materials:

• The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week is Inspire Kids to Do. Register today for an informational webinar on Wednesday, July 18, at 11am CT/10am MT to learn more about this year’s theme and how you can activate locally. 
• Discounts for the 2018 National Youth Science Day kits are happening now through late summer. Visit www.shop4h.com/nysd to purchase your discounted kits.
• Want to learn more about Code Your World and how you can make the most of your 2018 National Youth Science Day event? Click here to register today for an informational webinar on Tuesday, July 31.
• The 4-H Youth in Action Awards Program is a premier opportunity for youth to share their stories of how 4‑H has changed their lives and how they have, in turn, impacted others. Applications open on  August 1 and close on October 22, 2018. To find out more, register for an informational webinar on August 8.
• A series of PowerPoint modules and marketing materials have been added to the 4-H Latino Youth Outreach Toolkit to help 4-H professionals looking to start a 4-H Juntos program,  are now available in the MORC at http://4-h.org/morc.
• Visit the 4-H STEM Lab at www.4-H.org/STEMLab for easy, hands-on STEM activities that parents to do at home with their kids this summer.

Get the latest updates on all things 4-H at https://4-h.org/newsletters.

Are you or your 4‑H’er creative or artistic? Upload a photo of your masterpiece at https://4-h.org/4-h-calendar for the chance to be selected for 2019 4‑H Youth Artwork calendar and other 4‑H promotional items. All forms of media are accepted – photography, painting, drawings, sculpture – just upload an image of the work of art below. All entrants must be 18 or under and an active 4‑H’er, so don’t forget to ask your parent’s permission! 

The deadline for submission is August 10, 2018.

The next phase of the Grow True Leaders Campaign, Inspire Kids to Do, will give kids more opportunities to grow and to lead in life and career. It will also showcase how 4-H grows True Leaders – through hands-on learning and doing! Our goal is to empower 10 million true leaders, youth who do with a purpose to navigate life challenges, pursue passions and contribute to the world around them by 2025.

From August 15 – September 30, 2018, National 4-H will be hosting 30 Days of Doing, which celebrates ALL kids who “do” with purpose across the nation through fun tools, tips, resources, and stories for moms and kids. Beginning in October, 4-H will kick off support for hands-on doing through National 4-H Week, National Youth Science Day, and 4-H Spirit Day.

All information regarding Inspire Kids to do and National 4-H Week is shared in the National 4‑H Week Webinar. An Inspire Kids to Do Toolkit and a National 4-H Week Toolkit can be found in the Marketing Online Resource Center at https://4-h.org/professionals/marketing-resources/inspire-kids-to-do-toolkit. Now through August 15, submissions are being accepted for the 30 Days of Doing at https://4-h.org/30-days-of-doing-activity-submission.

Early this week, Nebraska 4-H was given a special opportunity by National 4-H Council, and by country star and 4-H national spokesperson, Jennifer Nettles. Grammy Award-winning singer and 4‑H alumna, Jennifer Nettles, was a very active 4-H’er in Douglas, Georgia, where she got her early on-stage experience as a member of the 4-H performing arts group, Clovers and Company. She was also a State 4-H Officer and served as a 4-H Camp Counselor during her college years. Jennifer has attributed much of her success to the skills and values she gained through 4-H. Due to her deep connection with 4-H, she has been very generous with her time and uses her national platform to help tell 4-H’s story as well as reach more youth across the country.

Jennifer Nettles is currently on tour with her band Sugarland. She performed at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha this past Thursday, June 28, and  generously provided Nebraska 4-H with four complimentary tickets to the show.

At the Annual Governor's Agricultural Excellence Awards Picnic at the PASE/Life Challenge Event, Nebraska 4-H members, volunteers, and parents had the opportunity to enter for a chance to win tickets to the concert. Patrick Groeteke, a 4-H'er from Boone County, was drawn as the Grand Prize winner of the tickets; Kristine Dvoracek from Valley County and Josephine Lange from Valley County were drawn as alternates.

Patrick was able to attend the concert Thursday evening with two fellow 4-H'ers from Boone County; a photo of their fun experience can be found at https://twitter.com/Nebraska4H/status/1012521436844609536.