Welcome to Oahu 4-H's online newsletter.

FEBRUARY 2012

Aloha 4-H Leaders, Members, and Parents,

January opened with the Food Show Workshop, coordinated by Mrs. Lockwood and the Keyblade Bearers. Everybody enjoyed the cooking demos by Hawaii Vegetarian Society, and their yummy food. The informative presenters clarified “vegetarianism” for many of our 4-Hers.

The Food Show is just around the corner, so our 4-H should be practicing their entries. Again, the Food Show will be held on March 10, 2012, at Fort Shafter flats. This is on a military base, so if you are planning to attend, even as just a spectator, keep in tune for more information regarding access and passes. Also, the March council meeting will be held at the Food Show.   

Aloha,
Farin Fukunaga

I am scheduling a record book/portfolio workshop for February 15th at 7 pm.  The workshop will be at Urban Garden Center.  This workshop is open to all 4-H members including the Livestock clubs.  Topics that will be covered are:

• Importance of filling out the Record book/Portfolio
• Difference between Record book and Portfolio
• Filling out the Portfolio
• Resume
• Preparing for a project

Please call me at 622-4185 if you will attend this workshop. 

Rose Saito

The Executive Board is chairing the 4-H Fashion Show on April 28th at the Art Auditorium.  The judging will be in the morning, with lunch and show to follow.  The theme for the show is the “Colors of the Seasons”.  In addition, there will be the Photography and 2D Art exhibits.   Please save the date if you can make it.  More information will be forthcoming.

Rose Saito

The 4-H Alumni Association is once again soliciting applications for the Alumni Association/Weinberg scholarship for qualifying high school seniors who will be furthering their education at an accredited institution.  The application can be obtained from the Hawaii 4-H website:  http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/4h/forms/Weinberg_ScholarshipApp.pdf

To qualify for this scholarship, an applicant’s family needs to meet the median income assistance
guideline as set forth by HUD,  (as listed on the application form).

Completed applications are due on March 26th to:

Hawaii 4-H Alumni Association
PO Box 61565
Honolulu, HI 96839

Susan Saka
Hawaii 4-H Alumni Association

The Gene-ius Day Program at UH is now offering Saturday Gene-ius workshops for students in grades 1-6. The 2-hour workshops present a variety of hands-on science lessons on topics related to agriculture and molecular biology. The openings on Saturday, March 10 are reserved for 4-H members.

When: Saturday, March 10    10:00 a.m. - noon
Where: UH Manoa
Who: 4-H members in grades 1-6
Cost:  $15 per participant

What: Students must use traits and DNA to solve a crime and save the day!  Hands on experiences will include DNA extraction in a real lab and comparing DNA fingerprints.
Learn more at: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/geneius-day/saturday.html

Here is another new 4-H project that youth/members can be involved with!  Check out this resource which is available for loan from the Urban Garden Center office (please check them out with Bea).  Copies also can be purchased from the National 4-H Mall.   

  The 4-H Robotics curriculum uses robotics as a means of engaging youth and developing interesting and challenging experiences with science, engineering and technology. It also uses a variety of media and means to engage youth. It is a much broader project than most of the robotic curriculums currently available, which often focus on a single platform or mode of delivery.

As they participate in 4-H Robotics: Engineering for Today and Tomorrow, youth: Build understanding of basic science concepts related to robotics; Apply the processes of scientific inquiry and engineering design; Build skills in science, engineering and technology; Use the tools of technology to enhance their learning; Explore related careers; and Apply the skills and knowledge they are developing to new challenges.

As a reminder, the applications to be part of Hawaii’s delegation to the 2012 National 4-H Conference are due February 10, 2012.  High school freshman, sophomores and juniors are invited to apply.  Four 4-H’ers will be selected.

The application form can be obtained from the Hawaii 4-H website:  http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/4h/forms/National_4H_ConferenceAppAndDetails.pdf.  Completed applications need to include a letter of recommendation from the member’s 4-H leader and county extension agent.

Is your club or youth group looking for a service project?  Hawaii Operation: Military Kids is looking for a club, organization or school or church group to help assemble Hero Packs sometime in late February or early March.   We have the back packs and things to go into the packs but just need youth power.  If there are 10-15 young people involved, the project can be completed in a 2.5-3 hours.  The packing can be done after school or on the weekend and will need to be done in the Ag Sciences building due to the number of supplies involved.

Hero Packs are distributed to children while their military parent is deployed.  It is a small token to let the children know that someone appreciates the sacrifices that they make for our country.

For more information or to volunteer your group’s services, please call Kiki Yoshimoto at 956-4125.  Thank you!

Kiki Yoshimoto

An exchange club from Douglas County, Oregon is looking for a new exchange partner for 2012-2013 for a week long summer exchange. We can either host or travel first. We are flexible.
We are currently a small group of just six members (five girls and one boy) but can add more members to match your group if needed. We have two 9th grade girls, one 10th grade girl, two 11th grade girls and one 7th grade boy. Some of their 4-H project areas are rabbits, pigs, beef, sewing, photography, and more. We have a great group of kids and always have a great week of fun exploring Oregon. We always visit Crater Lake National Park that boasts the country's deepest lake and often has snow when we visit in July. We take a jet boat trip on the scenic Rogue River where movies have been made and wildlife is plenty. We also visit local points of interest like logging sites, lumber mills, blueberry farms, and Wildlife Safari (a drive thru animal park). We usually visit the California Redwoods and the Pacific Ocean coastal communities where we go on sand dune buggy rides and sometimes camp overnight.
We try to see and do as much as possible and visit the things that our guests most want to see. If this sounds like fun to you or if you have any questions, please contact us ASAP!

Robin Henrikson, Leader
henhousehome@gmail.com
541-817-3019

National 4-H GIS/GPS Leadership Team

National 4-H Headquarters is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2012-13 National 4-H GIS/GPS Leadership Team to continue the progress of 4-H community mapping. State/LGU 4-H programs are invited to submit an application for a team of teen 4-H members (minimum age 14) and adult GIS/GPS leaders for this national 4-H leadership opportunity.

Responsibilities, requirements and other details are included in the attached application. Participation includes a trip to San Diego to attend the 2012 Esri International GIS Conference with a hands-on GIS/GPS service project day at the Tijuana Slough U.S. Fish & Wildlife refuge in late July. Teams are responsible for securing their own funding for this trip. Teams considering this opportunity are encouraged to explore potential funding opportunities in advance of submitting their application.

Application deadline is February 15, 2012. Signature of your 4-H Program Leader or their designee is required with the application. Click here for an application (Allison, please put up application on server and provide a link).

Jim Kahler
Program Specialist
4-H National Headquarters, Division of Youth & 4-H

Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes Awards

Deadline: February 27

Build-A-Bear Workshop® launches its ninth annual search for  Huggable Heroes® - inspiring young leaders who have a commitment to serve, help others, and make a difference in their community. Kids, ages eight to 18, can be nominated through February 27. The 10 selected Huggable Heroes will each receive $10,000 ($7,500 in the form of an educational scholarship from Build-A-Bear Workshop and $2,500 from the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation to be donated to the 501(c)(3) charity or Canadian cause of their choice). http://bit.ly/yTh9Sb

Disney Friends for Change Grants

Deadline: February 29

Disney Friends for Change Grants offer young change-makers an opportunity to receive a $1,000 grant to help make a lasting, positive change in the world. Whether you are passionate about protecting the planet, providing meals to those who need it or giving kids just like you the resources they need to star in their own play, be an athlete or an artist, you can be a Friend for Change!  Whatever your interests, a Disney Friends for Change Grant can help you make a difference for people, communities and the planet. Youth ages 5-18 located in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are eligible to apply for a $1,000 grant. www.YSA.org/grants/disney-friends-change-grants.

2012 Do Something Awards

Deadline: March 1

The Do Something Awards (formerly the BR!CK Awards) identifies exceptional young social entrepreneurs, activists, and community leaders who have a significant social impact. The Do Something Award nominees and winners are the pivotal "do-ers" in their fields and causes. For this year's awards five finalists will be selected and rewarded with a $10,000 community grant, participation in the third Do Something Awards TV show on VH1, media coverage, and continued support from DoSomething.org. Of those five nominees, one will be selected to win the Grand Prize, a $100,000 grant, which will be announced during the broadcast. http://dsorg.us/t5wklU

Service-Learning Showcase at Windward Mall

On March 31, for the first time ever, The Service Learning Partnership and Youth Service Hawaii  are sponsoring a “Service-Learning On the Mall” event at Windward Mall. For the past nine years we have convened service-learning practitioners in an annual event, but this year (our tenth!) we decided to open the event to the general public for the FIRST time. Our theme is Ma ka hana ka `ike, or "By Doing, We Learn." We invite you to come see the great service-learning project work Hawai`i students of all ages are doing through their schools, clubs and other organizations.

National STEM Video Game Challenge

Inspired by President Obama's Educate to Innovate Campaign, the National STEM Video Game Challenge is designed to motivate interest in STEM learning among America's youth by tapping into students' natural passion for playing and making video games. The contest is open to middle and high school students, college students, and educators. Deadline March 12, 2012. For more information, check out http://stemchallenge.org/

4-H Power of Youth

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. Please e-mail them to nakatsuk@hawaii.edu

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