Posts Tagged: 4-H

California Farm Bureau advocates for UC ANR

Policy advocate at the California Farm Bureau Federation, Taylor Roschen, wrote a 736-word commentary, published in AgAlert today, praising the value of UC Cooperative Extension advisors and advocating for an additional $20 million annual funding from the state of California.

Roschen provided highlights of UC ANR's public value, writing that:

• The breadth and depth of agricultural knowledge created by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is unparalleled.
• Local Cooperative Extension staff, such as farm advisors and community education specialists, serve as translators, sharing the power of UC research with our farms, our families and our communities.
• 4-H youth leaders are 3.5 times more likely to contribute to their communities and nearly five times more likely to pursue higher education.

However, she continued, since 1990, the state's contribution to UCANR has decreased by 57%. California has lost more than 60% of its 4-H advisors since the 1990s and now have the equivalent of only 31 program representatives to serve the state's 58 counties.

To bring UC ANR programs "back from the brink," Roschen wrote, the California Farm Bureau is working with Assembly Agriculture Committee Chair Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, to fight for UCCE's future and save 4-H and local farm advisors and specialists.

"We are petitioning the state Legislature and the Newsom administration to provide an additional $20 million annually to UC ANR," she said.

4-H to host 'Mindfulness Retreat' in Cambria Nov. 1-3

Teens 13 to 19 years old and adults are invited to spend the weekend at beautiful Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria Nov. 1-3 developing their health and well-being at the 4-H annual Mindfulness Retreat. Participants will increase their personal skills in leading a healthy lifestyle, and gain skills needed to be health advocates in their communities. The retreat will focus on stress management, relationship building, nutrition, and a general understanding of mindfulness.

Activities include yoga, art, quiet listening, and time outside in nature.

The Mindfulness Retreat fee is $275 per person, including registration, lodging and meals. For more information and to register, visit the retreat calendar page. The registration deadline is Oct. 1.

Below are comments from teens who attended a previous 4-H Mindfulness Retreat.

Jada: The mindfulness retreat was refreshing for me to be able to worry about nothing but the present. I loved the morning yoga and and making collages. This weekend reminded me that I should stop and take a total break from everything more often, and that I don't have to constantly be accomplishing something. I learned that visualizing things, like the glitter in a moody jar, when I meditate or practice mindfulness helps me to focus.

 

TJ: Given the opportunity to focus on myself and the present for a weekend with no worries about the future was an amazing experience. I spent time learning more about myself, learning about others, and learning mindful tools to help me get through my everyday life. From meditating on the beach, tons of arts and crafts, hilarious skits, and meeting new friends, it was an experience I will remember for a very long time!

 

Rose: The mindfulness retreat was an enlightening experience that impacted me in so many ways. With all my college applications due, I've been extremely busy and extremely stressed. The retreat really opened my eyes to the impact that stress can make on my social, mental and emotional health. I was able to leave the retreat with mindfulness strategies that I now use to help me relieve stress, such as collaging, deep breathing, and journaling.

 

Addy: The mindfulness retreat was a great weekend for stressed teens and adults. It gave everyone some time to step back and live in the moment instead of being obsessed with future plans and responsibilities. The retreat provided everyone with helpful tools that will keep you on track, and keep your stress levels down. This retreat really opened my eyes to what meditation and mindful breathing is capable of and I now use these techniques as a daily stress reliever. This was an unforgettable experience that I would highly recommend people of all ages.

 

Riverside supervisors vote to restore UCCE funding

After more than 100 4-H members, UC Master Gardeners and others attended a Riverside Board of Supervisors' meeting in support of UC Cooperative Extension June 10, the panel voted 5-0 to restore UCCE's funding, reported Jeff Horseman and Matt Kristoffersen in the Riverside Press Enterprise.

The vote reversed an earlier decision to cut UCCE funding as part of a larger plan to deal with reduced county tax receipts. If the funding had not been restored, services including 4-H, nutrition education and agricultural programs would have been effected, said Eta Takele, UCCE director in Riverside County.

UC Cooperative Extension, a key part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, serves all California counties. Academic advisors work with farmers to implement more-efficient growing methods, solve pest management problems and develop smart water-use strategies. Natural resources advisors conduct wildfire education and research natural resources conservation. Nutrition educators promote nutritious eating habits and exercise for better health. California 4-H Youth Development Program engages youth to become leaders. Thousands of volunteers extend UCCE's through the Master Gardener, Master Food Preserver, California Naturalist, and the California 4-H Youth Development Programs.

During the June 10 meeting, the supervisors heard from Riverside 4-H members who have been aided by their involvement in the program.

4-H member Bethany Campbell told the supervisors 4-H helped her overcome shyness and gain confidence. 

“4-H helped me rise above fear and insecurity to become a leader," Campbell said.

A Blythe 4-H member, Samantha Teater, 17, said, 4-H "definitely saved me from getting into trouble."

UC ANR associate vice president Wendy Powers attended the supervisors' meeting. 

"Those who offered public comment provided heartfelt testimony about the impact of our programs and how they, personally, have benefited and how the county has benefited," Powers wrote in her blog. "The work's not over. We need to continue to engage those who don't know us but make decisions that impact us. We need to continue to engage those who do know us, and brainstorm how to do better – reach more people, have a greater impact."

The article said Riverside County officials would work with UC Cooperative Extension to save money by moving its offices from leased office space to county-owned space.

 

Raise your hand to support California 4-H today

4-H, the largest youth development program in the nation, is calling on all 4-H supporters to raise their hands to help bring 4-H to 10 million youth by 2025. Currently 4-H empowers nearly six million young people in every county across America, including 142,277 4-H'ers in California.

For more than 100 years, the 4-H impact on young people has been immeasurable. “Having experienced our programs first-hand, our supporters and alumni know best what a positive impact 4-H had on them growing up, which is why we're reaching out to them to support the next generation of true leaders,” said Mary Ciricillo, California 4-H Foundation Director.

“Whether they're running Fortune 100 companies, performing to sold-out crowds, leading community programs or volunteering to empower local youth, 4‑H supporters and alumni are the epitome of true leadership,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4‑H Council. “We now have the perfect opportunity to pay it forward by raising our hands for 4-H, ensuring that the next generation has the opportunity to benefit from the experience.”

Raise Your Hand

As part of the Raise Your Hand call to action (running April 1 – May 15), 4-H is asking the millions of 4‑H supporters and alumni across the nation, to ‘Raise Your Hand' and pay it forward in support of providing the hands-on learning that empowers kids across America.

Joining is easy – alumni & friends can go online to www.4-H.org/raiseyourhand, vote for your state, and fill in their details. Raising a hand in this way is a vote towards a $20,000, $10,000 or $5,000 award for the states with the most hands raised, including California. Then support the activation by tweeting, posting and sharing their #4HGrown experience, or support and tag fellow supporters and alumni by asking them to raise their hands for their state.

“4-H gives kids the opportunity to learn by doing, to grow from not only the encouragements brought by success, but also through challenges and failures, as these skills will help them to handle whatever life may throw their way,” explains Jennifer Nettles, Grammy-award winning musician, actress and 4‑H national spokesperson.

About California 4-H

4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. The University of California 4-H Youth Development Program promotes hands-on, experiential learning for all youth ages 5-19. Our 4-H programs are delivered locally through the County University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) offices. Find your county UCCE office. 4-H is offered in 57 out of 58 counties in California.

4-H learning model helps two lost children survive

The joyful reunion of two 4-H children, Leia and Caroline Carrico, with their parents after spending 44 hours lost in the Humboldt County wilderness in early March has raised awareness about the benefits to youth involved in the UC Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program.

Established more than 100 years ago, UC Cooperative Extension launched 4-H to teach children research-based agriculture and rural living skills. Over time, it has evolved dramatically, reaching children in urban centers, inner cities, suburbs as well as rural communities with leadership opportunities, life skills, nutrition education and other information to help them grow into resilient adults.

The Carrico children, ages 5 and 8, had participated in a 4-H outdoor training training program. They lived in a rural area and were well acquainted with the redwood forest surrounding their home. Recalling lessons they learned, the sisters stayed in place when they realized they were lost – a key survival skill, said Yana Valachovic, director of UC Cooperative Extension in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. There were more things they learned from 4-H project leader Justin Lehnert's teaching that helped them survive unscathed.

“Justin told them to leave signs. Searchers found granola bar wrappers and deep boot marks. They knew that they should shelter in a dry place,” Valachovic said. “They knew to keep positive and how to find safe drinking water without endangering themselves by drinking from a creek.”

The 4-H program in Humboldt County has been inundated with calls for a curriculum that can be used elsewhere to teach these valuable skills. The UC 4-H Youth Development advisor for Humboldt and Del Norte counties, Dorina Espinoza, is working with Lehnert to develop a project sheet so the survival skills used by the Carrico sisters can be made available in 4-H and other settings to young people throughout the U.S.

The sisters' odyssey and its happy conclusion shows the hoped-for result of the research-based 4-H learning model, Espinoza said.

“The sisters are smart girls,” Espinoza said “They attribute their application of survival skills to family camping trips, movies about people who get lost and 4-H adventures. 4-H reinforced new or existing skills. We know kids learn with multiple exposures. 4-H is a hands-on approach to learning that other settings don't offer.”

In 4-H, children choose “projects” they are interested in. The projects are led by adult volunteers from the community.

“What's different about 4-H is we have adult volunteers who develop partnerships with youth. They partner in learning, leadership and decision making,” Espinoza said. “That's a beautiful part of 4-H.”

Lehnert is a 4-H parent and volunteer who operates a business in Humboldt centered on enjoying the outdoors.

“Justin brings years of personal and professional experience, having completed a Wilderness First Responder Course of the National Outdoor Leadership School. He studied outdoor recreation at Feather River College and has been an outdoor recreation enthusiast for years,” Espinoza said. “We are so very grateful to Justin for sharing his expertise with our 4-H community.”

Californians can find UC Cooperative Extension 4-H projects near them at http://4h.ucanr.edu.

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