IEPYE NEWS
Illinois Extension Professionals for Youth Education
IEPYE
May 2000
Exciting Times for
Youth Programming
in Illinois
“IEPYE executive board
and membership would
like to offer assistance in
recruiting a pool of
potential candidates.
By: Judy Taylor, President
Included in this
issue:
1-2 Exciting Times for
Youth Programming in
Illinois
3 Award Winners
Announced
3-4 Let's Get
Organized! Preparing
for your Performance
Appraisal
4 PRK Taxonomy Can
Help
5 News from the
Regions
5-6 Meet the 2000-01
Officer Candidates
6 A Little Humor for
You
IEPYE Newsletter
Editor: Deanna Roby
If you have articles to submit,
forward them to Deanna Roby
at: robyd@mail.aces.uiuc.edu
It’s really an exciting time to be a
part of the 4-H/ youth
development field in Illinois
Extension. The appropriation of
additional funds by the Illinois
General Assembly for unit youth
development educators will
provide Illinois with great
opportunities to improve and
expand our programming and
more effectively meet the needs
of Illinois youth.
Even before the announcement of
these new monies, IEPYE had
included in this year’s goals to
assist with recruiting candidates
for positions that support youth
programs (see goals in Feb. 7
IEPYE newsletter). At our last
board meeting a committee of
our past president, Darla Binkley;
president elect, Cathy Huber;
professional development chair,
Mary Kay Munson; southern
region director, Pam Jacobs; and
president, Judy Taylor met to
determine what we could do to
move forward with this goal.
With input from this group and
Sheri Seibold, we determined
that the first step was to send a
letter to the Associate Dean of
Extension and Outreach, Dennis
Campion offering assistance in
recruiting a pool of candidates
for these new positions. A letter
was sent to Dr. Campion and he
responded very positively.
Below are the offers we made in
our letter and Dr Campion’s
suggestions regarding each of
those.
Some possible ways we would be
willing to help include:
 Assist with submitting an
advertisement for positions
in News and Views, the
official publication of the
National Association of
Extension 4-H Agents

Forward announcements of
positions by way of
Association list serves, such
as, the list serves of all state
presidents and presidentelects. It would be helpful to
have all position
announcements available on
an Extension web site where
we could refer interested
people.

Prepare marketing materials
that highlight the benefits of
positions in Illinois and “why
you’d want to locate in XX
county/region.” This
marketing would include
information about unique
youth programming in the
area and local resources,
recreation, shopping, etc. in
each area or region.

Identify individuals who
could serve as recruiters,
possibly one from each
region.

Help with manning a
commercial display at
NAE4HA national meeting
November 5-9, 2000,
Denver, CO.
IEPYE May 2000

Work with existing
mentoring and orientation to
help acclimate new staff to
Illinois’ system.

Since IEPYE’s membership
includes unit leaders, youth
professionals and paraprofessions we could assist
units with adjustments as
they add a new position.”

Exerts from Dr. Campion’s
response:
We are very appreciative of the
interest IEPYE members have
taken in contributing to the
success of the search and hiring
process.
In terms of your specific offers of
support, we suggest the following
close cooperation between
IEPYE and Extension
Administration:


2
The ACES Personnel Office
will be in charge of
advertising outside of the
state. IEPYE is asked to
work closely with Bill
McNamara and provide him
with necessary information
for opportunities to advertise
and market.
In terms of forwarding the
announcement of positions
by way of various
Association list servers and
mailing lists, you are
encouraged to use whatever
means of communication at
your disposal to alert youth
educators to the professional
opportunities in Illinois. A
web site will be created
shortly with information on
the new positions. This will
allow you to refer interested
educators to one central site
for further information.

You are requested to prepare
brief material on youth
development education in
Illinois. This material will be
used in conjunction with the
recruiting brochure
developed in the Northeast
Region and be made
available to candidates. The
material can also be put on
the web site. [This material
has since been developed at
Youth
Development/Prevention
team May 17.]
In terms of other recruiting
opportunities, all members of
IEPYE are strongly
encouraged to use every
opportunity to participate
actively in recruiting and
identifying candidates for
these positions. Members will
be supplied with the
recruiting brochure
developed in the Northeast
Region and other materials
that may be helpful.
Again, for all the members of the
Administrative Team I want to
express our appreciation for the
constructive suggestions. Your
offer of assistance reflects a
wonderful sense of determination
to take full advantage of the new
opportunities to strengthen youth
work in Illinois. I am looking
forward to further close
cooperation with the members of
IEPYE!
general status of the Extension
youth program and increase
interest in Extension youth work
as a career.” IEPYE members
have a responsibility and a
tremendous opportunity to play
an active role in supporting these
objectives.
Besides the letter sent to
Extension’s director, I am
preparing letters to send to
Citizens for Extension; the Dean
of the College of ACES, Dr.
David L. Chicoine; and the
University of Illinois Chancellor,
Michael Aiken to thank them for
their support in securing
additional funds for youth
programming in Illinois
Extension.
The other topic we discussed
during the recent board meeting
and will continue to hear about
from the national level is the
possible reorganization of the
NAE4-HA Board. Watch for
details as those become available.
I hope all of you are making
plans to attend NAE4HA in
Denver, November 5-9. On-line
registrations should be available
as of June 1 at: www.nae4ha.org/
Once at this web site click on
“2000 NAE4HA Conference.”
Registration is due July 1 for
Early Bird Discounts.
So, as recruiting materials
become available, I encourage
each of you to demonstrate
leadership in Extension youth
development and use every
opportunity to participate
actively in recruiting and
identifying candidates. Two of
the objectives listed under the
mission statement of IEPYE state
that we work to “improve the
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IEPYE May 2000
IEPYE Award
Winners Announced
Periodical Publication
Pat Hildebrand
By: Bill Million, Chairman
Member Recognition Committee
CONGRATULATIONS to all of
our award winners!
The Member Recognition
Committee is pleased to
announce the following award
winners from this year’s
competition. The committee
received a total of 20 entries this
year from the membership. The
following members will be given
special recognition at the Fall
Membership Meeting in October.
State Outstanding Program –
Individual
Diane Baker
25 Years of Service
Susan M. Guinnip
Sandra L. Lignell
Distinguished Service Award
Diane Baker
Cathy Huber
Achievement in Service
Deanna Roby
Communicator Awards
Educational Piece – Individual
Diane Baker
Educational Piece – Team
Cheryl Geitner, Tina Veal, Sarah
Anderson, Dianne White, Darla
Binkley
Published Photo
Sally Hamlin
Promotional Piece – Individual
Sally Hamlin
Promotional Piece – Team
Fran Streitmatter
Pat McGlaughlin
Personal Column
Fran Streitmatter
3
Let’s Get Organized!
Preparing for Your
Performance
Appraisal

Keep a running list of
committees, responsibilities,
etc. with dates and/or terms.
One colleague writes this
information down on the
outside of the file folder in
which, she saves important
papers.

Keep a monthly report of
programs and activities,
broken down in the
categories listed on the
performance appraisal form.
You can then look back at
each month's report to
complete the evaluation.

Another friend keeps track of
his promotions. He can tell
you the salary he made when
he first started in Extension
and the raise he received in
1983. This may not be
information that you need
every year for a Performance
Appraisal, but it could be
important to know, if new
employees are making about
the same you are making
after several years of
experience.

Hold on to newsletters and
promotional pieces,
especially those that were
unique in one way or
another.

Keep other documentation
that will facilitate the
performance process. For
example,
- Minutes of important
meetings
- Newsletters
- Handouts provided for
important meetings or
programs
- Pictures that tell a good
story about specific programs
- Copies of news articles
and promotional pieces
By: Susan Guinnip, member
When I first started in Extension
work, someone suggested that I
keep a file folder of “things” that
I interpreted as thank you’s,
congratulations, promotions, etc.
I have done that for 25 years. In
more recent years, though, I have
realized that there are many other
things that I should be keeping or
recording for future reference.
None of us know where we will
be a year from now and try as we
may, most of us cannot
remember the committees we
served on 5 years ago.
Regardless of whether or not you
go through another Performance
Appraisal, these ideas may be of
help. In this article are different
types of suggestions that I have
gleaned from various sources.

Collect important thank
you’s, congratulations, etc.
They help remind you of
what you have done and
make you feel good.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
IEPYE May 2000
- Copies of educational
materials distributed
- Selected correspondence
- Summary of program
evaluations
- Reports that show
changes in participants'
behavior
- Other materials that you
feel are relevant
Sounds good doesn’t it?
Unfortunately, at the county
level, we are caught up in
discussing and determining the
future of our youth programming
and sometimes we forget to look
at the big picture of all that we
do. Should we discuss the PRK
taxonomy with our volunteers?
You bet.
I try to look at my Performance
Appraisal as an opportunity to
show my strengths and to seek
guidance and direction for future
programs. By using these tips
and ideas, you can make your
performance appraisal time less
stressful.
This was an opportunity afforded
me a few years ago as our
council was going through an indepth study of what Extension
was and all the possibilities that
go along with it, especially our
connection with the University of
Illinois.
Organizational Systems for
Youth Development

What are the ways that we go
about accomplishing our
mission of teaching youth
life skills?

What are the kinds of
administrative tasks are
required of someone in youth
development and what are
the many varied methods we
use to reach out to others?
Partnerships for Youth
Development

Here are some of the things I
discussed with them in the
following domains.
Youth and Adult Development

PRK Taxonomy Can
Help

By: Cheryl Geitner, Professional
Improvement Committee member
Have you ever tried to explain to
committees, councils or county
boards what you do? Did you
think, “There is just no way to
explain what I do?” Well, it’s
possible the Professional
Research and Knowledge (PRK)
Taxonomy for 4-H Youth
Development can help.
One of the things that PRK can
do for you is help you articulate
your role and responsibilities
within the University framework
and the youth services
community.
4
Our programs are aimed at
the appropriate
developmental stage of the
youth we are teaching.
We are able to teach others
about the developmental
stages of youth.
Learning Strategies for Youth
Development


We use the experiential
learning model to encourage
all learning styles to
participate and become
engaged in our programming
and can teach it to others.
How is it that youth learn
best? What are the learning
environments that we can
provide?
We are dealing with complex
issues and more than likely
we will need to work with
other groups to work on
these issues that are
identified. As council or
committee members, they
could provide the linkages
necessary to expand our
efforts.
Volunteerism for Youth
Development

The strength of our program
lies in the volunteer base we
provide.

Building the capacity of
volunteers to carry out our
mission through their
knowledge of youth
development.
By going through the five
domains it was obvious that I
was not just going in some
haphazard direction but with
research behind what I did in my
everyday work.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
IEPYE May 2000
News From the
Regions . . . .
Meet the 2000-01
Officer Candidates
President-Elect
Northwest Region
By: Sarah Anderson, Director
The Northwest Region met on
May 17, 2000 in Moline at the
Fireworks Cafe. The group
enjoyed lunch. A brief meeting
was held on current issues,
additions of youth staff, and
plans for next year. Creativity
and painting skills were
expanded with the painting of
ceramics to adjourn to
afternoon's activities.
East Central Region
By: Jessie Crews, Director
The East Central region met
April 6 at the home of Ann Rund
with 16 members present. A
business meeting was held in the
morning followed by a delicious
lunch served by Ann. Following
lunch, members toured a
photography studio in
Champaign.
The next EC meeting will be held
Thursday, June 8 at the Sullivan
Country Club for a golf
scramble. Participants should be
ready to tee off at 10:00
AM. Anyone wanting to join us
for lunch and a short business
meeting can be present at 1:00
PM. ANYONE IS WELCOME
TO JOIN US! To RSVP, please
call Cathy Huber at the Macon
County Office by Monday, June
5. We look forward to a fun day
on the 8th!
5
Diane Baker
Diane Baker is the 2000
candidate for IEPYE President
Elect. Diane currently works in
Rock Island County as Youth
Development Educator in
Educational Program Design.
Diane has been with University
of Illinois Extension for 12 years
and during that time has also
worked as a center-based Youth
Development Educator and as a
county Youth Adviser.
Diane has been as active member
of IEPYE and NAE4-HA for all
of her 12-year career. During
that time Diane has served as
Regional Director and on the
Programs committee of IEPYE.
Diane has also been active in
NAE4-HA, attending all national
conferences and serving as
Programs Committee
North-Central Contact and
Workforce Preparedness Task
Force Chair. Additionally, Diane
served as the north-central
NAE4-HA representative to the
Galaxy Steering Committee from
1992 - 1997 and chaired the
Educational Programs
Committee for that first-ever
joint national meeting of our
Extension professional
associations.
"I am a strong believer in our
professional association.
Through my involvement in
IEPYE and NAE4-HA I have
learned many new things about
our Extension system nationwide
and have also developed an
invaluable network of colleagues
from across the nation. I look
forward to the opportunity of
serving as the IEPYE PresidentElect."
Vice President
Bill Million
Identifying opportunities to
involve people has always been a
personal and professional goal of
mine. Through out my 20-year
career in extension I have always
tried to identify ways to get
people involved and show why
they are needed. Through the
various committees I have been
involved with, I have worked at
involving people. By involving
people, we help them grow and
develop skills to assume greater
challenges. Our professional
association is no different. By
involving more members, we all
benefit by becoming an
association that can provide the
nurturing environment in which
its members can grow as
professionals.
University of Illinois Extension
is currently expanding its youth
development programming
efforts. If elected to serve as
your Vice President, I would
accept the challenge and
opportunity of expanding our
membership. As we realize an
increase in the number of youth
professionals, it will be important
to capture and utilize the talents
of all of our members. By
joining forces we can position
our professional association to
accept the challenges of meeting
the needs of the future.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
IEPYE May 2000
Secretary
Joann Benz
Joann will soon be a Youth
Development Educator in Logan
County. She has been employed
with University of Illinois
Extension and has been an
IEPYE member since October
1992. During that time, she has
as chair of the Recognition
Committee and the News and
Views Committee, served as
IEPYE Regional Director for the
West Central Region, and served
as the IEPYE News and Views
editor. Joann has also received
the Early Career Service Award
and State Outstanding Program
Award. In addition, Joann coauthored an article with Judy
Taylor on Cooperative Learning
that was published in the
National Association Newsletter.
IEPYE is a great opportunity to
expand and enhance one’s
leadership skills while having the
opportunity to develop lifelong
friendships. IEPYE has given
me many valuable experiences
and has allowed me to network
with professionals who share the
same interest-YOUTH.
Joann is an excellent candidate
for IEPYE Secretary. The
recording of accurate minutes
makes this an important position,
Joann comes to this position with
several years experience as
secretary for a number of other
organizations and committees.
Lori Quinn
Lori Quinn is the Extension Unit
Educator, Youth Development in
the Marion County Unit. She has
served in this capacity for 14
months but has eight years
previous Extension experience in
6
Effingham, Clay, and Fayette
counties.
Lori is running for secretary of
IEPYE because she feels the
organization can play a vital role
in assisting youth development
staff in perfecting their roles and
achieving personal and
professional goals. She believes
that all youth development
employees benefit from IEPYE
and with the influx of new
employees, the association will
have added responsibilities and
challenges in meeting the needs
of its membership.
Currently, Lori is Chair-elect of
the Member Recognition
Committee. She also serves as
the Jr. Regional Director for the
Southern Region membership.
Past IEPYE experience consist of
Jr. and Sr. Regional Director
positions.
A Little Humor for
You
Submitted by: Deanna Roby,
Newsletter Editor
I received this poem from a
co-worker when I first joined
Extension 7 years ago. I read it
every once in a while to put
things in perspective. I hope
you enjoy it as much as I did.
The County Fair
By Glenn Brunkow
Everyone enjoys the local county
4-H fair
A blessed event that happens once a
year
Everyone, that is, except the county
agent
To whom the thought of it causes
great fear.
Their quickly losing their mind and
it shows
Cause the following chain of
calamities
Is usually about how the typical fair
goes
Someone left the hose on, the tanks
overflowin'
The run-off is creating a quaint little
bog
And that dead pig layin' in that pen
over there
At one time had been the champion
market hog
A stray tomcat, who was just passin'
through
Scattered all the exhibits at the dog
show
The exhibit building had to be
evacuated
It seems the boiler was just about to
blow
There's a small grease fire in the
foodstand
Some wise guy turned all the rabbits
loose
A steer stampeded by draggin' its
owner
Did you know someone stole the
champion goose?
Who's in charge of the fashion
revue?
And have you seen the other foods
judge?
Cause the one that showed up on
time
Just o'ded on her third plate of fudge
So if your local county agent looks
lost
And you wonder what their tryin' to
find
Just smile and give them plenty of
room
They're just lookin' for their last
peace of mind.
As fair season gets into full
swing, don't forget to take some
time for yourself. You deserve it
and, most of all, you will need it!
Their eyes are blank their skin is
white
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