4-H Connections
A Newsletter for 4-H Volunteers and Families March/April, 2005

YORK COUNTY 4-H NEWS

Vaughn Island 4-H Environmental Camp

SPLASH!  From the minute you set foot on Vaughn Island 'til the moment you leave, you're part of an exciting learning adventure!  Our unique program offers three and four day tenting experiences where youth discover -- through their own natural curiosity and imagination -- the sights, sounds, smell and feel of Maine's rocky coast.

Designed with the whole child in mind, Vaughn Island 4-H Camp brings lasting memories.  Living, working and playing together, campers make new friends and develop a sense of trust and responsibility for the whole group. 

The program places an emphasis on no-trace camping skills, cooperation, discovery of the island's plant and animal life, coastal heritage, and marine ecology.

Vaughn Island Camp is affiliated with Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center.

·         June 27– Aug 12:  3 and 4-day overnight camping trips with environmental education focus at Vaughn Island, Cape Porpoise Harbor, Maine

·         Space is limited.  Pre-registration required

·         Program fee $125-$165

Call the Extension Office for a brochure and application.

Acton and Ossipee Fairs

It's not too early to be working on your fair project exhibits and signing up for Acton Fair food booth!  To sign up for the food booth contact Diane Qualey, 793-4843 .  We are still seeking volunteers to replace Diane.  The Food Booth offers a tremendous opportunity for our 4-H youth to learn -important life skills, to interact with other 4-H members and adults, and to raise funds to support our 4-H youth in York County.  Will you consider helping out?

Art Saturday - It's not too late to sign up!

This is a wonderful way to spend one or more Saturdays in April and May.  Arts workshops will be held Saturdays from 9 am to noon at the Extension office.  You’ve received our brochures.  For more information contact the Extension office or visit our website:  http://www.umaine.edu/umext/york/

Scholarship Notice to All Seniors

There are 4-H scholarships available - in York County and at the state level - for seniors who are pursuing post-secondary education.  Information and application forms already have been made available to schools and are available through the Extension office.

Each year the York County 4-H Leaders Association makes 4 scholarships of $300 available to 4-H members who are seniors in high school.  These Betty Syvinski scholarship are available through York County high schools, but we announce them in this newsletter as well, to be sure our 4-H seniors are aware of them.

You don’t have to be currently enrolled in 4-H to apply.  You do need to have worked in the Acton Fair 4-H food booth during your time in 4-H.

For more information contact your High School Guidance office and the Extension office.

Kids Can Grow

This popular gardening program is now accepting applications, and you must act quick as it’s filling up fast! 

Kids Can Grow is a program of University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Youth participate in hands on learning at the outdoor gardens at the York County Extension office.  The children then apply what they’ve learned at home in their own 3’x5’ raised garden plot.  Each child is matched with a Master Gardener Volunteer as a “garden mentor” to advise and support their efforts at home.

The children will prepare a display and enter at Acton Fair.  Brochures have been mailed to all 4-H members.  For more information contact the Extension office.

Farm Tractor Safety Course for Youth and Adults

Farm work can be dangerous, but a University of Maine Cooperative Extension tractor safety course will help reduce risks to Maine farmers and farm workers. A farm tractor safety training course will be held on 5 consecutive Tuesday evenings starting April 19 in the Gray Public Safety Building on Route 26. 

The revised course has a new manual.  Participants' driving skills and knowledge will be tested using a national test developed by Penn State University.

Many of the accidents on farms involve tractors and farm machinery.  Every farm worker needs to develop good skills and a good safety attitude.  This course helps them do just that.

Individuals will receive practical training in the classroom, in the shop and on tractors.  Participants should be at least 13 years of age to receive credit for this certified course.

More information is available from the Extension Office in Cumberland County at 1-800-287-1471. Registration is required, and space is limited to 20 participants.

Media Literacy Workshops

What is media literacy?  How does today’s media culture construct reality, produce meaning and define masculinity and femininity for young people?  How are girls and boys uniquely vulnerable and what can we do to make a difference?  To find out, plan on attending this training:

Monday, April 11, 2005, 6-9 pm
Wells High School, Sanford Rd, Wells
To register by April, contact Wells Ogunquit Adult and Community Education at 646-4565

In this training, we will explore answers to these questions using media literacy activities that can be adapted for use in school and community settings.  We will discuss the community education and action strategy, Turn Beauty Inside Out, Maine, (TBIO) in depth.

Turn Beauty Inside Out, Maine is a grassroots celebration of a new cultural definition of beauty as “good hearts, great works and activism” and a celebration of media images that promote healthy development. 

It is a community education and public awareness project focusing on issues of media literacy, body image, self-esteem and leadership development for girls and women, and is about education, activism and social change.

This training is for teachers, 4-H and Girl Scout leaders, youth advisors, after school program staff and other professionals and volunteers who work with young people.  It is designed to support adults in taking these concepts, activities and action strategies back to their work with young people. 

This workshop will be presented by: Aileen Fortune, an Educator with York County Extension, Barbara Townley, Children’s Services Coordinator at Caring Unlimited; and Jennifer Clapp, School Based Youth Advocate at Caring Unlimited.

Extension Exchange Program Recognized

The Maine 4-H International Exchange Program, which brings Japanese youth to Maine every summer, has received an “Outstanding Quality Program” for 2004.  Along with three other states, Maine received the award during the Fall Coordinators Conference in Valley Forge, PA. 

The award was made by the 4-H International Programs Committee, which is made up of Extension staff from across the country.  According to Jill Coffren, who manages Maine’s program for University of Maine Cooperative Extension, each state program is reviewed by committee members and the executive director of Worldwise Exchange Services.

Fundraising Reminders for Clubs

Here are some tips to keep in mind when fundraising.

When fundraising for a 4-H Club, or under the 4-H umbrella for any reason, clubs and leaders must be conscious of upholding the good name of 4-H, get approval for the activity from the county 4-H staff, and use all funds for 4-H purposes. 

In handling club funds, follow the   “4-H Financial Guidelines” found in the Maine 4-H Youth Development Program Policies, Procedures and Guidelines.  Keep good records and be open about such activities.

If funds are raised for a charitable cause, clubs and leaders must be sure they clearly inform donors about how the funds will be used and then follow through on that commitment.  UMCE, as the protector of the 4-H emblem, must make sure that such sanctioned activities are appropriately concluded. 

People who donate money to a specific cause or organization have every right to believe that the 4-H fundraisers will honor the donor’s desire to have the money forwarded to that cause or organization.  After the funds are collected, you cannot revise where and to whom the funds will be directed.  If you find the original intended cause or organization has all the money it needs, or you no longer trust them to use the funds honorably, the only option is to return the money to the donors. 

When such activities are concluded, send an accounting of what funds were raised and how they were expended to the Extension Office. All fundraisers should be discussed and approved in advance with Extension staff.

All funds raised in the name of 4-H through fundraising efforts must be spent on 4-H educational activities and events, or in the direct support of club educational activities.

Fundraisers that include gambling for money or 50/50’s, jackpots, etc. for money are not permitted.

State Awards Reminder

The application letter regarding State Awards to National 4-H Congress or National 4-H Conference was mailed to all 4-H Members ages 14 and up.  If you did not receive a copy, please contact the Extension office.  The deadline for application is April 15.

Make sure you get your applications in if you're interested in participating in either of these great opportunities.

Leaders Association Meetings April 13 and May 11

Attend our Leaders Association meetings!

They’re informative, fun, and a great place to network and learn from one another. 

April 13 our training focus will be “Community Service and 4-H”, Our focus on May 11 will be Risk Management and 4-H.

STATE AND NATIONAL NEWS

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