Welcome to Oahu 4-H's online newsletter.

December 2007

Hey Everyone!

     We are on our last month of the year, and may I say the busiest. So much Christmas shopping to do it’s like a zoo out there. Just this past week, Stacie Nakanishi, Dayna Domingo, and I arrived back from National 4-H Congress. We left on Thanksgiving Day and were joined with 12 other, fun and crazy delegates from the other islands, along with two fun loving leaders. We had a lot of fun and met so many new friends on this trip. This was such a wonderful, eye opening experience. I hope that all of you 4-H’ers will try your best to get to congress next year, that means turning in your 4-H Portfolio on time and believe me you will have a BLAST!. This month we also have our Fashion Show on the 2nd, Food Show workshop on the 7th and our Food Show forms are due on the 30th. The Food Show theme this year is Pot Luck, Local Foods and Kraft, this means that you may cook or bake anything you would like. This year’s Food Show workshop will be getting help from Mililani’s FCCLA club decorating holiday cookies, also joining us is the very talented Chef Henry “Shig Cop”.  I hope that everyone will be able to participate.Happy Holidays everyone.

Renni Fay Iwasa

DECEMBER

Hi 4-Hers! 

     This year’s communications fair will be in April at the University of Hawaii Agricultural Science Institute Building.  Our theme will be Happily Ever After (what it means to me).  So start taking or finding pictures that match the theme.  Also if your club would like to sign up for a committee here is the list: 

1. Set Up
1. To come early to the Communications Fair to set up the rooms
2. Judges
1. To find qualified judges to judge the speeches and demonstrations
3. Photography Judges-
1. To find qualified judges to judge the photography and other media projects. 
2. To plan a day to judge the projects before the communications fair
3. To add up the scores for the ribbons and write the names on the ribbons
4. To set up the projects at the Communications Fair
4. Hospitality/Awards-
1. To collect the scores from the judges and write the names on the ribbons
2. To present the ribbons and the Top of Show award at the end of the fair
5. Refreshments
1. Supply snacks for the participants and the audience during the communications fair
6. Registration
1. To make nametags for the participants
2. To check in participants at the beginning of the Communications Fair
3. To  make sure each participant knows where he/she will be doing his/her speech

Please e-mail me or call me for what committee your club would like to chair.  The forms will come out soon when the date is determined. 

Thank you,
Hannah  Wong
(soccergalhannah@yahoo.com or 626-2710)

     This year three outstanding 4-Hers from Oahu County attended the National 4-H Congress, which was held November 23 to 27, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia.  Although the 4-Hers just returned from their whirlwind tour, I would like to extend congratulations to Dayna Domingo, Renni Fay Iwasa and Stacie Nakashima for working on their portfolio this past year and for being selected to attend Congress.  They were joined by 15 other 4-Hers from Hawaii and over 1000 4-Hers from across the United States to participate in this Congress, the theme “Accept The Challenge”.  They participated in leadership building activities, heard from outstanding speakers such as Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson, Dan Clark and Dan Thurmon.  They each did a community service project in the Atlanta area.  Maybe in the next newsletter all three girls can write about their Congress experiences.

	Ever wonder what our friends at Cam p Zama School-Age Program do?  Well…wonder no more.  The Camp Zama Youth Center has their very own website http://www.campzamasas.org/ This site is maintained by the children in the technology project
and is where the youngsters post their projects (Check out the Kids Projects and Kids Corner buttons).  Did you notice in the photos that the children are also doing their 4-H record books?  The website is a great way to keep track of all the neat things the children and doing and learning.  Keep up the good work, Camp Zama SAS!

Claire Nakatsuka

     NetAid, an initiative of Mercy Corps (http://www.mercycorps.org/), is accepting applications for the Global Action Awards. The awards honor high school students in the United States who have organized and led a project that has impacted people in poor countries, or raised awareness about global poverty in their own communities. The awards celebrate young people who have shown great leadership in areas such as preventing disease, alleviating hunger, protecting the environment, promoting human rights, and improving access to clean drinking water, health care, or education. Projects may involve organizing advocacy campaigns, raising funds, volunteering, or using media and technology to involve others in the fight against global poverty. Each year, a prestigious panel of judges reviews applicants on the basis of innovation, cooperation, leadership, inspiration, and impact. The honorees receive $5,000 each for college or a charitable cause of their choice, and are honored at a ceremony in New York City. High school students living in the U.S. who have organized and led a project that has directly impacted people in poor countries, or raised awareness about global poverty in their own community are eligible to apply. Applicants must be a current U.S. high school student, or have graduated from high school in spring 2007.

For guidelines and application materials, visit http://www.netaid.org.
Deadline: January 31, 2008

     Action For Nature, a nonprofit organization that encourages young people around the world to carry out individual environmental action projects, presents the International Young Eco-Hero Awards to recognize the individual accomplishments of young people (ages 8-16) whose personal actions have significantly improved the environment. Action For Nature will award cash prizes of up to $500 each to young Eco-Heroes for their outstanding accomplishments in environmental advocacy, environmental health, research, or protection of the natural world. The applications will be judged according to several criteria, including but not limited to originality, difficulty, organization, length of time devoted to the project, influencing/educating others, use of outside resources (e.g., library, experts, media, community leaders), degree of success in reaching goals, and the impact on the environment.

For complete program information and application guidelines, visit http://www.actionfornature.org/.
Deadline: February 28, 2008.

4-H Clover Corner News
For additional articles on 4-H youth development nationwide, check out the National 4-H Clover Corner News at http://www.4hblogs.org/ccn/

We welcome your story ideas and 4-H job listings.
Please e-mail them to nakatsuk@hawaii.edu

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