4-H Connections
A Newsletter for 4-H Volunteers and Families July, 2005

YORK COUNTY 4H NEWS

A Summer Full of 4-H in York County!

This summer is a full one for our county 4-H youth program.  Just look at some of the county-wide 4-H activities that have occurred:

4-H Nature Arts Creativity Camp – Nineteen youth participated in our 4-H Nature Arts program that occurred July 18-22 at the Extension office.  Activities included building fairy houses, painting “still life”, rainbow color studies, printmaking, and journaling.  Youth also learned about (and ate) healthy lunches from York County’s “Eat Well” program.

4-H Horse Camp – Over 30 youth registered for the 4H Horse Camp that occurred July 18-21 at the Ossipee Valley Fairgrounds.  This is only the second year of Horse Camp and it is becoming a popular and successful program in York County.  .  Our youth had riding lessons, and participated in a variety of demonstrations and creative challenges. 

Vaughn Island Environmental Camp – Over 100 youth will participate in Vaughn Island    4-H camp this summer.  We have a great team of counselors and Teen Leaders working with the campers this summer.  As is often the case, our two head counselors are former campers and teen leaders who have moved up through the ranks.  They are a terrific team. 

This year we have added a nature arts component to Vaughn Island Camp, and local artist Laura Jaquays has been leading arts programs during camp.  We also have brought members of the Maine Island Trails Association (MITA) to work with the campers on the island.  Our teen leaders provided community service to the Kennebunkport Conservation Land Trust by helping to install two fire pits on the island. 

Ossipee and Acton Fairs – Of course, our 4-H youth were active in Ossipee Valley Fair and are looking forward to Acton Fair in August.  Look for our new “Community Banners Project” that will adorn the 4-H Exhibit Hall this year at the fair!

Citizenship Washington Focus – Three York County youth attended CWF this year and spent the week of July 9-16 in Washington, DC.  They were Kendra West, Greg Goodwin, and Elizabeth Hilton.  CWF delegates receive leadership training, visit with our Congressional delegation and see the sites in our Capitol.  We’ll look forward to hearing about their trip and what they learned from the experience.

4-H International Exchange Program – There are Japanese exchange students placed in two York County homes this summer, including the Austin home (4H leader Annette and 4H member Marie).  Marie will be bringing her exchange student to one of the Vaughn Island camp sessions in early August.

 4-H Clubs – Our 4-H clubs are active and meeting throughout the summer. 

Clarifying 4-H Raffle Ticket Sales – Again!

After further investigation with the Maine State Police, the Maine 4-H program has received word that 4-H falls under an exemption to the state law. 

4-H youth CAN sell or buy raffle tickets in Maine.

See the Community Banners Project  at Acton Fair 4-H Exhibit Hall!

This year at Acton Fair there will be an exciting new program happening at the 4-H Exhibit Hall.  The “Community Banners Project” will be a project that will occur during the fair.  We will be asking 4-H members and visitors to the Hall during fair week to stop by a project area and create a colorful banner using art supplies that will be provided. 

These banners will be hung from the rafters in the Exhibit Hall.  By the end of the fair we anticipate a colorful and festive Exhibit Hall.

This will be a wonderful way to liven up the Hall, and to provide a way for the public to become involved with it. 

We look forward to seeing you all there at the fair!

Leaders Association Meeting – Aug. 10

Attend our Leaders Association meetings!

They’re informative, fun, and a great place to network and learn from one another.  Our next leaders’ meeting is August 10.  All meetings also include business and events planning for county activities.  See you there!

Youth Loan Program

A 2005 application form is now available online. 4-Hers may apply for up to $500 in loan funds from the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation.  Contact the Extension office for more information.

National 4-H Council Foundation
Awards $30,000 Grant to Maine 4-H Afterschool program

Will benefit 0ver 200 students in Traip Academy, Marshwood and Shapleigh Schools

York County youth will participate in mentoring and career explorations after school as a result of a new program developed by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. 

Mentor ME Afterschool will pilot three approaches to workforce preparation programs in 4-H afterschool and community settings using teens to teach middle school-aged youth.  County 4-H faculty will collaborate with afterschool coordinators in eight sites across Maine to enhance the mentoring skills of teens and adults, and to increase workforce preparation of middle school youth.

In York County, the program will reach over 200 students in Eliot, Kittery and South

Berwick.  It is being funded by a $30,000 grant from the National 4-H Council, with funding from JC Penney and the National Football League (NFL).

“We are so excited to have been granted this opportunity to expand our afterschool programming in York County,” said York County Extension Educator Jon Prichard, who authored the successful grant proposal. “This program will provide middle school youth with crucial tools to use in exploring career choices, and will create valuable mentoring experiences for high school students.”

In Maine, community leaders, educators and parents have expressed the need to build afterschool programming beyond the realm of childcare into enriching, educational experiences with and for youth.  They also have expressed the need to create leadership opportunities for teens, and to prepare our middle school youth for the workplace.

Youth in rural Maine often lack enrichment and career preparation opportunities, and may become detached from the community and school if successful relationships with mentors are not established.  Minimal commitment to school and lack of plans to attend college are correlated with higher alcohol and drug use (Kids Count, 2002). Afterschool mentoring and workforce preparation programs have been shown to boost teen life skills and middle school youth aspirations.

“We are piloting this program in southern York County, and based on its success there, we will explore ways to expand it into other communities,” said Prichard.  The program will begin in the fall of 2005.

4-H Study of Positive Youth Development Featured in Newsweek

Did you see it?

In the April 20, 2005 issue of Newsweek, parents across America were provided information on how to survive those ”crazy” teenage years.  And what they are learning is, well, those years aren’t that crazy after all.  Initial findings from the 4-H study of Positive Youth Development, sponsored by National 4-H Council, were featured in the Newsweek article.

The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, which is beginning its final year of a six-year longitudinal study, is being conducted by Dr. Richard Lerner, Bergstrom chair of applied developmental science, Tufts University.  Lerner and his team are researching the successes of our young people today, and what they have found out so far is featured in  the Newsweek article which focused on “Your Family and Your Health.”

In February, the initial conclusions of this study were published in The Journal of Early Adolescence, and now these findings are being presented to the general public.

“This study is a great chance to show how    4-H and other youth development organizations are helping young people across America,” says Don T. Floyd, Jr., president and CEO, National 4-H Council.  “I commend Dr. Lerner and his colleagues for working so hard to research and share this information with the world.”

For more than a century, psychologists have based their research on what goes wrong during adolescence, but Lerner and many other researchers have recently decided to focus on the successes of young people.  Dr Lerner is using this study to determine what it takes for a young person to make a successful transition from childhood to adulthood.

“Parents, and sometimes kids themselves, often talk about positive development as the absence of bad,” says Lerner.  “What we’re trying to do is present a different vision and a different vocabulary for young people and parents.”

You can read the article at www.4husa.org. 

What is the Danish System of Judging?

Many of you are preparing for showing at fairs this summer.  The Danish system of judging is used in 4-H.  The Danish system is a method of evaluation where a product or process is evaluated against a set of standards, and a recognition is awarded on the degree to which the standard has been met by each competitor.

In the Danish system of judging, the exhibitors are not judged against each other.  In 4-H, a “modified” Danish system is used that uses standards adjusted according to member’s age and years of experience in the project. 

·         In Maine 4-H, ribbons traditionally awarded by the Danish system are:

·         Blue – for excellence exceeding the expected standard.

·         Red – for good work that meets the expected standard.

·         White – for work that falls below the expected standard. 

In Maine we have not created written standards.  Therefore the standard used in livestock shows are the generally accepted standards for good fitting and showmanship and for animal quality. 

For the Exhibit Hall, judges must use discretion as to what is age appropriate.  Those youth with disabilities need to contact their Leader for ways to let the judges understand this. 

The Danish system is used in 4-H because it is a way to provide recognition to greater numbers of youth who may all be making significant progress in their projects.  Use of this system is especially recommended for all members ages 5 to 8 for whom more stringent competition is more difficult to understand or accept.

News on Liability Insurance for Youth Showing at Fairs

Wonderful news from the Maine Association of Livestock Exhibitors!  This group was formed from the Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs and associated Livestock Superintendents.  They have worked hard to come up with an excellent option for livestock exhibitors.

What does it mean in summary?  It means that as a livestock exhibitor at Maine Fairs you will be covered under this group insurance for a limited liability.  By joining the association you will not have to contact your homeowners to obtain a certificate of insurance for the $300,000 liability.

Cooking with the Kids

Popsicle Rockets

Ingredients

Red juice (red raspberry, cherry, cranberry)

Blue juice (Kool Aid, Gatorade, blue raspberry)

White juice (lemonade, coconut juice drink)

Red string licorice for fuse

3 oz. paper cups

Directions

·         Line up several 3 oz. paper cups on a baking sheet.  Pour 2 tablespoons of red juice into each cup.  Freeze 2-3 hours until firm-slushy.

·         Remove from freezer and poke a Popsicle stick into the center of each cup of juice. Add 2 tablespoons of white juice and freeze 2-3 hours.

·         Remove from freezer.  Top off with blue juice and freeze 1-2 hours until slushy.

·         Remove from freezer and insert a 2 or 3-inch string of licorice into each Popsicle.  Freeze until hard.  Peel off paper cups to serve.

Veggie Pinwheels

Ingredients

1 – 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

4 tsp. ranch salad dressing mix

½ cup chopped broccoli

½ cup chopped cauliflower

¼ cup chopped green onions

¼ cup chopped stuffed olives

½ cup shredded cheese

5 – (8”) flour tortillas

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and salad dressing mix.  Stir in the broccoli, cauliflower, onions and olives.  Spread over tortillas.  Roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Unwrap and cut into 1/2 “ slices.  Serve with salsa, if desired.

Pizza Hot Dogs

Ingredients

4 hot dog buns

4 hot dogs

12 slices mozzarella cheese

1 jar pizza sauce

Grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Place water and sugar in pitcher.  Mix well until sugar is dissolved.  Juice lemons for ½ cup of juice.  Add juice to pitcher.  Mix well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve over ice and garnish with fresh mint and lemon slices.

Sugar on the rim of a glass makes for an attractive garnish.  Dip the rim of the glass (about ½ inch down) into liquid, such as water or a juice from your punch mixture.  Dip the rim into granulated sugar and refrigerate the glass until the sugar dries.

Watermelon Ice

Ingredients

¾ cup pureed watermelon

2 cups water

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup corn syrup

Directions

·         Combine all ingredients and cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves completely.

·         Allow to cool 10 minutes.

·         Pour into sturdy plastic cups halfway full (Rubbermaid or Tupperware sippy cups work well, or plastic yogurt containers)

·         Cover and freeze until solid

·         Eat by scraping a spoon across the top.

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