4-H Mini-Forum

Saturday, March 21, 2020

4-H is a wonderful way for youth to learn more about themselves, other people in their lives, and the world in which they live. This is what 4-H Mini-Forum is all about! We invite you to join us on March 21, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at Bailey Hall, USM in Gorham, to learn a new skill or idea. Again this year we are opening Mini-Forum registration to the public and 4-H members from other counties! To be able to participate in Mini-Forum, you must pre-register for the event and be between the ages of 5-18 as of January 1, 2020. There are no workshops or provisions for children under five years of age.

To Register Online:

Complete the Registration Form (Google Form). Choose whether you would like to buy lunch(es) for $6.00 or bring your own, and choose your workshop sessions. Choose your first three choices for each workshop session in the drop-down boxes.
- Be sure to read the Workshop Descriptions to understand the workshops, see the age focus of the workshops, what materials you may need to bring, and if there is any cost involved.
Registration will open Wednesday, February 26, 2020 and close Wednesday, March 11, 2020.

Remember, Mini-Forum workshops are “first come, first serve” so the sooner you register, the better chance you have of getting your first choice. Clubs may not be able to get all of their members into the same workshop due to limited space. You can call or email Sara Conant if you have any questions at 207-781-6099 or sara.conant@maine.edu

Important Information:

1. There is no snow date for Mini-Forum this year. In case of bad weather please call the Extension office at 207.781.6099. There will be a phone message telling you if Mini-Forum has been cancelled.

2. We are asking that you pay for your lunch and workshop(s) at the Mini-Forum Check-In desk. It is important that you still check-in even if you do not have to pay any money as you will have an envelope of paperwork waiting for you.

3. Schedule of the Day:

Check-In: 9:00 – 9:30 am
Welcome: 9:30 – 9:55 am
Session 1/Track Program: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 am
Lunch: 11:35 – 12:00
True Leaders in Service Event & CWF Raffle: 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Session 2: 1:40 – 2:40 pm
Clean-Up and Fill-out Surveys: 2:40 – 3:00 pm

4. All Cloverbuds (5-8 year olds) must be accompanied by an adult to all workshops, sharing the responsibility is fine. All attendees ages 9-15 must have an adult at Mini-Forum who is responsible for them, sharing the responsibility is fine.

5. If you need to cancel your reservation please email or call Sara Conant (sara.conant@maine.edu, 207-781-6099) by Monday, March 16, since presenters need to buy supplies in advance, we order lunches in advance, and we make packets specifically for each youth attending.

6. If costs are prohibitive for workshop participation please email or call Sara Conant (sara.conant@maine.edu, 207-781-6099) one week prior to the event to discuss financial assistance in the form of a reduced or waived fee.

7. Directions: For a map of the USM campus and Bailey Hall, visit the Map of USM Campus page. For a map to get to the campus, visit the Map to get to the USM Gorham Campus page.

CWF Raffle

Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) is an awards trip for older 4-H’ers to Washington, D.C. A raffle to support the CWF trip will be held at Mini-Forum, so please bring some extra money to support the cause. We are also looking for about ten donated items to put in the raffle. Items should have a value of at least $10.00 and can be anything from gift certificates to homemade items or any new item you think someone else would want. Variety is great! If you are willing to donate something, please call or email Connie at 207.625.4644, cfelchwood@gmail.com and then bring the item to Mini Forum for the raffle. Thanks for your support!

True Leaders in Service 2020 – Donation Drive & Service Event

In an effort to expose our members to more service, and opportunities around leadership in service, we are offering our first annual True Leaders in Service Event, planned by the 4-H Teen Council! There will be two opportunities for 4-Her’s to participate. The first is a Donation Drive for items for the Ronald McDonald House, organized by the Humanitarian Assistors Portland High Club. The second is a fleece blanket making event to be held during the general session at Mini-Forum 12:00 – 1:30pm. Blankets will be donated to Lucky Pup Rescue and another local organization. Please sign up for this event on the Mini-Forum registration page above. You do not have to attend workshops in order to attend the True Leaders in Service event. If you have fabric scissors please bring them to the event.

The PHS 4-H Club wants to collect 100 items for Ronald McDonald House in Portland by Mini-Forum! The items are to help families who have sick children at Maine Medical Center. To donate, each club should bring their items to the March Leaders Association Meeting (03/19 in Gorham), or to Mini-Forum where a PHS 4-H teen will collect them.

Please make sure to identify in some way which club(s) are donating the item so we can recognize everyone! Please only include new, un-used, non-expired items. The items that Ronald McDonald House needs include:

Individually-packaged snacks
Sugar
Ketchup
Non-dairy creamer
Tissues
Paper Towels
Trash bags – 4 gallon and 13 gallon
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Spatulas
Dishwasher detergent
Laundry detergent
Shaving cream
Travel size shampoo & conditioner
Pledge
Lysol Spray & Wipes

Additional needs are on the Ronald McDonald House Wishlist: https://rmhcmaine.org/wish-list/
For more information about Ronald McDonald House go here: https://rmhcmaine.org/about-us/mission-vision-history/

If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in this program, please call Sara Conant at 207.781.6099 or 800.287.1471 (in Maine) to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for accommodations at least 10 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however, all requests will be considered.