Marley’s love of camping is what drew her to the 4-H program.
With 2020, everything is different and new. When talking with 17-year-old Santa Rosa County 4-H member, Marley Reynolds, she explains just how different 2020 ended up being for her. Marley said, “This was supposed to be my final year, I was really looking forward to doing Executive Board and having one last year as a camp counselor, but for better or for worse I ended up graduating a year early!” Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Marley had to accelerate her homeschool learning. Since she was already home and couldn’t do anything more than her schooling, she decided to go ahead and graduate. It was not something she took lightly and knew that with the change, she would shift from being a last year 4-H member to Alumni just that fast. She said, “It was very sudden but now I’m a second-year student at Pensacola State College and I’m slated to complete my General Education AA in Spring 2021.”
When asked what 4-H has meant to her, Marley replied, “4-H had always been a special place for me. I first joined because I heard about Camp Timpoochee and had been asking my parents to go to an overnight sleep-away camp for a while. It was amazing, and I still have the friends I met at camp that year.” Along with summer camp, Marley participated in the Marine Ecology competition at the state level and served many hours with the program as a teen volunteer. Marley and her family assisted the rest of Santa Rosa County with our annual Veteran’s Day Cookouts. Marley was able to use her leadership skills as a camp counselor for many years and helped to make camp week wonderful for many youth new to 4-H and camping.
With all of the 4-H events that Marley participated in, she said this about 4-H Day at the Capital, “I think it was my favorite event, mainly because I really liked visiting the Florida Museum of Natural History every year.” Marley and several other teens planned a primitive camping weekend and it was very eventful! She remembers, “My favorite memory was the camping trip we went on. It was my 13th birthday and it rained so hard the second day that we had to go home.” One of the other campers said, “It’s not about having fun, it’s about making memories” We definitely made some memories that weekend.
One of Marley’s main passions is theatre. She loves to get in costume and entertain others. 4-H allowed her to have many new and exciting experiences and she hopes to continue her 4-H career as summer camp staff in the future. Marley, congratulations on your early graduation and we are proud to call you a Florida 4-H Alumni! Don’t forget, that you can always continue your 4-H journey as a volunteer or 4-H Collegiate Member!
The new 4-H year kicks off September 1st and that means our Virtual Volunteer Leadership Academy will begin our fall series. Based on volunteer feedback, we have made some exciting changes! The biggest change is that our live sessions will be offered in the evenings instead of the middle of the day. An email notification has been sent to all our registered participants about the time change. Hopefully, this will allow more people to attend the live sessions.
The second change is that we have adjusted some of the topics based on COVID-19 transition needs. Here is our updated schedule, as well as a description of the session:
Time is 6PM Central/7PM Eastern on the third Thursday of the month
Date
Topic
Description
September 17th
Making Virtual Meetings Fun
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 4-H club year looks different right now. As we move through phase 2 and phase 3 of our transition to “normal” virtual programs are still encouraged. Join us to learn simple strategies for making virtual and socially distanced programs fun and engaging for youth. This session will provided resources for:
1. Virtual and socially distanced icebreakers
2. How to lead hands on activities in a virtual or socially distanced setting
October 15th
4-H Judging Teams
Judging contests are a great way for youth to learn decision making skills, public speaking and teamwork. This session will:
1. Give an overview of judging opportunities in Florida 4-H
2. Provide resources for getting started coaching a judging team (virtually or in person)
November 19th
Mindfulness for the 4-H Volunteer
For many counties in the Northwest District, the past few years have been extremely stressful. Between Hurricane Michael and now COVID-19, our 4-H volunteers are burning the candle at both ends. This session will help you learn strategies to relieve stress through the science of mindfulness.
December
No session- enjoy time with family and friends!
If you are not registered, there is still space (and registration is free). Register once, and you will be signed up for all the sessions. If you can’t make a session, you will receive a link to the record so that you can participate at your convenience. While these sessions are geared towards 4-H club leaders, anyone interested in helping with a club or eventually becoming a volunteer is welcome to attend.Attend at least three live sessions in 2020, and you will receive a digital badge! We also have some exciting doorprizes as we gear up for our 4-H Volunteer Retreat in January 2021. If you have questions, or would like to suggest topics for 2021, please contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office.
Volunteers from a local bank help teens learn financial management during a 4-H meeting
For more than 100 years, Floridians have been volunteering with 4-H to teach life skills to youth and to help make the best better in their communities. Florida is one of the few states in the southeast where the foundation of our program is built on community and project clubs. These 4-H clubs are where youth get the biggest benefit from 4-H membership and they wouldn’t be possible without our volunteers. There are nearly 10,000 volunteers working with 200,000 Florida 4-H members each year. Our volunteers come from many different backgrounds and walks of life, but they all have one thing in common- a desire to share their passion and skills with the next generation.
We are always grateful for the men and women who work so tirelessly to help youth become competent, caring citizens- but this month, we celebrate them to show our deep appreciation. April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month, and if you haven’t been following us on Facebook, then you’ve been missing our daily videos about how volunteers are impacting lives and communities in Florida. Each day this week, we will be sharing a story of a 4-H volunteer on our blog. We hope you draw inspiration from each of these individuals (as we do).
Engineers volunteer with our STEM Challenge at the North Florida Fair every fall.
If you are a 4-H parent or member, please thank your volunteer this week. A phone call, text, or handwritten note of thanks would make them feel appreciated and encouraged. If you have a skill or passion to share with young people, please consider being a volunteer for 4-H. We have a variety of roles to meet your interests and schedule. To find out more, contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office.
4-H Exhibit at Sunbelt Ag Expo.Photo Credit: Rachel Pienta, UF/IFAS Wakulla County
Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA is “North America’s Premier Farm Show”®. Held the third week in October, land grant universities from across the southeast set up interactive exhibits about the research and programs they provide related to agriculture and natural resources. In addition, there are thousands of industry vendors with exhibits, demonstrations and give-aways. The UF/IFAS Extension building is no exception. This year’s theme was “wildlife” and our building featured five interactive exhibits from 4-H, Family and Consumer Sciences, Natural Resources, Horticulture and Agriculture. Our 4-H exhibit featured some of our most popular 4-H programs related to wildlife: shooting sports, entomology, forestry, and outdoor skills such as kayaking, grilling and orienteering. Extension faculty and specialists manned the building, and were available to answer questions and passed out free bottles of Florida fruit juices and packets of Florida peanuts. If you missed this year’s exhibit, you can experience it at the North Florida Fair, November 7-17th in Tallahassee, FL. Our exhibit (along with the other program areas) will be located in the UF/IFAS Building.
Lots of photo opportunities at Sunbelt Ag Expo! Photo Credit: Rachel Pienta, UF/IFAS Wakulla County
If you have knowledge or skills related to our wildlife project areas, consider becoming a 4-H volunteer! Our wildlife programs are in high demand and we always need volunteers willing to share their passion for our environment with the next generation of Florida’s citizens. For more information, contact your local UF/IFAS County Extension Office or visit our website.
What makes 4-H different from other youth organizations? One characteristic is our learn-by-doing approach! Our programs are intentionally designed to immerse youth in learning by experiencing and doing activities. Today happens to be National Youth Science Day. For over a decade, 4-H has been using science experiments to use their HEAD and HANDS to connect science to their everyday life. 4-H NYSD is an annual program that provides access and opportunity for kids everywhere to take an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) by participating in a hands-on STEM challenge. This year’s challenge, Game Changers, teaches young people coding skills through physical activity and puzzles. Developed by Google and West Virginia University Extension Service, this hands-on experience includes a computer-based activity on Google’s CS First platform, as well as two unplugged activities that bring coding to life through games, physical activities and puzzles. Game Changers is perfect for first-time and beginner coders, ages 8 to 14.
In today’s world, computer skills are vital and can open doors for youth in every field, as well as help them excel in schools and explore careers related to agriculture, business and even the arts.
All kids everywhere are invited to participate in 4-H NYSD. Additional information can be found at 4-H.org/NYSD, including information on how to register and get involved. Game Changers kits are available for sale at 4-HMall.org/nysd. Each kit comes equipped with all the materials necessary for youth to complete the experience, including instruction booklets for both youth and adult facilitators. For more information, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office or check out this short video on 4-H NYSD.
4-H NYSD 2018 was developed in collaboration with Google, with support from our national partners —Donaldson Filtration Solutions, HughesNet, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force.
