- Author: Ashley Pyler, Loma Vista 4-H
On October 11th, 2018, 4-H'ers of Ventura County walked into the doors of the UCCE Office in Ventura, California. They were here because they were attending the 2018 Ventura County 4-H Achievement Night. The vast majority of these 4-H'ers had submitted 4-H Record Books to the county to be judged against the other 4-H Record Books of Ventura County 4-H. A lot of these 4-H'ers had submitted their Record Books in the summer, so they had waited several weeks to find out how they did in the Ventura County 4-H Record Book Competition. Finally, these hardworking Ventura County 4-H Members would find out how they did in the Ventura County 4-H Record Book Competition on this very night.
The decorations at the event were truly amazing. Many 4-H banners were hung to make the event look more official and to add to the festivities of the event. On the tables, there were fancy black tablecloths, 4-H gift bags for members to take home, beautiful centerpieces, and multi-colored confetti to celebrate everything that the members have accomplished in the previous 4-H program year.
The night started off with the members playing a game of Pictionary. The event's participants were divided up into four teams that played four rounds. After all four rounds had concluded, the scorekeeper for the game revealed that there was a four-way tie. The teams then played an incredibly competitive tiebreaker.
After the Pictionary game, it was then time to announce what the members had been waiting for. After weeks of waiting, it was finally time to announce the awards. Members who won awards proudly walked up to the front area of the room to receive them. The audience clapped, people cheered, and the members smiled. The atmosphere of the event was incredible. Whether the members were competing against one another, were from different clubs, or were best friends, they all applauded each other. This showed how truly humble the 4-H members are.
After the awards were announced, refreshments and desserts were served to the members while they were congratulating each other on their amazing accomplishments. Everyone went home with a smile on their face. If you didn't attend the 2018 Ventura County 4-H Achievement Night, I strongly recommend that you attend next year's achievement night.
- Author: Ashley Pyler, Loma Vista 4-H
On October 10th, 2018, Ventura County 4-H hosted a fun and educational event at the UCCE Office in Ventura, California. This event was called "Code Your World" Ventura County 4-H Science Night. At the event, the 4-H members who attended were exposed to all kinds of new things in the STEM field. The main focus for this event was on coding, and how specifically it must be done.
Members began their long but enjoyable night with learning how scientists discover the odds of an experiment by tossing a coin a certain number of times, and recording each outcome. The members at the end of each experiment then had to explain if the following scientific test that they had just conducted was fair or not and why.
The 4-H kids at Science Night were also taught what an algorithm is, and why it's important to the artificial intelligence world. The group then participated in the chicken dance. After that, they wrote an algorithm for the chicken dance, and all of the adults at the event had to dance based on how that algorithm explained the chicken dance, not how they remember the dance. At the end of that activity, the event's participants had a discussion to figure out what worked well with the algorithm's instructions, and what didn't work well. This exercise taught the 4-H members that when you are doing coding, it is vitally important that you are extremely specific.
The last activity for the night started off with a "field trip" to the office's library. In this room, there was a table, some chairs, and a pretty sizable television screen. The members then pulled out their smart phones, and hooked them up to the TV screen. It was then time for the true test. The test was to see how much the members were learning during the night's activities.
The test the members took was on an app called the "Kahoot!" In this activity, 4-H members were digitally asked questions on the TV Screen, and then were given a short amount of time to answer on their smart phones. Whoever answered the questions correctly and fast enough, won the game once all the questions were asked.
This event was very informational and fun. The lessons that were learned by the participants of the event are important to know, and are even more beneficial if you are looking at a career path in the STEM Field. I strongly encourage that all 4-H members attend the next Science Night Event.
- Author: Livia Vertucci, Loma Vista 4-H
The California 4-H State Leadership Conference (SLC) is held every year at UC Davis. This conference is a chance for 13 – 18 year old 4-H members from all over California to come together to be trained in leadership skills, meet new friends from different counties, and have a great learning experience.
This year's conference was held July 26th – 29th and Adler Striegel and I were lucky enough to attend. Members also get to stay the weekend in the dorms on campus, which gives the opportunity to feel what it's like to live on a college campus and manage their own schedule.
We arrived on Thursday, July 26th, got settled into our dorm rooms, had dinner together and then broke into our Program Assistant, or “PA"groups. In our groups we got to know each other, went over the schedule for the weekend, and then we were off to see Inside Out. We watched the movie Inside Out because it is all about recognizing feelings and learning that it's okay to feel all of your feelings and that you don't just have to be happy all the time.
On Friday everyone went on their chosen tours around Sacramento. Adler and I got a tour of the capitol building and then we toured the UC Davis campus. Other members went to tours such as the Computer Science (CS) Summit, UC Davis Institute of Food Science, California Raptor Center, Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, and the Underground Tour of Old Sacramento. That night after dinner we went to the great hall to do activities to help us make new friends. To make new friends we had to find another person and give them a high-five and introduce ourselves. Then we had to find another person and give them a fist-bump and introduce ourselves. Then, we had to go back and find our high-five friend. Since there were more than 100 people attending, it was a little hard to find our new friends, but eventually we did. After that activity we had a ‘trinket trade' where we gave out items that represented our club, I painted shells to look like a strawberry and Adler painted beach rocks with a 4-H clover.
The next day after breakfast we had a guest speaker called ‘The Ripples Guy'. He taught us all about what he had learned about building bridges and being able to find areas of connection between people. We may live far apart and have different beliefs, but we can always find something that connects us. Then, we can pass it on, and that is the ripple. The rest of the day on Saturday was spent going to different workshops depending on what we wanted to learn about. Adler and I went to the session called, “Soap for Hope and Emerald Star and Beyond” where we learned that making soap is difficult but that they were making it for a good cause. The project was about making soap to give to victims of domestic abuse. I thought that it was a really great idea that they went to all of the trouble to make soap to give to people who are having a hard time. In the afternoon we got to meet the new State Ambassadors and learn more about the program. On Saturday night we got to dance to DJ Hightop for three hours with new friends. The dance was so much fun!
On our last day we had a self-awareness and stress reliving workshop out on the field. In this workshop we learned to meditate and have a “mind wash” where we stopped thinking about things and made our minds clear. We also got to make stress balls and paint watercolor to relax and be creative. Finally, it was time to go home and so we had to say goodbye to our new friends and PAs and head home to share all that we learned with our clubs. I would recommend SLC to all members who are 13 – 18 years old because it makes you feel connected to 4-H in a bigger way because you get to meet members from all over and hear about all their clubs and activities.
- Author: Ashley & Andrew Pyler, Loma Vista 4-H
4-H'ers from various clubs across Ventura County enjoyed themselves while volunteering at the 2018 Annual Summerfest Dog Show. The show took place at California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo, California on July 6 through July 8, 2018. Although the summer heat temperatures rose to an uncomfortable 105˚, it did not dampen the mood of all of the volunteers.
4-H Members came from different clubs including: Loma Vista 4-H, Conejo-Simi Valley 4-H, and Santa Rosa Valley 4-H. The show's organizers really appreciated the help the 4-H'ers provided while working the obedience show as ring stewards. The tasks they performed involved: resetting jump heights for different jumps, holding leashes for handlers, posting different signs in the rings, keeping scores, assisting with the awards, and helping the judges with whatever was needed at the time.
- Author: Claire Boone and Nadja Klem
Santa Rosa Valley 4-H is a fun and active club. We live by the 4-H pledge which says “I pledge - My head to clearer thinking, My heart to greater loyalty, My hands to larger service, My health to better living, For my club, my community my country, and my world."
We use our heads to focus on leadership and projects. Our club offers projects such as Leadership, Record Book, Camping and many animal projects such as Poultry, Swine, and Rabbit Project for show and market. Many members complete presentations. SRV 4-H members are looking to grow personally. Members increase their knowledge and become more responsible through projects.
We use our hearts to help other club members and the community. An example of this is the table setting that we put together at the Ventura County Fair. Our board team each shared ideas and each member contributed items to include on the table. We discussed the menu and made assignments. SRV 4-H is about sharing information and including everyone. We use our hearts to show loyalty, compassion, and caring. 
In Santa Rosa Valley we use our hands for community service. We host and join many kinds of events to support our community. For example, one way we can appreciate our community is by cleaning up the trash on the California Coastal Cleanup Day. One day a year, our club helps clean up the Rancho Conejo Creek area in Simi Valley. Another way that we served the community was helping the many families who lost their homes from the Thomas Fire. Our club donated clothing, toys, and household items for the people in the shelters. We went to Build A Bear and collected donation to make stuffed bears for the children as well. We also supported other community service activities such as Operation Gratitude, where we made cards for the wonderful people fighting for our beautiful country. Our club makes Valentines for Seniors, and those were distributed with Seniors' Meals on Wheels lunches. During Spring, we colored placemats for the seniors to go with their cards. Since we wanted to help those in need in our community, we collect food for Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat during October. Many members went to Food Share and packed boxes for senior nutrition. Giving back to the community is very rewarding and an important part of the Santa Rosa Valley 4-H.
Living a healthy life is another part of the 4-H clover. In our club we learn about nutrition, and activities for a healthy lifestyle. Our club also learns how to do proper presentations. In some clubs you can also be a Healthy Living Officer. This is a person who models a healthy lifestyle and teaches the club through fun activities how to be healthier.
Santa Rosa Valley 4-H will help you find your spark and passion while developing skills for the future and having fun!
