Thanks for a great summer and a GREAT Indiana State Fair!

I just wanted to wind up our summer activities by saying thank you for everything you do on behalf of the young people who are part of the Indiana 4-H Youth Development Program. From 4-H educational events and activities to county fairs and the Indiana State Fair, please accept my appreciation to each and every one of you for the role you play. Our summer activities afford us the opportunity to showcase our young people and what they have learned. These opportunities also allow us to demonstrate to the viewing public the variety of subjects and activities available to 4-H youth.

This year’s extended Indiana State Fair format provided the opportunity for all of our 4-H events to be conducted within the fair (rather than prior to the fair). Over my time at the fair I was continually asked how the new format worked. I can assure you that the general public didn’t realize that with the prior years’ schedule, we began judging of our animal activities a full 5 days prior to the official start of the fair! From that standpoint, there was little difference this year. What was significantly different for us was the exposure that was afforded the Indiana 4-H Youth Development Program and the fine young people with whom we interact. Coupled with increased numbers of participants in most of the events (in some cases 20%), I would assess the 2009 State Fair as a tremendous success!

Let me close with this reminder……As you work through distributing the envelopes with scorecards and ribbons from State Fair, I would hope we could all keep the following in mind. The ribbons and scorecards are the opinion of an individual judge on a given day and in no way, shape, or form should be connected to a child’s self-worth. You just wouldn’t believe the calls we get (or maybe you would because you get some of them too) from adults who have lost site of the fact that our focus should be on the skills learned and not on the ribbon that is awarded.

I would hope that the youth involved in our programs are not coached or trained to have their self worth or pride connected with the ribbon that is awarded. They should be proud of their exhibit and accomplishment --- regardless of the outcome. Our educational focus should always remain on the skills that are being developed --- not on the ribbon that is being awarded. This message starts with each and every one of us. I spent time as a parent in the 4-H program and while I was proud of my daughter’s accomplishments, let me assure you she was always taught that the judging result is only the opinion of one person on a given day! (and I had to remind her of that again this week ….. as she prepared for dance auditions at Ball State University).

Renée McKee, State 4-H Program Leader

ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Indiana State Fair Youth Leadership Conference (ISFYLC)
Many thanks to the counties who sent delegates to the 2009 Indiana State Fair Youth Leadership Conference (ISFYLC). 54 youth attended the conference, and based on evaluations, found the experience to be well worth their while!

The following youth have been selected to help plan the 2010 conference.

Delegate Coordinators:
* James Evens, Tippecanoe County
* Katie Hopf, Dubois County
* Mallory Wood, Warrick County

Group Advisors:
* Jessie Davis, Daviess County
* Morgan Grider, Franklin County
* Whitney Hendrickson, Warrick County
* Sydney Lax, Vanderburgh County
* Gareth Martin, Posey County
* Grace Mears, Carroll County
* Ian Miller, Parke County
* Cody Schnur, Warrick County
* Brandon Searcy, Wayne County
* Kylie Wimsett, Parke County

- Steve McKinley

Multicultural Efforts to End Sexual Assault (MESA)
Registration is now open for the 10th Annual Multicultural Gathering, “Called Together to End Sexual Violence” which is co-sponsored by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. This gathering continues to focus on ending violence and giving voice to the needs of Latina, Muslim, Asian, African-American/Black, Native American, indigenous and all ethnically/racially diverse communities. This multicultural gathering will provide people from under-served and under-represented communities from all over the country the opportunity to connect and mobilize around all forms of violence. A limited number of scholarships are available to attend.

Some of the scheduled presentations:

* National Indian Justice Center
* Dr. Robert Kirchner
* Migrant Clinician Network
* Hombres Unidos program
* Strong Oak’s Speaking in Sacred Circles
* Sexual Violence through Multicultural Student Lens
* Social Marketing: Multicultural Initiatives (Rose Luna from TAASA)
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
* Esperanza Project: Legal Initiative for Immigrant Women

MESA is a statewide program housed on the Purdue University campus that works to engage and mobilize under-served and under-represented communities in sexual violence prevention efforts.  MESA has ongoing efforts in Migrant Farm Worker, Native American, Latino and other Multicultural communities. For more information or to receive registration information, please contact mesa@ydae.purdue.edu
Download MESA Multicultural Gathering Registration Form
Download MESA Multicultural Gathering poster

- Kimber Nicoletti, Director of Multicultural Efforts to End Sexual Assault (MESA)

Indiana 4-H Youth & Adult Congress, October 10, 2009
This year’s Indiana 4-H Congress will be held at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 10, 2009. Registration will begin at 8:45 a.m. and the program will conclude at 4:00 p.m. The registration fee is $25 per person and is due by October 1st.

NOTE: To meet caterer and facility requirements, our FINAL numbers must be submitted by Friday, October 2nd. So, this year, we will NOT be able to accept changes to your counts after October 2nd. Thank you for helping us to meet this deadline!

Indiana 4-H Youth and Adult Congress is an opportunity for youth and adult leaders to interact with their peers from across Indiana and to gain new knowledge that they can take home to use with their local 4-H programs. Separate tracks of sessions will be offered for the youth and adults. This year’s Congress sessions will focus on lessons related to the national 4-H SET (Science, Engineering, and Technology) initiative. Each youth and adult participant at 4-H Congress will receive information that will enable them to replicate these activities at home.

Participants in Youth and Adult Congress will also hear remarks from the Dean of the Purdue College of Agriculture, Dr. Jay Akridge, and enjoy a luncheon and presentation to recognize the 2009 4-H Accomplishment Scholarship recipients.

4-H members in grades 8-12 are invited to participate in 4-H Youth Congress. All Adult 4-H Volunteers and Extension Educators are invited to take part in 4-H Adult Congress.

Flyers and a registration form for the 2009 Indiana 4-H Youth and Adult Congress have been included in past CCC’s and are included here again for your convenience. Checks are made payable to the Indiana 4-H Foundation and are submitted to the State 4-H Office by October 1st. Names of participants are submitted via ED.
Download 4-H Youth Congress Flyer
Download 4-H Adult Congress Flyer
Download Indiana 4-H Congress Registration form

Thank you for helping us to promote this event to your members and adult volunteers!

- Steve McKinley

Operation: Military Kids (OMK)
OMK Opportunities and Resources
OMK still has funds available to help with supplies for Hero Packs, activities for children during deployment briefings, and/or county sponsored events. Up to $500 is available per event. Purchases will need to be made by September 10, but the actual project or event can be held after that date. We frequently receive feedback that the project or event was as meaningful to the adult and youth volunteers as it was to the military children. Please give us a call if you know of a group in your community that might be interested in doing an OMK community service project. The 2009 OMK County Sponsored Event application and letter are available below:
Download 2009 OMK County Sponsored Event Application and letter.

Bugle Newsletter
Please see the Bugle Newsletter available here for information about OMK.

- Judy Hauser and Steve McKinley

Purdue Collegiate 4-H Officer Training Workshops
The Purdue University Collegiate 4-H Club is once again willing to conduct 4-H Club Officer Training workshops in counties within a 1 ½ to 2-hour radius of the West Lafayette campus. Workshops are usually scheduled during the Spring semester, but a few Fall semester dates are also available.

The typical workshop includes a mock meeting (both good and bad ways to conduct a meeting), individual sessions for each office, and a time for recreation with the whole group. Most programs are completed within 75-90 minutes.

Collegiate 4-H will work with the counties to schedule a date and time convenient for both groups on a first-come, first-served basis. Collegiate 4-H will request a flat fee to cover their transportation expenses.

If you are interested in scheduling an Officer Training Workshop, please contact Service Director, Jerry Weber (weberj@purdue.edu) or Steve McKinley (mckinles@purdue.edu) for further information.

- Steve McKinley

Environmental Effects of Improper Disposal of Medications
Improper disposal of prescription medicines is a rapidly emerging concern among environmental experts. Medication components can surface in the environment after they are flushed, thrown away, after they are metabolized by the body and excreted, or when they are rinsed off the skin (when applied in a topical form). Although the long-term effects on human health and the health of the environment are not completely known, improper disposal of medications has the potential to be harmful once they reach waterways. A new curriculum is currently being pilot tested to teach high school aged youth about this problem. The curriculum contains lesson plans for five sessions and was developed by education specialists, researchers, and scientists from Purdue University, the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program and the Environmental Protection Agency have been involved the development and review of the five sessions. If you are interested in pilot testing any part of this curriculum, please visit: http://www.four-h.purdue.edu/MedsDisposal/Index.html.

- Natalie Carroll

Classroom Enrichment: Activities from the 4-H Natural Resource Manuals
The website, www.four-h.purdue.edu/natural_resources/resources.html, has Indiana Academic Standards (and proficiencies), Lesson Plans, and additional materials suitable for classroom enrichment. Some are now in Spanish and I hope to have all translated by the end of the year. Please let me know if there are specific topics that you would like lesson plans developed for and we’ll work on that.

- Natalie Carroll

VOLUNTEER DEVELOPMENT

Tenured 4-H Volunteers Recognized at the Indiana State Fair
328 volunteers were recognized for their years of service during the 4-H volunteer recognition program at the Indiana State Fair totaling 8,705 years of service to the Indiana 4-H Program. 108 of these individuals were able to join us on site to participate in the festivities. Awards for those who were unable to attend were distributed via the county boxes at the Indiana State Fair. The program for the Tenured Volunteer Luncheon is available here. (Note that it is formatted for 11” x 17” paper.)

Over 250 volunteers registered for State Fair 4-H Day - thank you for promoting this opportunity to your volunteers. These individuals received at least one food vendor discount coupon, 2 free shuttle tickets, a 4-H bag with pen and cup, and a 4-H Volunteer name badge as a small token of appreciation for their work with the Indiana 4-H Program.

Sponsors for the day included Beck’s Hybrids (lead sponsor); Red Gold; Dow AgroSciences; Farm Bureau Insurance Companies; Indiana State Fair; Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service; Indiana 4-H Foundation; American Dairy Association of Indiana, Incorporated; Indiana Beef Producers; Indiana Pork Producers; Indiana Crop Improvement Association; Indiana Extension Educators Association; Indiana Sheep Association; and Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.

- Steve McKinley

4-H Volunteer Vision
The September “4-H Volunteer Vision” is available here for your use with volunteers.

- Steve McKinley

Volunteer Leader Certificate Forms
As a reminder, Volunteer Leader Certificate forms (to recognize volunteers of various tenures) are available for downloading from the 4-H Web site. They may be found by going to “Search,” typing in “Leader” and selecting the “Award” category. Each form has its own individual file – note that there are two pages of forms available. http://www.four-h.purdue.edu/4-H_search/

Remember to enter “onepurdue\” before typing in your username.

- Steve McKinley

2009 North Central Region Volunteer Forum
The 2009 North Central Region Volunteer Forum will be held October 1-4, in Lincoln, NE. Registration information regarding the Forum is on the Nebraska 4-H Web site at: http://4h.unl.edu/volunteers/forum.htm. Registration closes on September 15.

- Steve McKinley