National 4-H Council

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.

As a part of Nebraska’s 2^nd Place finish in the Raise Your Hand promotion, Jennifer Sirangelo, President and CEO of National 4-H Council, has shared the following congratulatory video message for our state: https://youtu.be/Z_OBJesk5bo. Thanks again for all of your support during the 2018 Raise Your Hand promotion!

In April, 4‑H’ers across the nation will participate as True Leaders in Service in multiple community service projects, culminating in a National 4‑H Day of Service on Saturday, April 28, 2018. The 4-H True Leaders in Service Toolkit and Event Registration are now live on 4-H.org. Go to https://4-h.org/get-involved/true-leaders-in-service to plan your event.

Once again this year, National 4-H Council is launching the Raise Your Hand promotion – a nationwide call to action for alumni and friends to “Raise Your Hand” to empower our nation’s youth with the skills to lead for a lifetime. Between April 1 – May 15, the three states across the nation with the most hands raised will win $20,000, $10,000 and $5,000. State 4-H programs will also receive the contact information of those who vote for our state so that they can be further engaged as friends of 4-H locally. 

The goals of the Raise your Hand campaign are to: 1) grow our community of 4-H alumni in friends in three, easy steps, 2) engage 4-H alumni and friends to spread the word and help us grow even more #TrueLeaders through 4-H, and 3) raise awareness of the life-changing impact of Extension’s 4-H youth development program.

To grow our community of Nebraska 4-H alumni in friends, encourage them to:

1)      Raise Your Hand. Between April 1 – May 15, go to 4-h.org/RaiseYourHand to support youth in your community by completing the form to vote for Nebraska.

2)      Compete For Nebraska. Raising your hand is a vote towards a $20,000, $10,000, or $5,000 award for the three states with the most alumni hands raised.

3)      Pay It Forward. Tweet, post, and share your support using the hashtag #4HGrown and ask your network to support and share. 4-h.org/RaiseYourHand. 

Please note: Those who raised their hands last year may complete the form again this year. Hands raised before April 1 will not be counted.

A special Nebraska Raise Your Hand promotional toolkit that contains numerous print flyers, email headers, and social media graphics – both in English and Spanish – as well as a field event and one page flyer with sample email messaging, can be found at https://go.unl.edu/2018RYH.

As you prepare emails to your 4-H youth and families within the next week, please share the following article. Thanks for supporting our state during this promotion! 

Newsletter Article
Raise Your Hand Between April 1 – May 15 to Help Nebraska 4-H Win $20,000!

4-H gives youth the opportunity to learn by doing, grow from failure, and develop the skills they need to handle what life throws their way. We are asking you – friends and alumni of Nebraska 4-H -- to Raise Your Hand to support 4-H’ers in Nebraska.

Each hand raised is a vote towards a $20,000, $10,000 or $5,000 award for the three states with the most hands raised. Help bring the high-quality 4-H experience to even more youth right here in Nebraska.  

Raise your hand to support youth in your community.

Raising your hand is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Raise Your Hand: Go to 4-H.org/RaiseYourHand to vote for Nebraska.
2. Compete for Your State: Raising your hand is a vote towards a $20,000, $10,000 or $5,000 award for the states with the most hands raised.
3. Pay It Forward: Tweet, post and share your #4HGrown support and ask your network to raise their hands at 4-H.org/RaiseYourHand.

Thank you for your support and don't forget to Raise Your Hand by May 15!

In April, 4-H'ers across the nation will participate as True Leaders in Service in multiple community service projects, culminating in a National 4-H Day of Service on Saturday, April 28, 2018. How will your youth become True Leaders in Service? Sign up at https://4-h.org/get-involved/true-leaders-in-service.