by Yolanda Goode | Sep 27, 2019
Plan to attend the 2019 UF IFAS Art, Garden and Farm Family Festival
Fall is coming soon and an amazing family friendly event is coming soon after that. Don’t miss the 2019 Art, Garden, and Farm Family Festival on Saturday, October 5, 2019! The 2019 Art, Garden, and Farm Family Festival is an event that attracts a diverse audience from the Big Bend area. This annual event brings fall colors, festive activities, and local vendors that you will enjoy visiting with.
Enjoy your Saturday with us by taking a tour of the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center’s beautiful gardens while at the festival! And once inspired from your nature walk, ask our EXPERTS at the UF/IFAS horticulture booth so you too, can have a gorgeous garden of your own! After getting your questions answered, journey down to the annual plant sale while enjoying the local musical entertainment, homemade jams, jellies, honey, baked goods, and craft vendors along the way. It’s a magical Fall Saturday filled with festivities!
EVENT DETAILS
- What: 2019 Art, Garden and Farm Family Festival
- When: October 5, 2019, from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time)
- Where: North Florida Research Center, Quincy FL on Pat Thomas Highway
- Who: Open to the Public
- Why: Visit the informational booths, craft vendors, kid’s zone, food vendors, and plant sale. Enjoy live entertainment.
- Cost: Free
- For More Information: https://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/art-and-garden/
This year, the 4-H Educational Booth will be in the Kid’s Zone. Bring the kids over to learn more about wildlife, 4-H, and assemble a bumble bee! You may even buzzzzz across some friends that you have not seen in a while! Remember to bring money so you can support the local 4-H club’s fundraising efforts. Save the date so we can see you on October 5, 2019!
Looking for additional community events, family activities, educational opportunities? Visit your local UF IFAS County Extension Office and meet your 4-H Extension Agent for additional 4-H information and events that can benefit you and your family.
by Yolanda Goode | May 6, 2019
Yes, 4-University is 4 U! 4-H University is one of the premiere state events in Florida 4-H. Teens get the chance to participate in leadership workshops, explore career opportunities, interact with other 4-Hers from across the state, and have fun while learning how to better successfully engage in their community, country, and world. Below you will find useful information as well as why you should attend this flagship state 4-H event.
WHY PARTICIPATE?
2018 Gadsden County 4-H University Delegation
- Fun: We like all things we sign up for to be fun but sometimes they turn out not to be. We assure you, this IS a FUN event.
- Network: Connect with like-minded teens from across Florida.
- Focused learning: Subject matter focused workshops offered are interesting and engaging.
- Explore: Visit an awesome college campus! There are many things to see and do at UF. It is your chance to visit a college campus.
- Dorms: Sleep in a college dorm. Yes, you and your roomies get a little taste of future dorm life.
- Leadership: True leaders know that leadership and learning is an on-going process.
- Service Learning: Giving back to others feels good. Fresh ideas keep us focused and committed.
- Goal Setting: Goals help us to expand our visions. 4-H U helps you set some goals for the future.
- Being Supportive: Fellow attendees are competitors and/or candidates running for State 4-H Officers we want to support.
- Fun: Yes, I mentioned this twice! My Gadsden County 4-H senior youth have enjoyed 4-H U for many years for all the reasons above. They stress FUN twice!
IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Dates: July 29-August 1, 2019 (multi-day overnight state 4-H event)
Location: University of Florida, Gainesville
Who: Youth who are 4-H age 14-18
Registration: Opens on May 1 and closes June 30 at 11:59 pm Eastern. The cost is $275.00 for full week. Special one-day only registrations are available. Check out the website for more information.
How: Contact your local 4-H office
Learning opportunities: You do not want to be late registering so that you can have a better chance of getting your choice of track workshop: http://florida4h.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/4HU_2018_Workshop_Descriptions.pdf
More information: For more information, please visit this http://florida4h.org/programsandevents_/4-h-university/
CALL TO ACTION:
- Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Office
- Begin the journey as a 4-H Member
- Engage in local programs as well as district and state: http://florida4h.org/programsandevents_/
- Read and share the other great 4-H In The Panhandle blogs by my colleagues
- Follow us on Facebook
by Yolanda Goode | Mar 15, 2019
Are you physically or mentally running on E?
Are you racing “90 to nothing” in your daily life? until something forces us to hit the brakes or the emergency brake is applied. Instead of clearing our plates, we add sideboards onto them so that we can accept more.
We wear many hats outside of work such as a family member, caregiver, volunteer, student, etc. Some days we find ourselves in foul moods where we lack comprehension, patience, and focus. Is it because we are hangry (hungry + angry) or just plain ole tired? You’ve heard the saying; “you can’t squeeze blood from a turnip”… or is that a beet?…LoL, you get the point. How do we avoid the breakdown that can and will happen if we keep pushing ourselves without intentional refueling?
Here are several tips to help you stay fueled and refreshed:
- Block scheduling: I shared a photo of a tool that I use, but you use what works for you. The key thing is for you to understand where you can capture time for yourself to refuel.
- Rest: Sleep on a regular schedule and take breaks during the day.
- Eat well: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
- Have some fun: You are encouraged to have fun. Adulting is tough.
- Take lunch: Go visit a local library, museum, or sit in your car at a local park.
- Vacation: Plan for it, and take it. But leave some recovery time, so you are not rushing back to work the next day. Another option is weekend trips or a day-cations while kid(s) are at school.
- Nurture your hobbies: When was the last time you ____________?
- Guard your time: Once you’ve blocked it out, it’s yours. Don’t let others guilt you into giving it back.
Slowly implement some of these tips into your life, and remember an empty tank is just that. Empty. You will be more productive by taking care of you, and you’ll be better able to wear all those hats.
by Yolanda Goode | Feb 22, 2019
Generosity is one of the four essential elements youth need for positive youth development. 4-H clubs should do at least one community service project a year as part of their plan of action. This benefits our high school students because most students need service hours as part of graduation requirements. But with all the “have-to-do’s” in life, service can become just a thing to check off and have no real value.
How can we help our 4-H youth get more value from service projects?
Use the Experiential Learning model (Do-Reflect-Apply) used by 4-H programs across the nation. Incorporating the reflect and apply portion of the model does take some effort, but it is not hard to do. If your club does many community service activities, choose which ones to incorporate all the steps of the Experiential Learning model.
How to take it deeper beyond just a thing to do:
Get buy in from youth concerning the service project(s) planned for the year.
UF/IFAS Extension Gadsden County 4-H Club members out delivering Thanksgiving baskets to families in need.
Pre-activity – Have youth do a presentation related to the service project activity:
- Who we are helping: Details about the group/organization
- What type of service(s) will be done for the group
- How will our community service benefit this group/organization
Post activity – have a casual conversation:
- Enquire about how they felt about the service activity
- What was an ah-ha moment
- What did they find challenging
- What could we do differently for next project
- What is something you learned by doing this project that you could use in other areas of your life.
Here’s a great article in the Florida 4-H Volunteer Training Series that really breaks down the process. You can also give your local UF/IFAS Extension 4-H Agent a call for more help.
How can you keep up with the great things we’re doing in our 4-H extension district?
- LIKE the 4-H in the Panhandle Facebook page – @volunteeringinthepanhandle
- LIKE your county’s 4-H Facebook page
- SUBSCRIBE to the 4-H in the Panhandle blog
by Yolanda Goode | Sep 14, 2018
Gadsden County 4-H youth on campus for 4-H University. 4-HU is the premier youth leadership development event of Florida 4-H.
Leaders – Born or Made?
Many of us have heard the saying, “oh, that young man or woman is such a natural born leader.” But are leaders born that way, or do they develop into leaders? These Gadsden County delegates took advantage of 4-H University this summer – an awesome Florida 4-H state event designed to grow leadership skills. Many of them have also served as volunteer 4-H camp counselors during the summer. They understand that leaders are developed and not born.
What Defines a Leader?
Sometimes people confuse charisma with leadership abilities. Charisma is a special magnetic charm or appeal (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Many of our local to national leaders have some level of charisma. In addition to charisma, leaders should have the more important skills such as communication, problem solving, critical thinking, managing, and self-awareness. There are many definitions for leadership because there is no universal definition. Leadership involves a process while a leader is the one who carries out the process.
How Does 4-H Unlock Your Leadership Potential?
One of my favorite teaching tools used to develop my Gadsden County 4-H leaders is the “Unlock Your Leadership Potential” by UF/IFAS Extension. It has influenced how I would define a leader. The overall goal of a good leader is to move the group or organization toward its goals while building a sense of togetherness and well-being.
Florida 4-H grows leaders at the club, county, district, and state levels by creating safe and nurturing environments and providing quality experiences. Knowledge and skills are great, but being able to apply them through experience is what fortifies and matures youth as well as increases their confidence. The 4-H slogan, “Learn by Doing”, is why the 4-H Experiential model is important to UF/IFAS-Extension 4-H Youth Development Program. The more active the youth and the duration of a their engagements in 4-H positive youth development the greater the benefits not just for them but also their communities (2013, National 4-H Council). It takes a whole team of Extension professionals, staff, 4-H Seniors, and volunteers to make the “magic” happen.
Call to Action:
- Begin the journey as a youth or volunteer: http://florida4h.org/getinvolved/
- Engage in local and state 4-H programs: http://florida4h.org/programsandevents_/
- Give to Florida 4-H: https://www.uff.ufl.edu/give-now/?fund_id=003603
- Read and share the other great blogs by my colleagues here: https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/4hn/
- Join the “30 Days of Doing” 4-H Movement: https://4-h.org/inspire-kids-to-do/
References and Further Reading:
