Quarterly Update, February 2024

CELEBRATING THRIVING

Highlights From Last Quarter

 

New PYD Champion for Representing NYS!

 

Congratulations to Melissa (Mel) Schroeder on being accepted as one of two NYS 4-H PYD Champions. Mel will be working along with Alexa Maille, joining PYD Champions in the Northeast Region and as part of the National Network working to advance the 4-H Thriving Model. Please help us in congratulating, Mel!

Melissa (Mel) has worked as an Extension Professional for twenty-four years and has been in the leadership role as Executive Director at CCESC since late March of 2023.  Mel also serves as the program lead for our Youth and Family programming and is responsible for the management and stewardship of 4-H Youth Development, Hidden Valley 4-H Camp, 21st Century Afterschool Programming and Parenting Education.  Mel provides leadership to the team on curriculum, professional development, connection from our local county association to campus resources and research.  Mel has worked on the development of the Positive Youth Development (PYD 101) online curriculum training, is an alumni member of the NYS Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Cohort team to assist with the culture of belonging through Peer Learning Circles (PLC).  Mel works towards weaving all aspects of positive youth development and JEDI work to promote and create spaces where youth and adults can experience thriving spaces that foster belonging.  Mel is a member of the New York State Association of Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Educators (NYSACCE4-HE), National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals, and Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP) for Extension Professionals. 

Growing NYS 4-H Champions 

 

Celebrating our PYD Champions in NYS who participated in PYD Academy experiences and expanding our NYS PYD Champions. Celina Bartz, Ryan Kincaid, Kait McNamee, Paige Podgorski, and Cathy Sweet participated in the Foundations of Positive Youth Development (PYD) Academy for Early Career 4-H Professionals provided educators with a comprehensive introduction to the science and practice of positive youth development in 4-H in their first three years of their 4-H career. 

 

“The PYD Academy provided me with an opportunity to learn more about the 4-H Youth Thriving Model, as well as the research and data behind it. During the multi-week course, we took a deeper dive into what youth development is all about, and how we as 4-H educators/staff could help our programs to have a positive, long-lasting impact on local youths. I appreciated how the organizers presented information in a variety of formats (podcasts, articles, diagrams, group sessions...), and am finding the Learning Circles helpful to think through how to put what we've learned into practice. This is a good PD opportunity for those who are curious about the direction that 4-H is heading and those who want to move their program forward."  

 

-Ryan Kincaid, Youth Development Team Leader in Wayne County 

 

The Program Planning and Evaluation for Positive Youth Development (PYD) Impact prepares educators to intentionally plan and evaluate PYD programming as defined by the 4-H Thriving Model for 4-H professionals with a minimum of 3 years of 4-H career with interest in program evaluation related to positive youth development and the 4-H Thriving Model. 

 

“The 4-H Thriving Model is a theory of change and illustrates the process of positive youth development in 4-H programs by connecting high quality program settings to the promotion of youth thriving.  There are multiple ways to learn and promote the 4-H Thriving Model with staff and volunteers. 

 

The NYS 4-H office has offered both in-person trainings and webinars on the Thriving Model and I have participated in recent on-line trainings offered by National 4-H on planning, implementing, and evaluating 4-H programs designed to help youth thrive including creating safe spaces and supporting volunteers using the Thriving Model.  To educate and support our volunteers on the Thriving Model, CCE Washington County has promoted the “Volunteer Connections Series” offered by the Northeast Region Volunteer team. While any volunteer can participate at home via Zoom, we have invited volunteers to join us for “watch parties” where we serve dinner and then watch and discuss the webinars together to encourage participation. While not a 4-H professional myself, participating in these opportunities was well worth my time as we work together to build a local 4-H program where staff and volunteers understand theories and methods behind a successful 4-H experience and program, that then lead to long-term positive outcomes.” 

 

-Brian Gilchrist, Executive Director of Washington and Fulton-Montgomery 

 

Thriving Success Story Highlight 

 

Opportunities for youth and families to learn and grow together: CCE Yates 4-H Art Workshops 

 

The CCE Yates partnership with The Art Studio @ 126 Main has allowed 4-H youth and families to immerse themselves in the arts, learn new artistic skills, experiment with various forms of art, and develop positive youth/adult relationships. Increased opportunities for youth and families to learn and grow together.  Adult partners were encouraged to take part alongside youth participants.  One parent said, “It means a lot to me to have these exciting, local, hands-on opportunities to learn from and get to know local artists and learn about new art forms the kids were unfamiliar with.  I am also very appreciative of the fact that 4-H funding makes these workshops affordable.  I don't think we otherwise would have been able to participate.  We look forward to having the kids exposed to even more mediums for creativity in the future.”  

 

CCE Yates collaborated with The Art Studio @ 126 Main to offer art workshops for youth and families covering topics including a variety of clay workshops (snowmen, cats, gnomes, turtles, and clay play), mosaics, needle felting, and wire and bead work. Youth received hands on instruction from local artists, were able to develop artistic skills, ask questions to increase understanding, be creative in a safe setting, develop positive youth/adult relationships with their instructors, and meet and interact with youth they wouldn’t otherwise encounter. One 4-Her said, “Those art classes are so much fun!  My favorite was the mosaics class where I made my favorite lake and gave it to my Mom for a present.  She has it right by her bed and tells me all the time how much she loves it!”  

 

A volunteer program leader said, “I love when I see the kids and they are eager to show me what’ve they’ve created at home. We can chat about their process and I can answer questions they may have had.  I look forward to teaching them new techniques and introducing new tools to expand their knowledge. It’s nice to be connected to the local community kids in this way. We hope to inspire all the future artists that come our way.”   

 

To read the full CCE Yates Success Story and explore more 4-H Thriving Stories, check out the CCE Program Development and Reporting tool section on Success Stories. 

 

PLANTING THE SEED

 

Celebrate Your Volunteers Thriving  

 

The National 4-H Salute to Excellence Volunteer Recognition Award recognizes 4-H volunteers who demonstrate exemplary service to 4-H while promoting service through volunteerism as both an opportunity and a privilege.  

  • The Volunteer of the Year Award (VOY) is for currently serving 4-H volunteers who have served as 4-H volunteers less than 10 years at the local, county, district, or state level.  

  • The Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award (OLV) is for current or former 4-H volunteers who have served 10 or more years at the local, county, district, or state level.  

New York State 4-H will select one state Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer and one Volunteer of the Year. State Honoree applications will be forwarded for Regional and National consideration. New York State 4-H will take this opportunity to recognize volunteers who embody our 4-H values of positive youth development and diversity, equity, and inclusion, providing opportunities for diverse youth to thrive in any of the myriads of settings where 4-H grows across the state. National 4-H Council will select eight honorees: one volunteer from each Cooperative Extension Region (Northeast, South, North Central, West) in each of two categories. Each region will have its own Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer and Volunteer of the Year. The eight regional honorees become nominees for the national award, and one candidate in each category will be named the National Honoree. For more information and to nominate volunteers, please use this form. Nominations (which include a resume and 3 recommendation letters) are due March 10, 2023.  

 

Reach out to Kelly Campbell (kmc86@cornell.edu) with questions.  

 

 

Call for Proposals: Building Youth Resilience, Purpose, and Readiness through Positive Youth Development 

 

Building youth resilience, purpose, and readiness through Positive Youth Development is the 2024 4-H PYD Academy theme.  Held virtually from May 7-9, 2024, the Academy includes a daily keynote address, panel discussion, a reflection period, and five capacity-building sessions.  Registration will open later in March, and the Planning Committee is hard at work preparing for a great learning and networking time. 

 

We are currently accepting proposals for the 1.5-hour capacity-building sessions.  We’d appreciate your sharing this announcement within your youth development networks.  Those interested in presenting should consider what they are doing to help youth be healthy, productive, engaged and/or ready for work and life.  What are you doing to teach youth about finding their spark and purpose in life? 

 

Five concurrent capacity-building sessions will be held each afternoon from 3:30pm-5:00pm eastern time.  Proposals are due on close March 1, 2024, at 11:59pm eastern time through this online form.  

 

Each proposal can have a maximum of two presenters.  Notifications will be sent on/before March 11, 2024.  Each session will be awarded $250 stipend for their contributions to the overall conference.  Questions can be directed to Capacity-Building Co-Chairs Kasey Bozeman (kaseyb@uga.edu) and Meredith Kreeger (mlkreeger@ncat.edu). 

 

DIGGING IN

PYD Immersion: Supporting Volunteers Using the 4-H Thriving Model 

 

Are you ready to engage your volunteers in the 4-H Thriving Model? This session is for you! The goal of this virtual PYD Immersion is to provide professionals with the tools they need to support and empower volunteers to implement the 4-H Thriving Model in programming. This virtual 6-hour session will include 12 Lightening Talks with guest speakers from around the country, who will share ideas of how they recruit volunteers, invite volunteers into 4-H, orient volunteers to the Thriving Model, train volunteers to utilize activities aligned with the Thriving Model, understand the Danish Merit system and how it connects to the Thriving Model, recognize volunteers using the model, and more! Plus, participants will get a sneak peek at a new program quality resource for volunteers. Join us if you are looking for inspiration on how to use the 4-H Thriving Model to work with your volunteers.  

 

Register and join February 14th! 

 

Resources to Explore 

Dig in deeper to Developmental Relationships with these resources: 

  • ACT for Youth: Developmental Relationships 

  • Search Institute: The State of Developmental Relationships 

  • An Introduction to the Simple Interactions Toolkit from Dr. Annie White  

STAYING CONNECTED

The team is here to support you as you explore new ways to advance the 4-H Thriving Model in your program, so please reach out with questions to Alexa, Kelly or Shawn.  

 

How are you integrating the 4-H Thriving Model? have successful methods, practices, or resources to share with others. We'd love to learn from you!

 

Connect with Team:

 

Alexa Maille - ask37@cornell.edu

Kelly Campbell - kmc86@cornell.edu

Shawn Tiede - srt28@cornell.edu

Mel Schroeder - mcs35@cornell.edu

 

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