Happy New Year!
I hope everyone enjoyed some time off during the holidays and has returned to work a bit rested and refreshed! The scheduled gatherings are over, we’ve put all of the holiday decorations away and sent Rachel back to school which means Jim and I now settle back into what has become our “normal” routine. That means that things are pretty quiet around the house.

I’ve never done well with new year’s resolutions, but I have noticed that the daylight lasts a little longer each day and we had some beautiful winter sunsets last week. The new year is always a sign of new beginnings. I had the opportunity to meet last week with seven new 4-H Youth Development educators and have to tell you that we have six Indiana counties that should be pleased with the experience and enthusiasm these folks are bringing to them.

As we move into 2009, I would hope that we continue to focus our efforts on positive youth development. This occurs by providing opportunities, choices, relationships and the support necessary for youth to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood. Positive youth development refers to development that is healthy and productive for both youth and their communities. Understanding the concept of positive youth development is important because it helps to define who you are as a youth development professional as well as your approach to interacting with both the youth and adults involved in our programs. It is the task of the youth development professional to provide nurturing environments and to expand opportunities so that healthy development will occur. In addition, you must help the communities in which you live to value, promote, and support youth as they grow and develop.

Each one of us is positioned to make a significant impact in the life of a young person with whom we work. I would like to be sure that is a positive, rather than a negative impression. Please help us assure that your county groups are making appropriate decisions, policies and rules that are in the best interest of the 4-H movement. We have the opportunity to present a positive approach to what we do. I firmly believe that we should challenge the volunteers who work with us to take a hard look at how they approach their decision-making and interactions with the youth in our program. If they can no longer be positive while doing so (and look at what’s best for youth), then perhaps it is time to remind them of our primary purpose!

- Renée McKee, State 4-H Program Leader

Indiana Counties Have the Opportunity to Participate in the National4-H Study of Positive Youth Development
We are very pleased to announce that Indiana counties once again have the opportunity to participate in this landmark research study funded by the National 4-H Council! The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development is a longitudinal study with data being collected for a seventh year. The research project is led by Richard M. Lerner and Jacqueline V. Lerner in the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development (IARYD) at Tufts University. Because it is a sequential longitudinal study, more youth are added each year in “waves.”  The data collected this year will be “Wave 7.” (we will focus in Indiana primarily on 8th-11th grade students who could conceivably continue in a subsequent year of the study). 

Purpose of the Study:  The purpose of the research is to identify characteristics that are related to positive youth development. Researchers also want to understand how positive influences in the lives of youth help protect them from getting involved in "problem behaviors", such as substance abuse, unsafe sex, school failure, delinquency, and violence.  The study should help identify ways that 4-H and community programs can promote positive youth development. 

Laura Bossaer is the graduate student assigned to work with this study once again this year. Laura will be conducting informational sessions for both new counties interested in participating in the study as well as those who participated in 2008. We’ll be announcing dates for those sessions within the next two weeks.

- Renée McKee, State 4-H Program Leader

ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

2009 International Opportunities
This is a critical time of the year for international 4-H. Currently, we are in an open application period for all inbound and outbound international 4-H programs for 2009. I’d sincerely appreciate if you can include something in your newsletters in January and/or February about these opportunities. Feel free to have contact information for me directly in such a release if that is more convenient for you. We can email applications upon request. There are also full color brochures available that I can mail (to you and/or the youth) for the Poland and Japan inbound programs.

Inbound travel

NE Indiana Poland program – Program runs from May 26-June 9, Applications February 1 (or until all qualified candidates are found)

Meiji Gakuin Japan homestay – Program runs from July 23-August 15, Applications due April 15

Outbound travel
Japan, Costa Rica, Australia, Finland – Applications due February 1

- Lee Stanish

Operation: Military Kids
On behalf of Operation: Military Kids, we would like to thank all the volunteers who gave so generously of their time during the busy months of December and January to write notes and to fill over 700 Hero Packs that will be distributed early in 2009. Hundreds of military children will be seeing their parents deployed between now and the middle of March, so your gift will help ease the pain of separation and let them know people in the community are reaching out to support them during this difficult time.

Meeting this need would not have been possible without the help of at least the following organizations and their volunteers:

• Benton County 4-H Junior Leaders
  
• Boys & Girls Club of America (Indianapolis)
• Brown County 4-H Junior Leaders
  
• Ivy Tech
  
• Morgan County 4-H Junior Leaders
  
• Murdock Elementary (Purdue Collegiate 4-H)
  
• Newton County 4-H Junior Leaders
  
• Password Community Mentoring (Indianapolis)
  
• Shelby County 4-H Junior Leaders
  
• YDAE (Staff and Students at Purdue)

The comments and notes we receive back from military children and their families clearly show how surprised, pleased and honored they feel knowing others care and appreciate their sacrifices.

For staff and volunteers not familiar with OMK, this support program for military families provides not only Hero Packs, but the following activities as well:

• Fun, educational activities for children during adult deployment and reunion briefings.
  
• Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK) provides public speaking training for military and non-military youth in grades 7-12 so they can provide information about military families to community groups.
  
• The Mobile Technology Lab (MTL) consists of laptop computers, digital camera, video camcorder, and the Hallmark Card Studio program. This Lab can be set up at community events to give family members and others the opportunity to send messages to deployed soldiers.
  
• Support county sponsored events designed to honor military children and their families.

Once again, thank you and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

The Bugle
Download the January 2009 Bugle newsletter here.

- Judy Hauser and Steve McKinley

Junior Pork Day
Junior Pork Day will be held on March 7, 2009. A flyer describing the details will be sent via e-mail for you to copy and distribute to your 4-H swine members. Surveys from last year’s Junior Pork Day revealed that students and parents alike learned a lot of helpful information and really enjoyed their time at Junior Pork Day. This truly is a wonderful program for 1st and 2nd year swine members. Please help us spread the word about this exciting educational opportunity for 4-H swine members and their parents. Contact Brian Richert in the Animal Sciences Department at 765-494-4837 for more details.

- Clint Rusk

Animal Affidavits
The 2009 versions of the animal affidavits are available to download following this article for your use. Both forms are also available in PDF format on the 4-H WEB site. The regular form (4-H 836) will be required for each market lamb, meat goat wether, steer, barrow and gilt entered at the 2009 Indiana State Fair. Exhibitors of dairy cows who are selected for drug testing at the Indiana State Fair will also be required to complete and sign the animal affidavit.

The horse and pony affidavit (4-H 836 h&p) will only be required by the 4-H members whose horse or pony is randomly selected for drug testing at the Indiana State Fair. These 4-H members will be asked to fill-out the affidavit during the urine collection procedure at the state fair.
Download 2009 4-H 836 4-H Animal Affidavit
Download 2009 4-H 836HP 4-H Horse & Pony Affidavit

- Clint Rusk

Boiler Vet Camp
The Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine is excited to bring you the opportunity to attend the 2009 Boiler Vet Camp.  The Boiler Vet Camp is designed for those students who will be entering the 8th or 9th grades in the Fall of 2009.  This exciting hands-on camp is a perfect match for any student who has a love for science and an interest in the veterinary healthcare profession.  Please visit the Boiler Vet Camp website for more information: www.vet.purdue.edu/boilervetcamp
Download Boiler Vet Camp brochure

Science Workshops
Once again this year, we have put together information regarding Science Workshops. The Science Workshop materials are posted to the 4-H website under workshops. Workshop web link here. Please print a copy for your files.

Please register your Science Workshop delegates on-line through ED. The registrations are due to us by May 15th. Included in your Science Workshop packet is a form for you to summarize the number of delegates you will be sending to Science Workshops. There will be two ways to make proper payment:
1) download the editable science workshop Excel form from the 4-H website or
2) after entering your Science Workshop delegates in ED, you can press “generate conference form” and an invoice for those delegates will be generated to include with your payment to be sent to Conferences. You need to send this form, along with a check for registration fees, to Conferences here at Purdue. This two-step process worked very well in 2008 and with your help, it will work well again in 2009.

Also posted to the 4-H website under workshops is a Science Workshop Recruitment Brochure and a “delegate form” for you to send to your 4-H members so they can let you know which workshops they would like to attend.

- Carl Broady and Clint Rusk

Animal Sciences Workshop for Youth
The 2009 Animal Sciences Workshop for Youth will be held on June 10-12. Please get the word out to the youth in your county who might be interested in attending these educational days at Purdue University. Your county received a videotape at the 2001Youth Staff Retreat to use to promote the Animal Sciences Workshop for Youth and to recruit students to attend. Please show this tape at your livestock club meetings in future months to spark the interest of high school age 4-H members.

- Colleen Brady and Clint Rusk

Indiana Beef and Dairy Steer Enrollment Forms
The 4-H Beef and Dairy Steer Enrollment Forms (4-H 515) are either at your county office, or in your county area on the dock at the Media Distribution Center. If you need additional forms, please call Media Distribution at 765-494-6794. These forms are due in your county office by April 1st. Remember, your county can set whatever deadline they want for doing the beef enrollment, as long as it is before April 1st. The white copy of the enrollment form is due in the State 4-H Office by April 15th. We will provide instructions at a later date on how to send us the retinal images.

Please alphabetize the completed white copies of the form (by the 4-H member’s last name) before sending the forms to our office. It would also be helpful if you would check to be sure the forms are filled-out completely (including the required signatures). Thanks for your help with these forms.

- Clint Rusk

Livestock Changes for the 2009 Indiana State Fair
Dairy Goats
A class will be included for dairy goat wethers at the 2009 Indiana State Fair. These wethers must weigh at least 50 pounds, have their milk teeth in place, and be of 100% dairy blood (no meat goat crosses allowed). Eligible wethers must be properly enrolled and retinal scanned at the county level prior to May 15th. Enrollment requirements are exactly the same as those in place for meat goat wethers.

Swine

• Underweight (< 230 lbs.) and overweight (> 295 lbs.) barrows will not be allowed to show in the 4-H swine show at the 2008 Indiana State Fair.
  
• Barrows who weigh-in at 230-280 pounds must weigh back within 15 pounds of their weigh-in weight when they are weighed during the show or they will be disqualified.
  
• Barrows who weigh-in at 281-295 pounds must not weigh over 295 pounds when they are weighed during the show, or they will be disqualified.

- Clint Rusk

Youth PQA Plus Certification
Minimum Standards for the Youth PQA Plus Program as of January 1, 2009

Age

• The Youth PQA Plus Program is for youth 8-19 years of age.
• Age is determined by the youth’s age on January 1 of the current year.
• Youth under 8 years of age cannot be certified in Youth PQA Plus, but are strongly encouraged to attend a Youth PQA Plus education class.
  
• It is strongly recommended that a parent or guardian accompany the child in Youth PQA Plus education classes. However, the parent or guardian cannot become certified at a Youth PQA Plus education class. Adults must attend an Adult PQA Plus educational program to become certified.
  
• Individuals 18 years of age or older are eligible to become certified through the Adult PQA Plus educational program.
  
• No youth less than 18 years of age may become certified in Adult PQA Plus.

Re-certification Period

• Youth 8-11 years of age (Beginner) must re-certify annually by attending an approved Youth PQA Plus educational program.
  
• Youth 12-14 years of age (Intermediate) and 15-19 years of age (Advanced) can certify/re-certify by annually attending an approved Youth PQA Plus educational program OR can certify by testing at the appropriate skill level for their age bracket (see Content standards). To certify by test, a minimum of 70% of questions must be answered correctly.
  
• Once certified by test, the youth is not required to re-certify in Youth PQA Plus until the next age bracket and skill level is reached. When youth reach the next age bracket they must retest at the new skill level. Certification by test is valid for a minimum of one year.
  
• Official tests and scoring procedures are available to advisors from National Pork Board. Tests are graded by veterinarians, Extension personnel or by an agricultural education instructor.
  
• Unassisted knowledge of the Youth PQA Plus content must be measured; therefore, NO supplemental information (for example, Youth PQA Plus manual, notes, approved state QA material) may be used by the youth to aid him/her during the administration of the test.
  
• Youth may attempt to pass a Youth PQA Plus exam a maximum of three times in one sitting. If three tests yield unsuccessful results, the youth must attend another Youth PQA Plus class prior to more attempts at passing a test.

Educators

• States will identify a State Youth Trainer to be certified by National Pork Board in a half-day course.
  
• State Youth Trainers serve as educators for the state approved local Youth PQA Plus Advisors. Only State Youth Trainers may submit names of trained
• Youth PQA Plus Advisors to the National Pork Board.
  
• Youth PQA Plus Advisors must be a veterinarian, Extension personnel, or a secondary/post-secondary agricultural education instructor.
  
• Only state-trained Advisors are certified, qualified and responsible to submit names, birthdates, and contact information of youth to the National Pork Board.
  
• Certified Advisors may assemble training teams at the local level. Team members may include qualified local volunteers and adult leaders. These qualified volunteers must be certified in Adult PQA Plus. A certified Youth PQA Plus Advisor must be involved in the planning and oversight of the Youth PQA Plus Program delivered to youth.
  
• At least one state approved Youth PQA Plus Advisor must be present during the administration of a Youth PQA Plus exam.
  
• Advisors must attend a training session with a State Youth Trainer at least once every three years for updates and complete and pass an exam to remain a certified advisor.

Content

• National Pork Board youth materials or a NPB approved state quality assurance program must be used to train youth.
  
• All Good Production Practices are addressed annually.
  
• A portion of the Youth PQA Plus materials may be taught in depth each year provided that all of the GPP’s are covered in depth over a three-year period. The content of the GPP’s must be reviewed every year. Fact sheets, available from the National Pork Board, addressing current issues and complimentary topics can augment and add variety to the annual education program.
  
• As Good Production Practices are covered in depth, the Key Learning Objectives, as outlined in the National Pork Board Youth PQA Plus training materials, must be addressed.
  
• Interactive and/or experiential learning activities are required.
  
• A minimum of one hour of programming, consisting of presentation and activities, is required to cover three GPP’s annually in the Youth PQA Plus educational program.
  
• Examinations are intended to test a thorough understanding of the complete PQA Plus Program including the content found in the Youth PQA Plus manual available from the National Pork Board at (800) 456-PORK or http://www.pork.org/Producers/PQA/PQAPlusEdBook.pdf

PQA Plus certification is not mandatory, but may be required by the packer in your area. Swift and Co. in Louisville, KY will only bid on hogs at county fairs where the 4-H members have been PQA Plus certified. If you are in a southern Indiana county, this may pertain to you! There are still several packers who are not requiring PQA Plus certification by their suppliers. So far, the packers who purchase the hogs at the Indiana State Fair, Tyson in Logansport, are not requiring PQA Plus certification.

There is a Youth PQA Plus curriculum available from the National Pork Board (NPB). You may order an instructor’s manual from NPB by calling 1-800-456-7675 and asking for the PQA Department or by going to the NPB website at: http://www.pork.org. The curriculum booklet also comes with a CD-ROM, which contains all of the material in the book, plus a PowerPoint presentation. The National Pork Board also has an interactive Youth PQA Plus training module available on their website that was developed in 2005.

- Clint Rusk

VOLUNTEER DEVELOPMENT

“VolunteerIN, 4-H Toolkit for Success” Training Series
On Thursday, January 29, the 2009 “VolunteerIN, 4-H Toolkit for Success” lesson plans will officially be launched. The lessons this year focus on the “Independence” concept. To begin the third year of the materials, an IP Video program will be held on Thursday, January 29 and repeated on Tuesday, March 10 (the same program will be offered on each date). Each program will be held from 7:30-9 p.m. Eastern Time (6:30-8 p.m. Central Time). The 2009 program will include portions of the following lessons: Goal Setting, Time Management, Skills to Live on Your Own, Independence through Technology, and Engaging Older Members.

Counties are encouraged to join together to offer this IP video program for their volunteers. IP Video sites may be enrolled by visiting: http://1144sms/ipevents/. Look for programs #1478 (Jan. 29) and #1479 (Mar. 10). Be certain that you enroll your site prior to the deadline! This IP program will be recorded and placed on the State 4-H Web site as a streaming video within a couple of weeks of the program.

On or around January 15, a VolunteerIN CD will be distributed to all 4-H Youth Development Extension Educators. This CD will contain 7 complete lessons for 2009. Each lesson includes some combination of a detailed plan, a PowerPoint with notes pages, a fact sheet to distribute to the volunteers, and a quiz (with a key). Some lessons also contain worksheets and activity files. The CD also contains IRB-approved evaluation forms for the training series.

A promotional flyer is available here. Feel free to use this flyer and logo to help promote the series to your volunteers via mail, newsletter, e-mail, etc. The flyer has a place for you to include local contact information. The January issue of the Volunteer Vision also includes promotional information regarding the VolunteerIN program.

Check with your area’s 4-H Volunteer Development Committee member for more information.

- Steve McKinley and Kathleen Koch

4-H Volunteer Vision
Download the The January “4-H Volunteer Vision” here for your use with volunteers.

- Steve McKinley

Tenured Volunteer Recognition
Each year we recognize those volunteers who have completed at least 20 years of service in the 4-H program (and each subsequent five-year anniversary…25, 30, 35, etc.). The 2009 recognition program will be held during 4-H Day at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, August 15th.

Again this year you will be able to submit your tenured volunteer names via ED by clicking on the Volunteer Tenure box. Please complete this registration by March 1st whether or not you have volunteers to be recognized.

Please double-check the spelling accuracy of your volunteers’ names so that we can recognize them correctly!

Please note that if you have volunteers who will be recognized for 50 or more years of service, we need a brief description of the work they have done to include in the program at the State Fair. Thank you!

- Steve McKinley