Anne Arundel County 4-H Happenings

November: Thriving Youth through Positive Youth Development (PYD)

Youth programs that are intentionally planned and implemented with a rich developmental context enable youth to thrive (Arnold & Gagnon, 2019). From January – April we touched on the developmental context, the “Soil”, of all 4-H programming: Spark, Relationships, Belonging, and Engagement. If we incorporate them, youth will thrive. 4-H focuses on seven indicators of thriving youth. From May through November, we’ll discover each indicator. After an overview of each, we would love for youth and volunteers to share how they utilized/ participated in an action to help youth prosper.

Indicator 7: Goal Setting & Management – through the processes of setting, managing, and achieving a goal(s) youth learn skills to make personal decisions. This in turn leads to successful long term outcomes such as soft skills. Perseverance, grit, and reflection are additional skills learned and practiced.

Strategies/ Activities:

· Goal Setting – set aside time at meetings or at home for youth to set project and/or personal goals. Scaffolding and pre-planning may be helpful; working through time management, short-term goals/steps, resources, and contact ideas, are all pieces needed to reach the larger goal. Discuss achievable goals based on youth’s time and skillset.

· Brainstorming – working with others to discover new possibilities for task completion, resources, and mini goals. This is a great way to work through a process and build one’s social network. Here are a few techniques to try. Okay, there are 29, so just pick three numbers and try those ;)

· SMART Goals – SMART goals are those that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Here’s a video and worksheet that can assist.

In guiding youth through goal setting and management, we are intentionally building social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral skills that help youth thrive. It takes time to plan and model processes yet in doing so, adults are building stronger developmental relationships with youth. Relationships where adults express care, challenge growth, and expand possibilities. (cite) Don’t forget to use this in working through Project Records and Record Books!

Regards,

Gretchen

The annual 4-H Turkey Shoot is scheduled to occur on Saturday, Nov 5, 2022, 9am at the Meyer Station Nature Center (note the event has moved up one week) This is a free event for all ages, 4-H and non4-H, youth and adult, with special activities available for youth aged 5-7. Contestants may choose archery or riflery and you shoot at paper targets. You may bring but do not need your own equipment. (see flyer). Breakfast and Lunch refreshments will be available for sale. The Anne Arundel County 4-H Foundation sponsors cash prizes to top scoring contestants in both disciplines by 4-H age (Junior, Intermediate, Senior) plus adult male and adult female. NEW THIS YEAR - Top scoring individuals in both archery and riflery receive a special award. No RSVP required. Reach out to friendshipoutdoorskills4h@gmail.com for more information.

The Maryland 4-H Program is proud to offer senior 4-H members the opportunity to participate in Leadership Trips at the National Level. All enrolled and dues paying club members ages 14-18 (as of January 1st the year the trip takes place) from all counties are eligible to submit an application and portfolio packet for any of the following national leadership trips. To be considered for a Leadership Trip, a 4-H member must complete a portfolio package which includes:

• Leadership Trip Application

• 4-H Resume (Example)

• Essay: The 2023 Senior Essay Prompt is "Describe the benefit of participating in 4-H to an elected official and why they should support the 4-H Program." (Example)

The 2023 Leadership Trips Available to Maryland 4-H Seniors are:

• National 4-H Conference (D.C. in April)

• National Leadership Conference (at Camp Miniwanca in Michigan in June)

• West Virginia Older Members’ Conference (June)

• Virginia 4-H Congress (June)

• National 4-H Congress (Atlanta in November)

On the webpage you will find these links:

Information Flyer

Senior Portfolio Process Informational flyer

How to Apply for a Leadership Opportunity Help Guide

More information can be found on the state webpage: https://go.umd.edu/nationalleadership, scroll to the National 4-H Leadership Opportunities.

Due Date: January 15 - Portfolios must be submitted to 4-H Online for any of the 5 the National Leadership Opportunities.

*** Please note that portfolios must be submitted to Gretchen Sumbrum for county approval at our county office by Dec. 1st. Once approved, the portfolio must be submitted to 4-H Online by 1/15/23. NOTE: It is very important that seniors understand they must be enrolled in 4-H for the 2023 year prior to submitting (if submitting sometime 1/1/23 - 1/15/23) AND that 4-H Online is often shut down from mid-Dec to mid-Jan. Seniors are strongly urged to take advantage of the November - mid December portal entry date to avoid missing the January 15th deadline.

Diamond Clover Awards are designed to encourage 4-H members ages 8 to 18 to engage in a variety of projects and activities that will enable them to acquire the skills necessary to lead successful lives as competent, caring and contributing members of society.

Things to Keep in Mind:

1. The Diamond Clover (DC) Award is designed for younger youth to begin at Level One and progress through six levels, one level per year, acquiring valuable life skills as he/she advances. Youth who are older when joining 4-H, may begin at a higher level (one through four) if mutually agreeable to the participant and the club/group leader with the permission of the 4-H Educator. It is recommended that 4-H members have completed one year in the 4-H program before starting the DC program.

2. Youth meeting the requirements of Levels 1-4 will be recognized at the Club/County level. Youth meeting the requirements of Levels 5 & 6 will be recognized at a state event.

3. Diamond Clover, Level 6 Proposals (new projects) and Project Reports (completed projects) were due to the UME - AAC 4-H office for the 4-H Educator (Gretchen) by 9/15/22. All documents were to be uploaded to the Portal below by September 30th.

For all Diamond Clover Forms and additional information click here. Club Leaders are asked to send a list of Level 1-4 completed forms AND Level 5 proposals to UME-AAC (gsumbrum@umd.edu) by November 30.

Now is the time to begin preparing for rollover to the 2023 4-H program year. As in past years, 4-H Online will close mid-December for System Managers to make updates and program next year’s enrollment. The 4-H Online access timetable will be as follows:

• December 1 - Enrollment function will be disabled; families will not be able to create a NEW youth or volunteer enrollment. Families will still be able to log in to and view their profiles, register for events, complete financial transactions, etc.

• December 15 - 4-H Online access will be closed to both families and Managers (login will be disabled) for the remainder of 2022.

• First week of January 2023 - 4-H Online open to Managers and families for 2023 enrollment.

State Council - Join us

State Council is a statewide youth leadership organization open to all 4-H members ages 13- 18 as of January 1 of the current year. Comprised of youth officers, general members and 4-H faculty/staff advisors, the State Council is designed to offer youth a premiere leadership opportunity where they can represent their local 4-H program, network and learn with peers from across the state, and support/ promote 4-H and 4-H events. General membership applications are accepted from September 15 - November 15 each year. Applicants are notified by December 15th. The State Council program year begins January 1 and is launched with a retreat to prepare members for their roles and create their plan of work. More information can be found on the state Youth and Adult Leadership page (linked).

2023 Membership Applications for State Council (flyer linked) are now open. Applications are submitted through 4-H Online Event Registration and include a resume, cover letter and photo. Interested Seniors are welcome to attend the State Council Virtual Open House on Nov 2nd from 7-8pm.

4-H ACTS (Annapolis-Civics-Thriving-Service)

Civic engagement programs empower young people to be well-informed citizens who are engaged in their communities and the world. 4-H ACTS will provide an opportunity for youth to travel to the state capitol, learn about civics, engage with legislators and tell their 4-H stories. Through this unique event, youth will gain skills in civic engagement to promote involvement in their communities & governments, explore the State Capitol's history and learn about Maryland government structure, representatives and operations. Activities include a morning assembly with a local legislator, guided tour of the State House, Scavenger Hunt activity, and a 4-H Showcase. Youth/volunteers are welcome to observe the legislature in action via a General Assembly Session that evening on their own.

Event Details:

• SAVE THE DATE: Presidents Day (Public School day off), Monday, February 20, 2023

• Location: 100 State Cir, Annapolis, MD 21401

Upcoming NASA - Goddard Programs

The Goddard Visitor Center team is excited to share information and programs for students, groups and families this Fall! The visitor center will be open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Activities will continue throughout the Fall, including the return of the in-person Sunday Experiment on the third Sunday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information and to receive program email updates, e-mail: goddard-visitor-center-programs@lists.nasa.gov.

Events coming up include 3 virtual field trips. The first two events below have three parts: a series of short videos, a live interactive presentation with a Q&A session, and optional self-guided activities using common supplies on hand at home or at educational program locations. The third event is lecture-style with a Q&A session, as well as additional self-guided resources. These interactive presentations are taught live by a NASA education specialist and 45 minutes in length. Custom programs may be offered based on availability.

● Living and Working in Space, Kindergarten – 4th Grade

People are living and working in space right now! Participants will discover many of the different ways that scientists, engineers and astronauts have developed to help humans live in space. They will also learn about the parts of an astronaut’s spacesuit and then look at actual food items sent to the International Space Station.

● How to Build a Satellite, 5th – 8th Grade

Building a satellite takes many steps, requires help from a team, and needs creativity and innovation to make things work. Participants will explore the engineering design process and how scientists and engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center use it to solve problems. They will also talk about components of a satellite with demonstrations focusing on infrared light.

● Goddard Overview, 9th Grade – Adult

With facilities in Maryland, Virginia, New Mexico, Texas, New York and West Virginia, Goddard is a place where a mission can go from start to finish — from planning to building to testing and even launching. Goddard is also involved in nearly every NASA science mission involving Earth science, planetary science, heliophysics (the study of the Sun and our local space environment), and astrophysics. Participants will receive an overview presentation focused on current missions. This program is lecture-style with a question-and-answer session and additional self-guided resources.

In-person group programs and facility tours are available Tuesday through Friday with prior reservation. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/visitgoddard. To schedule a virtual field trip or in-person program, contact Brian Ash at GSFC-VisitorCenter@mail.nasa.gov. For more information/questions within 4-H, please contact our State Stem Specialist Mark DeMorra, (mdemorra@umd.edu.

2022 Maryland STEM Festival: October & November

The Maryland STEM Festival is a month-long celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics that takes place every Fall across the state. Hundreds of events focused on fun, interactive STEM learning opportunities will occur in October and November 2022. Students, families, friends, STEM professionals, teachers, and volunteers will enjoy events led by partners in STEM education and industry. Information about the Festival and how to get involved can be found at: https://marylandstemfestival.org/ . For more information/questions, please contact Mark DeMorra, mdemorra@umd.edu.

Theme: Cybersecurity and Information Technology.

https://marylandstemfestival.org/events/submitevents

2022 STEM Festival Art Contest: https://marylandstemfestival.org/art-contest/art-contest-2022

Shooting Sports

Like all of our 4-H programs, the purpose of shooting sports programs is a youth development and teaching of life skills to young people. Our programs are valuable for helping young people develop self-confidence, personal discipline, responsibility, teamwork, self-esteem and sportsmanship. The discipline and self-control required for responsible firearms and archery use carry over many other aspects of life. Maryland 4-H Shooting Sports includes:

• Air Rifle & Smallbore Rifle
• Archery
• Air Pistol
• Blackpowder
• Shotgun
• Hunting and Wildlife
• Shooting Sports Coordinator

Each discipline teaches safety, concentration, self-discipline, self-confidence, goal-setting, decision-making, and build toward more advanced activities. Programs allow for the development of individual cooperative and competitive skills. Participants are exposed to local policies, regulations, laws, and ethical behavior both by repeated demonstration and thorough personal practice.

The 2022 Maryland State 4-H Archery Contest Results (held 9/24/22 @ Carroll County Ag Center) can be found on our state website: Archery Results. The Maryland State Shotgun Championship Results (held 10/22/22 @ Prince Georges County Trap and Skeet Center) can also be found on that page: Shotgun Results. To learn more, check out our state Environmental Science webpage.

2022 Dog Bowl

The 2022 4-H Dog Bowl Contest will be held in person Sunday, 12/4/22 at 12pm at UMD Animal Science Building at College Park. Registration is open in 4-H Online and will close November 15, 2022. In 4-H Dog Bowl, two teams of three to four players face off in front of a panel of judges and a moderator who asks questions during the matches. Each match consists of One-on-One questions which are limited to one player from each team to answer, and Open questions which may be answered by all players of each team. Players must be quick on the buzzer to earn the chance to answer the questions. Correct answers score points for the team. 4-H members who are interested should contact their county office right away as many teams have already begun holding practices to prepare for the upcoming contest.

The contest resource list will remain unchanged from the 2021 contest, with the exception of the updated AKC Dog Breeds list (See the General Rules for complete information).
This information is also posted on the Maryland 4-H website at: https://extension.umd.edu/programs/4-h-youth-development/program-areas/animal-sciences. Please contact Ashley Travis at ashley90@umd.edu or Chris Anderson at canders2@umd.edu if you have questions.

Horse Updates: Maryland 4-H Horse Judging School

Registration is now open for the Maryland 4-H Horse Judging School! Revamped for in-person learning, the Maryland 4-H Horse Judging School is BACK and better than ever! Please join us for a fun filled day of all things Horse Judging! Participants will learn the latest judging techniques from industry professionals with special attention to conformation, performance, and oral reasons! Youth will gain valuable information to increase their horse judging knowledge and learn preparation skills needed for the 4-H Horse Judging and Hippology contests. Lunch will be provided, and every participant will receive a horse judging manual!

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, December 3, 2022

• Start Time: Check-in at 9:30am, Clinic begins promptly at 10:00am

• Location: University of Maryland Animal Science Building: 8127 Regents Dr, College Park, MD 20740

• Fee: $20.00 per youth or adult participant. Includes lunch and a horse judging manual.

• Registration Closes: November 18, 2022

Eligibility:

This clinic is open to 4-H youth members and volunteers who are interested in learning more about Horse Judging. Complete information and rules can be found on the Maryland 4-H website.

How to Register:

Registration for this event is through 4-H Online. To access the registration log in to your 4-H Online family profile and click on the Events tab. You can find an Event Registration “how to” guide on the Maryland 4-H website. All event registrations must be submitted by 11:59 pm on 11/18/2022. Contact State 4-H Equine Coordinator Rebecca Bittner at regunder@umd.edu or visit the Maryland 4-H website for more information.

NOTE: All events, County/State/National, are subject to change due to ongoing health crisis.

*** Be sure to share your club's next event with us so we can help you spread the word! ***

University of Maryland - AAC Fall Harvest Festival

The Family Fall Harvest Festival & Open House on October 14th was so enjoyable! Visitors learned about various Extension programs, toured the Village Garden then picked pumpkins/corn/sunflowers at the Urban Farming Research Clinic! Here are some of the highlights from the event:

Linthicum 4-H Hi-Riders Horse Show

The Hi-Rider's last horse show of the year was held October 23rd. 'Show preparation' fits perfectly into this month's 'Goal Setting' Thrive indicator (discussed in the greeting above). Most horse riding youth prepare for shows months in advance of a competition - weekly lessons in their discipline of riding, show clothing, registration/health forms and riding tack are all necessary components to compete! It's so amazing to watch them persevere!

A special highlight of the October show in particular is the costume contest. Check out some of the great digs below. 🐴😍 ⬇⬇⬇

Trail Blazers 4-H Club Sunflower Contest

This year, the Trailblazers 4-H Club had a Sunflower Contest. Each participating member was given 3 seeds for a mammoth sunflower. Goals were set as youth planned and managed their planting and watering schedule. Success was achieved after a long summer of caring for their sunflower.

Congratulations to the 2022 Sunflower King, Henry! His sunflower grew to be 9 feet tall!

*** Share your club experiences, 4-H'er accomplishments, & any events with us so we can include them in the newsletter! ***

Thank you to all the Club Leaders for submitting their Financial Summary, Property Inventory and IRS 990 Paperwork. We know this is a tedious task and we truly appreciate the efforts you made to meet this State 4-H requirement!

In this part of the newsletter, we'll take a moment to discuss the basics of 4-H, how the University of Maryland Extension (UME) is structured, how 4-H fits into the UME, resources available to you at your UME county office, etc...

Although we often get lost in day to day details, this month's UME Annual Report gives us glimpse pf the impact Maryland 4-H made in 2021:

• Over 30,000 Animal Science & Ag Literacy Projects were provided across the state.
• Over 10,000 youth were reached via a Career AGsperience Virtual Booth for the Junior
Achievement of Central Maryland Inspire program.
• 3,253 youth completed the Animal Husbandry and Quality Assurance educational program
and 120 zoonosis kits were prepared and distributed to promote outcomes of healthy animals
and healthy youth.
• Across STEM, more than 20 youth competed in our 4-H Engineering Contests at State Fair,
over 50 youth participated in our 4-H STEM Challenge Virtual Series, and over 50 youth
comprising 9 teams competed at our Robotics Contests at State Fair.
• Maryland 4-H is proud to continue its fruitful partnership with our friends at NASA-Goddard,
who had a significant presence at many of our regional, state, and national events, such as at
the virtual 4-H Coding Jammers Club, the National 4-H STEM Summit, and our 4-H STEM
Challenge Virtual series.
• During the STEM Challenge Virtual Series, numerous scientists, engineers, and researchers
presented to youth covering an incredibly broad range of subjects including Astronomy,
Computer Science, Physics, Astrobiology, Climatology, Mechanical Engineering, Meteorology,
and even Oceanography. NASA, as well as our other new STEM partners including the
Digital Harbor Foundation, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and more.
• After a season of separation, campers across the state found their way back to each other in
a variety of ways this summer. Three resident camps, six day camps, and one virtual camp
experience served 575 youth from across the state. The camps provided a bit of normalcy
after 18 months of anything but.
• 1,841 volunteers reported serving an average of 46 hours in 2021, totaling over 84,686 hours
of service. This service is valued at $2.6M in contribution to the Maryland 4-H program.

This month we reflect on all the contributions we have received and how grateful we are for each and every effort. It has been so wonderful to see our youth thrive and develop into caring, engaging and thoughtful young adults. We appreciate the partnerships our adult mentors, volunteers and leaders have established with our youth to provide guidance and purpose to their lives. We couldn't have done it without you!

Please follow this link to our website - click on the calendar icon for 2022 Calendar details. Updates will be made as they become available to us. All newsletters are now uploaded to our AAC website.

November

• 11/2 - State Council Virtual Open House on 11/2, 7-8pm.

• 11/5 - Turkey Shoot, 9am, Maryer’s Station. See flyer above.

• 11/11 - Veteran's Day, UME-AAC Office Closed

• 11/15 - Membership Applications for State Council due
• 11/30 - Diamond Clover Forms Level 1-4 due; Level 5 proposals - due to UME-AAC

December

• 12/1 - Senior Portfolios for National Trip Oppts due to Gretchen Sumbrum
• 12/1 - 4-H Online Enrollment disabled for New enrollment
• 12/3 - Maryland Horse Judging School (registration closes 11/18)
• 12/4 - State Dog Bowl Contest (registration due 11/15), 12pm at UMD-College Park
• 12/15 - 4-H Online access will be closed (reopening early January)

A look ahead…2023 !!!

• 2/20 - 4-H ACTS (See information above)

4-H Inclement Weather Policy: If there is no school, or there is early dismissal in Anne Arundel County due to inclement weather, ALL 4-H events will be cancelled.

4-H Covid Policy: MD 4-H activities must comply with local directives for indoor or outdoor gatherings. If AACPS transitions to virtual learning, we are required to transition ALL indoor 4-H activities to virtual format (including 4-H Meetings). Outdoor activities are still permitted in alignment with local government requirements for masking, physical distance and capacity sizes.

Have questions, ideas or news to share? Please Email Joy Sim, jsim1@umd.edu, to be included in our UME - AAC 4-H monthly newsletter.

Programing Questions? email Gretchen Sumbrum, UME - AAC Educator, gsumbrum@umd.edu.

Check out our Facebook page: Anne Arundel County 4-H

Email: GSumbrum@umd.edu
Website: https://extension.umd.edu/locations/anne-arundel-county/4-h-youth-development
Location: 97 Dairy Lane, Gambrills, MD, USA
Phone: 4102223900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AACO4H