2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
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Engineering & Technology Content Session:
Success and Challenges in the Five Functional Tracks
1. Fund Development
Successes:
 Having a person dedicated to fund development for 4-H Science (WA and Oregon)
 Federal Grants
 Fees for service and training. Helps generate funds to offset costs of equipment and running
trainings/workshops
 Corporate Sponsorships
 In-kind such as venue for events
 Foundations (4-H, local, regional, national)
 Private donors
 Get matching funds for donations/grants
 Awards such as the 4-H National Science Experiment
Challenges:
 Funds developed can be used for training only and not for travel or FTE’s
 Difficult to know whom to target to find out about funding opportunities, especially for corporate
sponsors. Who do they go to?
 Keeping Support. Programs stop when funding ends.
 Some funders want to fund only the newest (in vogue) activities
 Changing focus of interest from one year to the next (e.g., science this year, art next year)
 Availability/Access to funders. There are no big funders in rural areas, no tech firms for
volunteers.
 Heavy reporting demands from funders
 High indirect costs from universities
2. Professional Development
Successes:
 Can get $ for travel to trainings
 Use of social media (Utah) such as twitter, mail chimp, Facebook
 Other programs/youth groups help promote 4-H Programs
 Marketing video (Utah)
 Regional & Statewide trainings with experts (Montana). Train-the-trainer with expert instruction
 STEM –Masters Training (similar to the Jr. Master Gardeners). 8-hour intensive training.
 Use of in-house (i.e., 4-H, Extension) trainers
 Support from administration and supervisors to pursue trainings (provide travel funds, time, and
encouragement)
 Noyce funding (Oregon) to produce training videos for professional development on STEM topics.
Challenges:
 Travel funds not provided
 Engaging volunteers for training. Getting volunteers to training (time, location, logistics)
 Inadequate program resources
2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
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Novelty of STEM. STEM is different to teach than traditional 4-H programs. Many staff and
leaders are very unfamiliar
3. Curriculum
Successes:
 Variety of curriculum
Challenges:
 Training for curriculum
 Finding funding
 Time to train
 Doesn’t match the available technology
 Not comfortable teaching
4. Evaluation
Successes:
 Use of new technologies (iPad) to promote completion of assessments
 Use of Turning Point Tech to promote participation in assessments
 Having it enjoyable helps with participation
 Difficult to break away from lots of fun, enjoyable experiences
Challenges:
 Unknown outcomes
 Not knowing what funders want/need. How to sell program success to funders.
 Limited access and use
 Lack of age-specific and developmentally appropriate instruments
 Lack of training as to what is needed for reporting
 Random Feedback
5. Partnerships
Successes:
 Federal
 National 4-H
 Local Businesses
 FIRST/JC Penney
 Boys & Girls Clubs
 Schools
 Youth Groups
 Corporations
Challenges:
 Rural – no big business/corporations to support partnering
 Not human resource
 National, high-level partnerships are not transmitted to the local level of action. Local level does
not know they are to help in 4-H program support.
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2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
Environmental and Natural Resources Content Session:
Success and Challenges in the Five Functional Tracks
1. Fund Development
Successes:
 NYSP
 Safari Club
 NRA
 Fire Science and Environmental Science
 Collaborations with Scouting programs
 Forest Service Diversity Grants
 100? Goal – do not minimize
Challenges:
2. Professional Development
Successes:
 Sharing ideas and opening up new perspectives.
 Networking to help each other
Challenges:
 How can we build common ground with folks in the group to make it work? Takes time to move
forward
3. Curriculum
Successes:
 Find the “hook”: surfing, robotics, technology, outdoors
 Get kids outdoors
 Developing a community Atlas – using GPS and GIS to map your community. This could also tie
back to citizenship.
 Science on-line communities to support on-going science discussions
 Develop year-round Science Journals on marine biology, seasonal environmental changes
 Focus on inquiry, less on curriculum (content?)
 Simple curriculum
 Adaptable and generalized
 Relevant
 Has a good “hook”
 Youth being able to take “hook” or new ideas home. Use new knowledge at home and in life
 Finding an aspect at schools where science is needed and filling that need
 Connecting with afterschool program front-line staff instead of director to director
 Using resources within the school like teens teaching elementary youth
 Using my4h.org to post and down load resources
 Great connections between hands-on and Positive Youth Development principles
 Follow real-life situations
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2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
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Challenges:
 Impacting long-term versus short-term (on-line networks and inquiry focus may be a solution to
this).
 Finding curriculum that meets your needs, that is basic and has easy to obtain supplies
 Writing “general” curriculum that can be used everywhere – inside and out
 Need training to use “Project” materials (Learning Tree, WET, WILD)
 Need to adapt curriculum to fit your needs
 Not using a curriculum, or trusting the process
 Context and Content focused
 Obtaining new materials
 No easy access to materials or getting them updated
4. Evaluation
Successes:
Challenges:
5. Partnerships
Successes:
 Finding, Recruiting and Identifying Partners:
o Identify where partners are at and volunteer with that audience
o Show an interest in the issues of partners
 Cold-calls and building new connections: Use personal relationships and connections as a network
 Expand your network beyond staff: Encourage volunteers to use their networks and contacts
 Working with K-12 Schools
 Natural Resources camps with USFS and RCD (Utah program)
o Offer a diverse pool of resources and support
o Know how to do professional development with hands-on learning
o Great Connections
o Provides life experience and exposure to future careers
o Work with HR departments
Challenges:
 Clearly identify your goals and find out what other entities need
 Find groups with same goals so not to be taken advantage of
 Have clear MOU’s, do your research, personalities and chemistry are integral to success
 Hard to get school district partnerships
 Military:
o High rate of turn-over due to deployment
o Block access to certain web-based tools (Doodle)
 Transportation
 Funding
2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
Foods, Nutrition and Consumer Science Content Session:
Success and Challenges in the Five Functional Tracks
1. Fund Development
Successes:
Challenges:
Not enough funds. Not allowed to be PI on grants, restricts ability to fund local programming.
Ideas:
 Small revolution of responsibility grants (this was a fund generator) awareness of 4-H
 4-H.org fund development page
 Foundation helped writing funders letter with more success. Success with shooting sports supplies
for 4-H camp.
 Revolution of Responsibility
2. Professional Development
Successes:
 EFNEP education but not STEM integration
 Online professional development trg/opt. Virtual trg week
 Child safety course online
Challenges:
1) FCS is a gap in the state
i) 6 of 8 about to retire
ii) Skill set gap on food safety
iii) The whole extension system is not bought into the 3 mandates
2) 2 of 2 counties have a FCS specialist “EFNEP”
3) Helping leaders see/understand that science is built into all 4-H curriculum
4) Making the connections
i) “Experiments”
ii) Safety
iii) Inquiry/reflection methods
iv) Why STEM help 4-H raise money
3. Curriculum
Successes:
 Downtime activities: judging contest, activity circuit, Wii dance
 Science in the home Series for day camp
 Curriculum for cultural foods, make cultural foods in classroom – measuring
 2nd& 3rd grade chef school science – get them to eat as a family – kids cook for families
 Consumer science field day – deviled eggs – force, pressure, make chicks & bunnies
 Love using acres of adventures -Butter making works well – Lots of opportunities for questions
and inquiry
 Pumpkin pie in a cup also successful
 “Food Science” from Maryland Extension After School Eggstravaganza, Pizzapallooza
 Bread in a bag – can use fire dept or church ovens if can’t use cafeteria ovens or teachers’ lounge
ovens
 6 weeks afterschool program – nutrition and cooking
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2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
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Challenges:
 SET – After school, apartment complexes never do food and nutrition because questionable access
to resources needed – water, portable griddles, blenders, electric skillets, portable hand washing
stations, solar ovens, etc.
 STEM is everywhere – not just “sciences” needs to be highlighted.
 Getting foods and nutrition leaders to talk about science in project meetings.
 Want to do bread in a bag. Cannot use any facility – no place to bake.
 Take what we are doing and make more inquiry based. Would like to have specific inquiry based.
Would like to have specific examples of how to teach to leaders.
We Need:
 Template to show the scientific method and inquiry methods for each project
 Inquiry based training offered by National 4-H Council to master certify people in each state.
4. Evaluation
Successes:
Challenges:
5. Partnerships
Successes:
 Key leaders position, working in partnership with University to develop volunteers
 Partnership with schools
 2 staff – 4-H/FCS
 Easy to do things in schools – healthy living for 3rd graders
 Step count with pedometers – how many steps to work off an M&M
 Carry extra weight and run
 4 communities use individual community resource high tunnel from oil and gas company. Grow
until December.
 Rural county in SE Montana – Everyone all partnered out, lots of inactive partners. Experiencing
social upheaval due to nearby oil drilling in North Dakota
 Trained teens to teach after school programs – funding from schools and church organizations –
they take care of their own supplies - *Some schools have no $.
Ideas:
 Practicum students volunteering with program
 21st century grant – health rocks delivery with afterschool staff. Culinary art connection,
community college connection helps too.
 Universities focus on service learning, sometimes community service centers on campus.
Challenges:
 Silo education into 3 mission mandates
 How to communicate to outside partners about how we are collaborating with other extension
faculty
Ideas:
 Ask funder what their important issues are
2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
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Frame around important issues – like obesity.
Is it a communication issue?
How can 4-H integrate healthy living?
Be intentional and systematic of science through all projects, communicating what 4-H is to all
people.
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2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
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Animal Science Content Session:
Success and Challenges in the Five Functional Tracks
1. Fund Development
Successes:
 Create partnerships to decrease funding needs
 Community organization buy-in
 Agriculture Awareness
Partnerships are Key
 Link to Veterinary Science
 Link Volunteer support or grassroots
 Link to University Specialists or departments
 Grants
 $1000 for 1000 projects (CA Revolution of Responsibility)
 Ability to promote impact stories through success
 Chevron shifted changed philosophy from livestock sale to 4-H programming year-round
 4-H Delivers (CA website) to market success stories
 Stewardship and impact photos (visual to donor) keeps funders returning
Challenges:
 Finding Sources
Solution: Communication
 Communicating Needs and Impacts
Ask others to help you
 Communicating “science”
communicate to stakeholders, read
 Component (more than “making money”)
proposals, write impacts, etc.
 Needs in urban areas (don’t see value)
 Networking – too time consuming
 Fewer Ag producers
 Increase livestock sale support – Advertising (historical)
 Grants – remarket to fundraising opportunity
 Fundraising is full time and everyone’s job
 Promoting 4-H Success (State and Local)
 Having a vision for the big idea – funding and vision to not coincide
 Animal Science (traditional farmers and ranchers) cannot support programs through donations
2. Professional Development
Successes:
 California: partnerships with locations to provide facilities for youth to raise animals (agreements
were a challenge)
 California: Lesson Study programs have been a success for volunteer recruitment and enhanced
programming
 Colorado: Designated behavioral experiment for cows near school to gain interaction
 Writing new curriculum through partnerships
 Showing impact through education
 Using teen teachers
 Statewide opportunities
2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
Challenges:
 Alaska: Knowledge from Universities has dwindled due to retirements and finances
 Alaska: Livestock Education program is based on quality of animal raised – they raise committee
animal
 Wyoming: Major turnover and a lot of young educators without experience
 Colorado: Dwindling youth population with animal science, need to spark interest
 Communication (animal science is SET)
 Resistant to change
 Integrating the inquiry process
 Participation
 Distance
 Exchanging ideas across states and counties
Ideas:
 Wyoming would like to develop a MOU between 4-H and FFA regarding animal projects
3. Curriculum
Successes:
 The Ohio State University resource curricula bags
 CCS Materials
 Industry Resources
 Development of youth led council to make decisions
Challenges:
 Having content for leaders
 Resources
 Exhausting resources
 SET Abilities
 Not using curriculum – being “fair oriented”
 Older curriculum hasn’t changed with industry (ex: swine)
 No curriculum for exotic animals
 Focus on making $ at livestock sale, not learning about project
 Quality control and proper handling of animals
 Hobbyist
$/greed for sale
4. Evaluation
Successes:
 QA Program – collecting carcass data to relate back to injection sites, etc.
 Older youth able to teach younger members
 Horse
Youth learning from each other passing info on
 Authentic assessment
 WA state life skills evaluation system
 NYS – attenders, workshops, presenters guide next conference. Good for support, funders
Challenges:
 Not enough readily available evaluation tools
 Pulling out key meaningful evaluation component pieces
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2012 Western Region 4-H Science Academy
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Time restraints – don’t practice or do it enough
Hind sight
Applicable tools to show impact to funders and University
Authentic tools to guide program development for leaders and youth
Time: when, where, how. Can it be built in to existing programming? Record Book?
Getting to deeper level questions that guide program development
Solution:
 Develop a repository of evaluation forms/tools
5. Partnerships
Successes:
 Using local experts for programs
 Local kennel clubs are supportive in judging and training
 Partnerships between counties for file days
 Junior college support of programs
 District has local livestock program that is strong and supported by service organizations
 Partnership with animal science programs at University
 Partnering with vets, state universities, industry (ultrasound professionals)
 Nontraditional partners
 Sharing of information
 County support for funds
 Networking (with professional organizations)
 Day at fairgrounds (agricultural celebration day)
Challenges:
 Not having the same vision for outcomes with partners, money vs. youth development
 Getting parents to understand it is more than just about money
 Change of work ethic of exhibitor families
 No funding, lack of money for unfunded mandates
 Partnership with University staff on campus
 Geographical distances AK/HI
 Competition with other youth involvement
 How to cooperate University for funding sources
 Funding for supplies to do partnerships
 Funding for busing, etc.
 Having enough project leaders
 Fees for use of facilities
 Exhausting resources
 Networking (how much time do we have to do it)
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