Friday, February 29, 2008

4-H Spotlighted at Southern Spring Home & Garden Show

Mecklenburg County 4-H was spotlighted during this years Southern Spring Home &Garden Show. A new feature to this years show was a backyard barn in the main exhibit hall. Mecklenburg County 4-H volunteer Pat Wright is provided a horse for the barn each day during the show. 4-H staff, teens and volunteers were on site to promote the Mecklenburg 4-H program as spectators visited the barn.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

4-H and Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Centers go TECHNOLOGY!

Mecklenburg County 4-H has agreed to pilot a new hands-on engineering curriculum being developed through Duke University. The pilot is taking place at Naomi Drenan Recreation Center and Oaklawn Recreation Center through their after school programs.

The purpose of this newly developed curriculum is to expose young people to exciting, hands-on learning experiences in the field of science, technology, engineering and math, with hopes that this will spark an interest in pursuing a career in these fields.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation professionals along with the 4-H Agent have received the intial training on the first two modules for this new curriculum.

In the first module, students will build a bionic arm while learning the basics of assistive technology, gasses and liquids, electronic circuits and transfer motion. For more information on this exciting pilot, or to visit the local programs utilizing the curriculum, contact the 4-H Office at 704-336-2082.

Southwest District 4-H Horse Show to be Held in Mecklenburg County

The Southwest District 4-H Horse Show will be held at Latta Plantation Equestrian Center May 17 and 18, 2008. 4-H’ers from across the district will participate in the show to qualify to compete in the state 4-H horse show this summer. Horse show packets have already been mailed. If you would like to receive one, please contact the 4-H Office today or click HERE to download the packet online. The deadline to register and make stall reservations is April 12, 2008.

We are also looking for volunteers to help with various tasks throughout the weekend. If you are interested, call Robbie at the 4-H office today.

General Hugh Shelton Leadership Challenge Institute

The Shelton Leadership Challenge Institute is offered to rising ninth through twelfth grade youth with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. The program is an intense 5 ½ day experience for youth who are current leaders and aspire to be greater leaders in the future. Youth will explore areas of values-based leadership, integrity, team building, public speaking, and social responsibility. Approximate cost for the week experience is $425.00. The institute will be held at UNC-Charlotte June 22-27, 2008. Partial and full scholarships are available.

To receive an application, call the 4-H Office today. The deadline to submit your application is May 15, 2008.

Career Exploration Poster Contest

The North Carolina 4-H Career Exploration poster contest is around the corner. The purpose of this contest is for youth to investigate and learn more about a career that interests them. Below are the guidelines:
1. Poster must be on standard poster board and must be of uniform size 22” X 28” – other sizes are ineligible.
2. Use theme to select a career you are interested in and share it with us! For example: “Dive into a Career as a Doctor”
3. Newspaper and film cartoon characters may not be used.
4. Posters must contain only original artwork done by the artist.
5. Do not attach items thicker than the poster board to the poster.
6. Keep it simple and to the point.
7. Complete a contest entry form and tape/paste it on the back of your poster (form is on our website).
8. Age divisions are: 9-10; 11-13; 14-18.
9. Posters are due to the 4-H Office May 9, 2008.

All posters will be displayed in Mecklenburg County recreation centers. The top poster in each age division from each county will move onto district competition. District competition will be held during 4-H District Activity Day with the top poster in each age division at the district level competing for state awards. The state competition will be held during in July during 4-H Congress. All State level entries will be displayed during 4-H Congress.

Every entry will receive a participation certificate. County Winners in each age divisions receive a certificate and $20 4-H scholarship. District Winners in each age division will receive a District Award Ribbon & Certificate. State Winners in each age division will receive a State Award Ribbon and State Winner Certificate.

Host a Japanese Exchange Student

This summer, North Carolina 4-H is hosting 30 month long students and chaperones from Japan. The exchangees will stay with their host families from July 20 through August 16, 2008. Our deadline for placing these students is May 15th – and there are many that still need homes. You do not have to be in 4-H to host. If you know of other families that may be interested, please let Robbie know. You can also email Robbie at robbie_furr@ncsu.edu.

Here are a few items you need to keep in mind as you consider to host a Japanese student:
1) The host family must have a child of the same gender and within two years of the same age (either older or younger).
2) The exchange student must have their own bed.
3) The exchange is primarily to introduce the student to American family culture. Special trips and outing other than what the family would normally participate in are not expected. For example, if the family goes to church or the grocery store or to grandmas; the child goes. If the family has a vacation planned; the child should be included. In short, the child is treated as a family member during their stay, nothing extra is expected.
4) The host family is responsible for all meals and pick up and return.
5) The Exchange students do have their own health insurance.
6) Applications and three references are required. The application can be obtained from teh Mecklenburg 4-H Office by calling 704-336-2082.


Once the family turns in the application, an extension agent should sign the application. An in-home interview is then required and will be conducted by an 4-H staff member. We will then make a match based age, gender and similar interests such as music, sports, reading, hobbies, allergies, and special requests. Finally, the family will receive a letter along with information about the child and a schedule of orientations.

This is an EXCELLENT opportunity for your family. If you have any questions, please let me know. I have hosted before and can give you plenty of insight. Generally, we place 3-4 students in Mecklenburg County each summer.

4-H Summer Camp Registration

Mecklenburg County 4-H is taking a delegation of youth ages 8-13 to Millstone 4-H Center the week of August 3-8, 2008 for a week-long experience of 4-H residential Summer Camp. Millstone 4-H Center is located in Ellerbe, NC. During the week, campers will enjoy horseback riding, swimming, archery, riflery, canoeing, crafts, camp songs, nature, and lots more fun. All of our NC 4-H Centers have obtained the American Camping Association Accreditation.

Cost for camp is $325 which includes transportation, lodging, meals, store money and all camp supplies. Spaces are limited, so call the 4-H Office today to reserve your spot. The deadline to register is May 1, 2008.

4-H Plant Sale

Support Mecklenburg County 4-H by purchasing berry plants, fruit trees and flowering trees through our 4-H Spring Plant Sale. Plants can be ordered through February 28, 2008. Find out more information about the plant sale and order online by clicking HERE. You can also call the 4-H Office at 704-336-2082 for more information.

To download and print the 4-H Plant Sale brochure, click
HERE

Mecklenburg County 4-H Club Locations