- Author: Laura Snell
I just wanted to give a little update on the 2023 Devil's Garden (DG) Colt Challenge. We had 40 youth in 4-H and FFA enroll in the program from 18 counties all over California. This year, weanlings through two year old wild horses were available to participants from the 2022 Devil's Garden Wild Horse gather. Youth picked up their horses around January 1, 2023. A competition will be held on June 17th at the Junior Livestock Showgrounds (8th and Nagle) in Alturas starting at noon for them to compete for awards in halter, showmanship and obstacle course.
Video Challenge
Each April we have held a video challenge for youth to show us how far they have come with their horses. This was a great activity during Covid but has continued to be a highlight and opportunity to share more about our youth and their horses with partners and interested parties. Videos were evaluated on 4 criteria: Creativity, Horse Behavior, Trainer Ability, and Grooming. The winners this year are below, please enjoy watching their videos. All three winners are 4-H'ers this year!
Thank you for your support of this program and the unique opportunity it provides for youth in California. Please feel free to share this with other contacts that may be interested in the success of this program as well.
Third Place
Zoey and Ginger: Fresno County, Reedley 4-H
Second Place
Anika and Rusty: Contra Costa County, Brentwood 4-H
First Place
Aubrielle and Mystic: Shasta County 4-H
For more information see our website at devilsgardenucce.org and follow Devils Garden Research and Education on Facebook.
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- Author: Eve Dowdell
Smiles despite the rain at Ag Day 2023
Despite the cold and rainy weather, California 4-H stood strong at Ag Day at the Capitol 2023. Tons of people stopped by the 4-H booth, taking time to pet the animals and chat with our 4-H'ers from Sheldon 4-H. We were overjoyed for the number of public officials, 4-H alumni, and Ag supporters that made a point to stop by the 4-H booth. Each person made the day such an awesome experience for our youth, staff, and volunteers.
Thank you to Sheldon 4-H Members
Thank you to our Volunteers
We also want to recognize the fabulous Sheldon 4-H volunteers who came to support their club members and the 4-H program. Robyn Long, Jamie Woods, and Ronda Lyn Solano gleefully snapped photos, answered questions, and helped 4-H'ers on site stay hydrated and dry. Rocking their Sheldon 4-H gear and rain ponchos, each volunteer helped make the day a success, and had fun doing it!
Thank you to our Sponsor
We were fortunate to have our booth sponsored by the Sacramento law firm, Kahn, Soares & Conway, LLP. Their support helped us connect many people to the 4-H program through interactive and educational exhibits. The number of visitors seemed endless, as many stopped to collect 4-H tote bags, ask questions, pick up 4-H Impact Sheets, and most of all, greet the animals.
Many thanks to everyone that spent some time at the
4-H booth!
It was exciting for so many people to stop at the 4-H booth. Many legislators shared their wisdom with our 4-H'ers and mentioned their love for Ag. Some even proudly shared their 4-H alumni status! See some pictures of the various officials below.
We appreciate California 4-H State Ambassadors, Isabelle and Tejas, for representing the State 4-H program.
From petting goats and bunnies to sharing umbrellas to photoshoots and conversations, every attendee made lasting memories at this year's Ag Day. California 4-H thanks every single person who contributed to such a successful day. Even if we didn't run into to you or snap a photo with you, we felt the love and 4-H spirit just like the rain on our coats.
See you next year, rain or shine!
- Author: Eve Dowdell
Congratulations to our California 4-H Grown Youth in Action winner, Sruthi Sudarsan!
Despite struggling with social anxiety, Sruthi found the confidence and skills to start her organization, Project C.A.R.E.
Throughout her adolescence, Sruthi Sudarsan struggled with social anxiety. With the help of her 4-H club public speaking and puppetry projects, she found the voice and confidence to rise, despite those struggles.
Sruthi hopes her outreach and efforts will motivate future generations to rise to the challenge of leadership and community development.
Unsurprisingly, Sruthi's work doesn't stop there. Using her spark of teaching traditional Indian dance to young children, she raised enough money to build and supply a preschool bathroom in Cambodia. She also used her resources to provide the preschool with educational services on the necessity of basic hygiene. Her passions for encouraging youth to overcome personal obstacles and ignite positive change led her to host a mentorship program with Project C.A.R.E. This program trains students to find their civic engagement spark and execute projects using those sparks. She hopes this program will motivate future generations to rise to the challenge of leadership and community development. Sruthi currently has trained over a hundred middle schoolers to become dynamic community leaders and activists. Sruthi also works with younger children, using her puppetry skills to create educational skits about social issues to connect with children ages five to eleven.
As both Youth in Action and State Ambassador, Sruthi cultivates her impact through events, service, and projects.
Sruthi's mentors, leaders, friends, and family both in and outside of 4-H are proud to see her conquer challenges and utilize her personal development to make a national impact. We cannot wait to see what more she accomplishes over this next year—and beyond!
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h2>- Author: Eve Dowdell
The Golden Clover Awards recognize outstanding achievements of members, volunteers, program staff, and groups within the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program.
The 2022 Member of Excellence Golden Clover Award
The Member of Excellence Award recognizes a 4-H member for personal achievement and improvement, setting goals and completing them, excelling beyond expectations, overcoming hardships, and for outstanding and long-term contributions to the 4-H Program. The Member of Excellence Award is sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation.
Recipient: Johnathan Salters, San Joaquin County
Johnathan Salters earned this award for his longtime contribution to the 4-H program. His service as County and State Ambassador has shown him to be a true leader, planning and representing his County and State at events and conferences on every level. He charismatically inspires and mentors his fellow 4-H'ers. Johnathan excels at partnering with adult volunteers and staff to promote the California 4-H platform. Furthermore, he has a heart for his community, serving homeless children, fire fighters, and many others.
The 2022 Robert Brownlee Science Golden Clover Award
The Robert Brownlee Science Award recognizes science inquiry and experiential learning in 4-H work to help youth increase knowledge, skills and competencies and improve their attitudes about science. This includes increasing science awareness and use in 4-H projects by testing predictions and making sense of observations. The Robert Brownlee Science Award is sponsored by the Robert Brownlee Foundation. In honor of the visionary, Robert Brownlee (1942-1991), the Foundation was established in 1987 to provide financial awards for creating and maintaining innovative programs for youth.
Recipients: Harini Muthu, Alameda County and Sudharsan Gopalakrishnan, Contra Costa County
Harini Muthu earned this award by designing and publishing a cell phone app that logs 4-H activities by Record Book category, which in turn makes the Record Book process less daunting. Harini encountered a setback when working on her Record Book and worked to resolve it not just for herself, but for all California 4-H'ers. Harini pressed through the arduous process of learning a new programming language, coding the app, and making it compatible for all devices. Once the app was created, Harini worked to get the app approved by the State Incentives & Recognition Advisory Committee. With only a few changes, Harini was able to get it approved. The 4-H Activity Tracker is now available for free on the Apple and Google app stores.
The 2022 Jack and Robert Clay Outdoor Adventure Golden Clover Award
The Jack and Robert Clay Outdoor Adventure Award recognizes outstanding achievement, leadership, and promotion of 4-H camping and outdoor adventures such as camping, fishing, hiking, climbing, GIS/GPS, among others. The Jack and Robert Clay Outdoor Adventure Award is sponsored by the Friends of Jack and Robert Clay. Following a tragic accident in 1987, this Memorial Award was established by the family and friends of Jack Clay and his son, Robert, who were enthusiastically involved in the 4-H camping and outdoor adventure projects as leader and junior leader in Alameda County.
Recipient: Dean and Kai Wu, Santa Clara County
Dean and Kai Wu earned this award by starting the first Rolling Hills 4-H Fishing Project to share their passion and key techniques for fishing with other urban 4-H'ers. This project started online in 2020 and by 2021, they transitioned to meeting in-person. Shifting from distance-learning activities to hands-on activities was exciting for everyone because many of the project members had never fished before. Using the skills they gained as Fishing Project leaders, Dean and Kai organized a fundraiser fishing tournament for the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University. They raised over $8,000 to support kids who struggle with life threatening food allergies. Dean and Kai Wu not only supported their fellow 4-H members with their skills and passion, but they benefited the broader community as well.
The 2022 Fundraising Award Golden Clover Award
The Fundraising Award recognizes an individual and/or group for efforts in fundraising for both financial and in-kind donations generated for local, county, and state levels. Recipients share methods and processes to raise funds and educate others in the fundraising process. The Fundraising Award is sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation.
Recipient: County Judging Team, Placer County
The Placer County Judging Team earned this award for their marketing and fundraising efforts to raise money for their county. To fundraise, this team of two 4-H members – Myah Davidson and Joey Stephani - started a “Knowledge Skill-A-Thon” at each of their counties' fairs. They contacted their fairs, proposed their idea, and got both fairs to agree to the event. They spent hours creating and finalizing their idea of a youth-led knowledge test and marketed their event. The “Knowledge Skill-A-Thon” had an amazing turnout. The team also received a $1,000 add-on from an observer for their “hard work” and dedication. Through their successful event, they created a memorable learning opportunity for youth of all ages.
The 2022 Volunteer Leader Mentoring Golden Clover Award
The Volunteer Leader Mentoring Award recognizes a volunteer who changes the life of a peer or youth in a positive manner. The Volunteer Leader Mentoring Award is sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation.
Recipient: Michelle Sawyer, Sonoma County
Michelle Sawyer earned this award for embodying a “4-H is about the kids” attitude and her unwavering support of the 4-H members in her county. On top of being an active project member, county council member, and club leader for over ten years, Michelle has been a confidante and friend to many members. She always pushes youth to demonstrate and test their skills at events, both within and outside Sonoma County. Michelle goes above and beyond to encourage and inspire youth at 4-H camp, fair auctions, community service projects, and countless other events.
The 2022 Emerging 4-H Leader Golden Clover Award
The Emerging 4-H Award recognizes a volunteer with five or fewer years of excellent 4-H volunteer service in the 4-H Youth Development Program. The Emerging 4-H Leader award is sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation.
Recipient: Elizabeth McWhorter, Alameda County
Elizabeth McWhorter earned this award for her broad range of contributions to the 4-H program at the state and county levels. In 2020, Elizabeth joined 4-H and has provided excellent service in just 2 years! Her service on the State 4-H STEM Education Advisory Committee led her to promote youth engagement in STEM and STEM-related careers at various events, including the State Leadership Conference and State 4-H Field Day. Elizabeth's county work includes Alameda County Ambassador Co-Advisor, Countywide Career Exploration project leader, and co-planner for several events and fundraisers. Elizabeth exemplifies dependability, competency, and commitment to 4-H and its members.
The 2022 Collaboration & Outreach Golden Clover Award
The Collaboration & Outreach Award recognizes individuals or groups who increase awareness of the 4-H Program with communities that are new to 4-H. The Collaboration & Outreach Award is sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation.
Recipient: Nature Explorers Camp, Santa Clara Count
The Nature Explorers Camp earned this award by increased interest in environmental education through a 5-day 4-H day-camp for Latinx children in K-3rd grade. Camp teen and adult leaders worked to promote the camp and provide Spanish translations for campers and their families. This camp partnered with several Cooperative Extension programs and other youth-serving programs. Each partner group led one day of activities, ranging from Project Learning Tree to Valley Water and “Veggielution” field trips.
The 2022 Civic Engagement Golden Clover Award
The Civic Engagement Award recognizes a group or individual for contributions that demonstrate living the definition of civic engagement: working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. The Civic Engagement Award is sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation.
Recipient: Civic Engagement Academy Planning Team, Statewide Team
The Civic Engagement Academy Planning Team earned this award by planning and hosting the one-time, five-day Civic Engagement Academy. This statewide conference was organized in under three months. Both youth and adult delegates learned more about civic engagement and how to make a difference in their communities. The delegates developed a community service-learning project to ignite positive change in their counties.
The 2022 Special Event Group Award Golden Clover Award
The Special Event Award recognizes a member and/or volunteer for individual leadership roles within 4-H camps, conferences, and trainings. This award is given to a group for outstanding educational events or activities that involve youth-adult partnerships in planning and delivery, reach a wide array of youth, and strive to meet local needs. The Special Event Award is sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation.
Recipient: Public Speaking & Communications Advisory Committee
The Public Speaking & Communications Statewide Advisory Committee earned this award for their research and programming to support 4-H'ers to learn and practice skills, improve attitudes toward public speaking, and strengthen self-efficacy. This committee was formed in 2020. In just two years, they have coordinated regional and state public speaking events, activities, research, and evaluation. This committee of 26 members has greatly aided the California 4-H program to help youth improve their public speaking confidence and abilities.
Learn more about the 4-H Golden Clover Award, eligibility standards, and award categories.
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- Author: Suzanne Morikawa
The State 4-H Advisory Committees play an important role in improving the programs, processes, and opportunities in the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program. Applications for State Advisory Committees are open now until May 31, 2022. Youth are especially encouraged to join and share the youth perspective on topics that the Advisory Committee addresses.
Thanks to the work of our State Advisory Committees, we have been able to create new opportunities for 4-H youth, such as:
Public Speaking Advisory Committee: Piloting two new categories for State Presentation Events at this year's State Field Day.
Camping Advisory Committee: Plans and hosts the California 4-H Camping Conference every two years. The committee was also awarded 2020 Eleanor P. Eells Excellence in Research in Practice Award for their work to engage camps in evaluation review and the program improvement process.
STEM Advisory Committee: Created two new events for State Field Day – the 4-H STEM Shark Tank and 4-H Coding Challenge. Both events were introduced during the virtual State Field Day and were so popular that we are bringing them back to the In-person event.
Civic Engagement Advisory Committee: Launched a voter registration and information drive and also supported the Census project.
Incentives & Recognition Advisory Committee: Created new processes for virtual record book evaluation and submission, and created an updated County Ambassador program guide.
These are just a few of the recent accomplishments and contributions that our Advisory Committees have made to improve the 4-H Youth Development Program. Their impact influences state events and activities and supports the growth of opportunities for 4-H members statewide.
Using a youth-adult partnership framework, committees meet throughout the year both virtually and in-person. Because the work of Advisory Committees can span more than one program year, adults serve a two year term. Youth serve a one-year term, and have an option to continue an additional year.
Apply by May 31, 2022
Youth and Adult Volunteers are highly encouraged to apply! Please see the State Advisory Committee webpage for more information about each committee and to apply.