Are You Presentation Ready?

Here are a few things to remember when preparing for County Presentations in March

Be sure to include three main parts:
- Introduction—the why, who you are and what you will be talking about;
- Body—the show and tell portion, tell/show the audience what you know; and
- Summary—the what of it, summarize what you talked about and thank them for listening, cite any source.

Presentation Time requirements:
- Cloverbud members 3-15 minutes. Regular members 5-15 minutes.
  Team Presentations 10-15 minutes.

Be sure to dress neatly. No dirty jeans or sweatshirts preferred.

If using a poster board- keep them simple. Use dark lettering and pictures large enough so that people in the back of the room can read and see them.

Look at your audience and smile.

Practice!

A complete guide to presentations is available for download; NJ 4H ‘How to Make a 4-H Public Presentation’. In addition, there is also a YouTube video with tips on how to give a public presentation. Both are great resources for those presenting for the first time, but also a great refresher for more seasoned presenters.

If you have any question please reach out to Tanya. patrie@njaes.rutgers.edu

Need dinner Saturday night?!
Support the Culinary Explorers 4-H Club

Limited tickets will be available at the door.

Attention 4-H Sophomores!
Roth Leadership Development Program Opportunity

Are you ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? Are you a change maker in your community or want to become one? National 4-H is looking for teens with a passion to solve some of the biggest challenges facing the world. This program is open to current 4-H sophomores with a strong interest in leadership, civic engagement, and problem-solving. Selected participants will meet monthly (virtual and in-person) to discuss current issues, meet with subject experts and professionals, and develop a plan of action to address a current community need.

Scholarships will be also be awarded to participants upon completion of the program.

To learn more view the recording of a recent zoom session held.
https://rutgers.zoom.us/rec/share/96Q7VoP3ThNRKRhpvPfbBDJg7S3NHLQgDSHMM31O-dybbwNdxeFhEvbbNyzW-ohL.9ilYqpVUq2uJhQqM?startTime=1707786295000
Passcode: 4q3#+7X1

For more information and applications, contact Kelly Dziak at dziak@njaes.rutgers.edu.

The deadline to apply is Monday, February 26^th.

Room Host NEEDED!
Community Service Hours Available for Middle/High School Members

The 4-H office is looking for help individuals, Middle and High School members, to volunteer to serve as Room Hosts for our 4-H Public Presentations in-person programs.

As the Room Host, your responsibilities will be to introduce those presenting and assist them with setting up their presentation. Community service hours will be granted to those who volunteer.

Please contact Tanya Patrie at patrie@njaes.rutgers.edu for more information or to sign up. You may also use the following link to sign up to volunteer https://forms.office.com/r/DGmqG95WSd.

2024 Species on the Edge 2.0 High School Conservation Challenge
Open to New Jersey Students in grades 9-12

Register by March 1 to Protect Rare Wildlife and Win Cash Prizes

This fun and engaging project will allow students to collaborate with their peers as they create real-world solutions to keep wildlife in our future. They will be surprised to discover how many species are currently “on the edge” and endangered in our own communities.

Students will work in teams and, when presented with several different scenarios, will select a role such as research scientist, citizen scientist, engineer, policy maker, investigative reporter, college professor, director of a non-profit organization, or environmental artist. Teams will construct a video to bring awareness and educate the public about endangered species and their environments.

The contest is free to enter and offers students and facilitators the opportunity to win cash prizes up to $2000. Register by March 1.

Final projects are due on April 5.
For more info, please visit: WWW.CONSERVEWILDLIFENJ.ORG/EDUCATION/EDGE2.0/

Women in Agriculture 4-H Career Night

Friday, March 8th, 2024, 6-8 pm join via Zoom.

International Women’s Day meets National Agriculture Month. Come and celebrate International Women’s Day and National Agriculture Month as you engage with local women working in agriculture. This free event is open to all youth grades 7th-13th. This is a hybrid event, so join via Zoom or in person at the Somerset County 4-H Center. Come ready to learn and explore careers you’ve never had the opportunity to hear about! Registration closes March 7th.

Attention 4-H Members in 9-12th grade
Plans are underway for the 2024 Citizenship Washington Focus conference scheduled for June 20-27, 2024.

The deadline to Apply is March 8.

Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) is National 4-H Council’s premier leadership and civic engagement experience held each summer in the Washington, DC area. It is a week-long event (Thursday – Thursday) for 4-H members in grades 9-12 (14-19 years old). The program is based on the principle that democracy requires skills and strategies that must be learned and practiced and it teaches participants to be active, responsible citizens and leaders. The program utilizes Washington, DC as a working classroom to learn about the government, citizenship, and civic engagement and provides hands-on opportunities for our teens to promote “Better Citizens Today, Better Leaders Tomorrow.”

During the CWF program week, delegates will:
•Strengthen communication, leadership, and civic engagement skills on a national level
•Understand the importance of Youth Voice and the skills necessary to make a change in their community, such as civil discourse and media literacy
•Exchange ideas, practice respect and form friendships with other youth from diverse backgrounds
•Experience hands-on learning using the historical backdrop of our nation’s capital city, Washington, DC, as their classroom
•Create a plan and work with fellow delegates to develop the steps to carry out the plan upon their return home, to make a difference in their community.

The New Jersey delegates will travel by coach bus for the week and will experience all that Washington, DC has to offer. We will join approximately 250 4-H members representing a variety of states

Information can be found on the New Jersey 4-H website at the following link: http://nj4h.rutgers.edu/citizenship/washingtonfocus/
Event Scholarships may be available. Contact the 4-H Office for more information.

The deadline to have the applicatio n turned in to the office is March 8.

4-H Public Presentations STILL NEEDS Volunteers

Caring adults are needed to volunteer to help us evaluate those 4-H youth participating in our 4-H public presentations program.

We are still in need of Volunteers for the following dates/locations:
March 8 – Frankford Twp. School, 2 Pines Rd. Branchville
March 22 – Kittatinny Regional High School, 77 Halsey Rd. Newton

Please use the following link to sign up to serve as a presentation judge: https://forms.office.com/r/WLfFSwuHTK, contact the 4-H office at (973) 948-3040, or email Tanya at patrie@njaes.rutgers.edu.

If you know someone who would like to serve or be a good fit to serve as a 4-H public presentation judge, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Tanya at patrie@njaes.rutgers.edu.

For any questions please contact the 4-H Office.

New Jersey Clover Lego Challenge

Ocean County 4-H will once again host the Clover LEGO Challenge, with LEGO Master, Corey Samuels! This event will be held Saturday, March 10th beginning at 12:00 PM at the Ocean County 4-H Office in Toms River. The program is open to all 4-H members including Cloverbuds! Deadline for registration is March 1. For more event info click here.. To register visit: http://tinyurl.com/cloverLEGOchallenge

Arbor Day 2024 Photo Contest

All levels of photographers are encouraged to submit your pictures, whether you take a picture on your phone, or a camera, all tree pictures are welcome! Age categories for entries are Grades K-8 (Elementary), Grades 9-12 (High School), and Adult (ages 18+).
Entries will be accepted from now until March 1, 2024

This year’s theme is “My Tree, My Place”. We want you to showcase a tree that is special to you or sparks your interest somewhere that you live, work, or spend a lot of time. Your photograph can reflect “My Tree, My School”, “My Tree, My Park”, “My Tree, My Office”, and so on!

The winning photographs will be featured on the Rutgers Urban Forestry website, by the NJ Shade Tree Federation, as well as NJ Department Of Environmental Protection Urban and Community Forestry Program.

For more information or to enter a photo go to:
Arbor Day 2024 Photo Contest – Urban Forestry Program

2024 Junior Animal Science Symposium

4-H Animal Science Video Contest and Film Festival

New Jersey 4-H, in cooperation with the New Jersey Junior Breeder Symposium, is sponsoring the 4-H Animal Science Video Contest and Film Festival to include ALL 4-H animal project areas.

Youth may work individually or as a team to create short educational videos (3:30 minutes or less) about alpacas, cats, cattle (beef/dairy), dogs, goats, herpetology, horses, llamas, poultry, rabbits, sheep, small animals, and/or swine to enter in the 4-H Animal Science Video Contest. Youth must upload their video and media release(s) by the end of March 4 (see website for details). The videos will then be shared at the film festival in the Round House of the Rutgers Cook Campus Farm during an afternoon session of the Junior Animal Science Symposium on Saturday, March 23.

Youth of the top scoring videos will receive awards, including gift cards. Videos will be scored on educational value, creativity, clarity, pacing, and technical quality (sound, lighting, etc.) – 20 points each, total of 100. A tip sheet and a description of the judging criteria are both available on the website, along with the top scoring videos from prior years. Youth are encouraged to have fun and be creative in designing their video entries!

Details are available on our website at http://nj4h.rutgers.edu/animals/film-festival.

The Beth and Owen Pool Memorial Scholarship

Any high school senior who has participated in New Jersey 4-H or FFA, and is interested in pursuing a career in agriculture, is eligible for this $1000 Scholarship. Students interested must submit the completed application along with an essay on how agriculture “feeds your soul” and a letter of recommendation from a 4-H Leader or FFA Advisor.

https://www.sussex4h.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Beth-and-Owen-final.pdf

The application, essay and letter are due by April 1^st. The Scholarship winner will be selected and notified by April 30^th.

This scholarship is being offered through New Jersey Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee. Please email your application, letter of reference and essay to Melanie Richman at maerichman1289@gmail.com by April 1^st.

Foods Skill-a-Thon Click HERE for Study Guide
Quick Cook-Off Click HERE for rules

Registration is available at http://tinyurl.com/3hy32r9m. If you have questions contact Denise at 732-349-1227 or dgerhauser@co.ocean.nj.us.

New Jersey 4-H Summer Camps Sign Up – Open Now
Sessions are Selling out!

Registration opens for both:
Our 74th summer at L.G. Cook 4-H Camp, New Jersey 4-H’s overnight summer camp in beautiful Stokes State Forest. Join our caring, tech-free community for a one-week sleepaway session in July or our BIG 18 day session in August … AND …

Our 2nd summer at 4-H Camp at Rutgers Gardens, our brand-new day camp program combining the social-emotional learning of 4-H Camp’s friendly, communal experience with the educational opportunities of Rutgers Gardens.

More details and online registration at nj4hcamp.rutgers.edu! Call 973-948-3550 to reach the Camp Office with any and all questions.

Ag. Division of the NJ State Fair/Sussex County Farm & Horse Show Agricultural Scholarships

Agricultural Scholarships are presented each year to a Sussex County graduating high school senior or college student currently enrolled in an agricultural program, pursuing a two or four year degree, or graduate studies in one of the many fields of Agriculture.
The minimum award amounts are $400.00. The deadline for filing is April 15th.

More information and applications can be found at:
http://www.sussexcountyfairgrounds.org/assets/resources/AgriculturalScholarshipApplication.pdf

NJ 4-H Member Research

You have been invited to participate in a research study by a NJ 4-H member doing her AP research work exploring the barriers to implementing urban agricultural initiatives in New Jersey’s urban food deserts.The purpose of the study is to identify the obstacles to effective and sustainable implementation of urban agricultural initiatives in urban food deserts across Central, South, and North New Jersey.

The survey includes an optional entry to receive a $50 Amazon gift card.

To participate in the study please go to https://go.rutgers.edu/wyuulemg.

SAVE THE DATE

This outdoor festival event offers fun activities for the whole family, taking place across every campus of Rutgers New Brunswick on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Plan your Rutgers Day activities here:
https://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/rutgers-day-faqs

Looking for research participants who are 4-H members ages 10-17 who have been active in the program within the last two years.

4-H Record Book Reminders

Just reminder that you should be working on your 4-H record book though-out the 4-H Project year. Some areas you should have completed or be a work in progress are:

Cover
Goal Setting
Logging monthly activities
Finances

Your Goals should be:

Specific – a specific goal is well defined, with a clear outcome in mind. It should answer the questions of what you want to achieve, who is involved, and where it will happen.
Measurable – a measurable goal has clear criteria for success and a timeline for achieving it. This allows you to track your progress along the way.
Attainable – An attainable goal is one that is possible to achieve with your overall vision and long-term objectives.
Relevant – A relevant goal is aligned with your overall vision and long-term objectives.
Time-based – A time-based goal has a clear timeline for completion, with a start and end date. This helps provide motivation and sense of urgency to achieve the goal.

New members should aim for 1 or 2 goals their first year. Returning members should increase the number and complexity of their goals as their years in 4-H grow.

Don’t forget to have your parent or guardian and your 4-H club leader sign off on your goals!

Poetry x Hunger: Poetry Call from Middle and High School Youth

Do you want to help eliminate hunger and poverty through the power of your pen? NJ Arts 4-H is introducing Poetry X Hunger. Join in the Poetry X Hunger project promoted by Expressive Arts 4-H of Rutgers Cooperative Extension. If you would like to learn more about the many forms of poetry you can choose from, contact Ellen Williams, Expressive Arts 4-H Agent at williams@njaes.rutgers.edu.

For more information visit https://nj4h.rutgers.edu/comm/poetryxhunger/

Information and Programs For Our 4-H Parents and Leaders

The first episode of 4-H Volunteer Ventures is available on Spotify and other platforms. The 4-H Volunteer Ventures Facebook page is also available.

The 4-H Volunteer Ventures Podcast examines the fun, but sometimes confusing role of the 4-H volunteer. Each episode will explore a specific aspect or challenge volunteers face ad offer best practices to improve the experience. Join hosts, Kelly and Laura, as they discuss current trends, share resources, and offer tips and tricks learned from their own volunteer experiences.

Spotify link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/4hvolunteerventures
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558574791500

We want to hear from YOU! If you have any suggestions for volunteer-based topics you would like us to address, or something you would like to learn more about as a 4-H volunteer, let us know. We appreciate your input.

Attention 4-H alumni, parents, volunteers and stakeholders…

Mark Your Calendars! Here are the NJ 4-H State Association meeting dates for 2024. We are still looking for additional volunteers to help make the best better and join the association! Visit https://go.rutgers.edu/HelpNJ4H to be added to the mailing list or contact nj4h@njaes.rutgers.edu to learn more about the State Association!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and add us to your favorites so you do not miss a post.
@SussexNJ4H