4-H News in Washington County – November 2019

Volume 14, Issue 11

Dates to Remember

November 11:  Office Closed (Veteran’s Day)

November 27: Deadline for Reenrollment Paperwork

November 28 & 29: Office Closed (Thanksgiving)

December 25: Office Closed (Christmas)

December 31: Final Deadline for Reenrollment Paperwork

January 1: Office Closed (New Years Day)

January 18: 4-H Public Speaking Workshop, 10 a.m.

January 25: Snow date for 4-H Public Speaking Workshop

 

Cobscook Currents 4-H Club Cleans Beach

4-H Volunteer Jane Bell reports, “A Warm October 3rd was great for community service opportunity at Broad Cove, Bailey’s Mistake, area of Lubec. Rope, plastic containers, a tire, etc were gathered and dragged up from the beach.”  

Thank you Cobscook Currents volunteers and members for taking time to clean up a beach in Lubec!  Way to use your hands!

4-H Tech Changemakers 

The 4-H Tech Changemakers were recently featured in UMaine Today! This group of teens from Washington Academy started the project with an idea to use technology to help address food insecurity in our local communities. In the past two years, the group has built a website, started an Instagram page and partnered with community organizations to help grow, harvest and donate more than 2,000 pounds of produce this past summer.  Read the article to learn more about their work.

Fall 2019 4-H Paper Clover Campaign Results

Maine raised $6,166 in the recent fall Paper Clover Campaign at Tractor Supply Co. stores across the state!  The funds raised will be used to support youth in leadership experiences and with scholarships to camps.  

There will be another campaign in the spring of 2020 and we hope you will join in so please be thinking of ways to participate.

4-H Public Speaking Informational Session in January

Every 4-H member in Washington County is encouraged to participate in Public Speaking! Youth choose a topic of their choice and then practice the important life skill of public speaking by giving presentations to their clubs, community, and at the county and state tournaments.

Come and learn all about 4-H Public Speaking with Jen Lobley.  Jen will help 4-Hers prepare for the county tournament in March.

Saturday, January 18, 2020
10:00 a.m. – Noon
University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Conference Room
28 Center Street, Machias
Snow Date: Saturday, January 25

Please call Tara at 207.255.3345 or by email at tara.a.wood@maine.edu to register for the 4-H Public Speaking Informational Session by Friday, January 10!

Family Code Night with the Hour of Code Coming in December
Family Code Night is a whole-family event at which kids grades K-5 and their parents do their first hour of computer programming – together! At this special evening of learning and fun, you’ll play in parent-child teams to complete fun Code.org puzzles and challenges at your own pace, and learn core concepts in coding in this very first hour. No coding experience needed, laptops available if needed (bring one device for every two attendees if you can). This is a great experience to share with your kids!

Watch for more information on this event being organized all over Washington County!

Re-Enrollments and New Enrollments Due 
Enrollment packets have been mailed. If 4-H clubs, groups, schools or families have not received re-enrollment packets, please contact the office immediately. ALL enrollment packets are due Monday, December 31st. Renewing members and clubs are expected to re-enroll between October 1 and December 31 each year.
New members may enroll at any time. However, both new and re-enrolling members must be enrolled by December 31 to participate in events and activities such as, but not limited to, Eastern States Exposition competitions, National 4-H Congress, National 4-H Conference, and to be eligible for 4-H post-secondary scholarships.

News from the State

4-H Statewide Teen Dance Seeks Planning Committee Members – There is a small group of 4-H members who would like to plan a statewide formal dance for teen 4-H members across the state. We are looking for teen volunteers who would like to be a part of the planning committee for this Winter event. FMI please contact Maddie Gray maddicus83@gmail.com.

 Join Us for “Dining In” Day – National Family & Consumer Sciences Day December 3, 2019 is National Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) Day. The Maine Affiliate of the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences and UMaine EFNEP are planning to participate and we would like 4-H to join the promotion too. What is it? A specific opportunity to promote family and consumer sciences programs, tools, and professionals that support family mealtime.  We ask families to make and eat a healthy dinner together during the week of December 3rd. Research has shown that the whole family benefits from family mealtime by having better nutrition, improving family communication, fostering family traditions, and teaching life skills, such as meal planning, budgeting, and food preparation. Encouraging families to prepare simple, healthy meals and eat together supports the essence of family and consumer sciences:
“Creating Healthy and Sustainable Families.”
Learn more about Dining In Day, and find some great resources for yourself and your club.

Winter Becoming an Outdoor Woman Program
The 2019 Winter Becoming an Outdoor Woman program will be held on February 21 – 23, 2020 at Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center, 17 Conservation Lane, Bryant Pond ME 04219 in Oxford County. This fun weekend is geared towards women seeking new ways to get outdoors, meet new friends, and challenge themselves. All meals and lodging are provided and space is limited to 36 participants.
FMI: or call 207.665.2068.

National Youth Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summit Applications for 2020 Are Available Now!
There are currently eight scholarships available through funding from the Maine 4-H Foundation, to send youth to the National 4-H Conference Center, just outside Washington, D.C., for the Agri-Science and Healthy Living Summits in early 2020. Attendees will learn more about their area of interest by attending career panels, interactive workshops, and visiting related agencies throughout D.C. The Summits were created to empower youth to be well-informed citizens, expand engineering and agriculture experience, and increase connections to living a healthy lifestyle, all while being actively engaged in their communities.
Agri-Science: January, 9-12, 2020
Healthy Living: February 13-16, 2020
Eligibility: Youth ages 14-18. Enrolled in 4-H by December 31, 2019.
Participant Cost: $150.00 (Maine 4-H Foundation funding will cover the remainder of registration & flight cost – approximately $800).
For more information about the National Youth Summits. If any youth would like to attend, but do not receive the scholarship funding, they may self-fund and attend. Counties are also welcome to provide full or partial-scholarships to youth as well. Email or call Sara, sara.conant@maine.edu, 207-781-6099, for more details on these options, or with any questions.
Applications and Recommendations are due by December 1, 2019.