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With support from National 4‑H Council and funding from the New York Life Foundation, Juntos 4‑H continues to work towards expanding its reach, providing skills and resources where it’s needed most, educating youth and families, and ultimately, bringing communities together.
“Brand in Action” is a series of interviews with 4‑H leaders in states nationwide who are investing in the 4‑H Grows Engagement Campaign to grow awareness and reach of 4‑H programming. This month, we feature Karissa Dishon, 4‑H Youth Development Educator at Oregon State University.
Tell us about your involvement in 4‑H youth development at Oregon State University. How long have you served in this position?
Karissa Dishon (KD): I started with OSU extension and Oregon 4‑H in 2010 as a part-time Education Program Assistant, but I truly began my 4‑H career in 1990 as a 4th grader. My nine years as a youth in the program and over 15 years as a volunteer/educator have shaped me as a person, and created career opportunities greater than I could have imagined. I am now an Assistant Professor of Positive Youth Development, and lead the Deschutes County 4‑H program in Oregon. In addition to the county program, I assist with statewide marketing and co-branding initiatives, and am heavily involved with the horse, livestock, and communication project areas.
Why is it important to Oregon State University to grow awareness of Cooperative Extension’s 4‑H programs in counties across the state of Oregon?
Can you describe your recent efforts to align Oregon 4‑H’s marketing efforts with the national 4‑H Grows Here branding initiative? Please give examples (e.g. digital, billboard, fair activations) of these marketing efforts, including the target audience(s) and strategies.
KD: Our engagement with the 4‑H Grows Engagement Campaign started last year, when we hosted the National 4‑H Council marketing team and the production team for a photo shoot. This was just the spark our program needed to bring marketing back to the table and energize efforts across the state. In addition to the 4‑H Grows campaign, Oregon 4‑H is also working with the University’s marketing department to create co-branding policies and templates. These two efforts in combination will set Oregon 4‑H up for continued success, and bring new members and donors to the table.
Our efforts have spanned most media platforms, and we have intentionally tried to widen our reach beyond typical communication outlets. Working in conjunction with a television producer in Washington state, our Brand Essence video has received excellent airplay in Oregon and Washington. We have also held mini campaign pushes over Facebook and Instagram. For the initial 4‑H Grows rollout, we had 90% of our counties engaged over social media. Outside of digital platforms we have also used the 4‑H Grows marketing resources to market our program at county and statewide events.
Are you satisfied with the results to date?
KD: Yes, but there’s always room for improvement, and it’s always hard to be completely satisfied. I believe we’ve come a long way in a very short time, but we also have a long way to go. I’m most proud of how often and openly marketing is discussed now – just a few years ago marketing wasn’t such a hot topic, and the lack of awareness of our program showed it. With progress comes even bigger goals so our aspirations are huge, and with the combined support of our university and the 4‑H Grows campaign, the sky is the limit!
Oregon State University (Oregon 4‑H) is one of nearly 30 universities that is making a long-term investment in the 4‑H Grows Engagement Campaign to build the brand and raise resources to help grow the 4‑H program and positively impact more kids in the future. Can you tell us more about your marketing and alumni engagement plans in the coming months? What are you most excited about as it pertains to this new 4‑H campaign?
KD: The quality of the resources and the support to use them. With this campaign and the other marketing initiatives we are currently focused on at OSU, my motto is “We have to make it easier to do it right than it is to do it wrong”. We have a long history here of “Going Rogue” when it comes to marketing, so to change that culture, marketing efforts have to be complete, easy and effective. If not, our very busy agents and staff will continue to do it how they have for decades because it’s easier. The 4‑H Grows marketing deliverables are extremely well done, excellently polished, and very easy to use. This makes my job of promoting the resources MUCH easier. I live and breath marketing and am easily excitable, but my colleagues are much more reserved generally. I’m proud to say that the 4‑H Grows campaign has managed to get EVERYONE excited, and we are making progress!
October 5th was a great day for young True Leaders in STEM as students participated in the 2016 4‑H National Youth Science Day (4‑H NYSD). Located at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., students from Maryland, Virginia and D.C. became engineering experts for the day as they had fun with drones. In case you missed it, we’re sharing our favorite moments and photos from the day.
To kick off the day’s events, STEM, government and university leaders and experts gathered for the annual 4‑H NYSD VIP Breakfast, hosted by 4‑H alumna Glenda Humiston, vice president for the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. During a new a segment of the breakfast, National 4‑H Council presented the 2016 4‑H NYSD national partners, HughesNet, Lockheed Martin and U.S. Cellular, with the Inaugural Spark Awards, sparking an interest in STEM for nearly 100,000 young people annually across the country.
At the conclusion of the breakfast, attendees joined youth as they performed the 2017 4‑H NYSD Challenge, Drone Discovery. Youth split up in rotating groups to experience the three-part challenge, building their own foam drones and putting them to the test. Youth were also able to get hands-on at the special Drone Zone, with real drones provided by national sponsor DJI.
We were also honored to have two special guests to address youth during the event. U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith shared her perspective on the importance of providing STEM education and experiences to young people in America. Drone expert Brett Velicovich gave exciting demonstrations of his drones, along with giving away a few drones for the kids to take home.
Youth left with an appreciation and understanding of drones, and how they help solve real-world problems. The event was a success and it’s all because of the tremendous support of our partners, sponsors and 4‑H community.
Check out additional photos, videos and more from the national 4‑H NYSD event and be sure to follow the hashtag, #4HNYSD, for photos from local events nationwide!
The date is set and the countdown is on for the 2017 4‑H Youth in Action Awards Program! These awards are the highest honors National 4‑H Council grants to outstanding 4‑H’ers who embody 4‑H youth empowerment and leadership.
So what does it mean to be a 4‑H Youth in Action recipient? Since being honored, our 2016 winners have received once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in their fields of interest to learn, mentor, inform and inspire others to be leaders in their communities through action and service.
Get reacquainted with the 2016 4‑H Youth in Action winners, Ru, Thad, Lexie and Jacob, and see what they’ve been up to since being honored.
“Stepping forward into my future, I have an unlikely confidence in my future—a confidence that I have 4‑H to thank.”
Ruwanthi (Ru) Ekanayake, through University of California Cooperative Extension, is the 2016 winner in the Healthy Living pillar, sponsored by Molina Healthcare. As a member of the National 4‑H Healthy Living Ambassador team, Ru has been instrumental at bringing 4‑H’ers across the country together. She has also launched The Fourth H blog and created a Healthy Living Youth Summit for nine counties in Southern California.
Since her win as the Healthy Living and National winner, Ru has continued her work as an advocate for health and wellness. As the National Healthy Living youth spokesperson, she participated in a national 2017 4‑H Youth in Action webinar, sharing her experience and journey as a 4‑H Youth in Action Award recipient.
“I am blessed, through 4‑H, with the ability to connect with other youth that share a passion and vision for a better world.”
Thaddeus (Thad) Hughes, through University of Illinois Cooperative Extension, is the recipient of the 2016 STEM pillar award, sponsored by HughesNet. Thad has been a mentor for FIRST Lego League and Illinois State Robotics Competition teams for four years. Over the course of his work in 4‑H, he has helped to introduce STEM and robotics to more than 6,000 youth across Illinois.
In the past few months, Thad has continued to share and strengthen his passion for STEM and robotics. He received hands-on experience as an intern at HughesNet, where he served as a mentor/facilitator of their exclusive 4‑H National Youth Science Day Preview Event. He also appeared in a segment for the 2016 American Graduate Day broadcast, where he was joined by NASA astronaut and 4‑H alumna Peggy Whitson.
“I can’t wait to encourage our youth to work to obtain whatever their dreams may be! All it takes is someone to ask us to step up and be a leader.”
The winner of the 2016 Citizenship pillar is Lexie Lerblance, through Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension. As her 4‑H Project of Excellence, Lexie helped create TLC Wig Closet, a non-profit that provides wigs, head coverings, bras and prosthesis for women suffering from breast cancer. Through her 4‑H experience, she has spoken at the Pink Ribbon Luncheon and gave presentations to the Federal Board of Education.
Since being honored as the Citizenship pillar winner, Lexie has continued her work in serving her community. She attended the 4‑H Citizenship Washington Focus with the Oklahoma delegation, where she learned what it really means to be a good citizen. Additionally, she was inducted into the Oklahoma 4‑H Hall of Fame, ranked number one in her state.
“I hope to motivate those with learning difficulties to join 4‑H, to reach for that brass ring and attain success.”
Jacob Shuman, through Ohio State University Cooperative Extension, is the 2016 Agriculture & Animal Science winner. He earned this award by creating TEACH B’s (Teens Educating Adults and Children about Honey Bees), a program that educates people about the importance of honeybees in pollinating crops and the need to help them survive in changing climates.
Jacob’s passion for bee care and awareness has since grown tremendously since his Youth in Action win. He had the opportunity to visit the Bayer CropScience facility and took in their bee exhibit and greenhouse.
On July 22, 2016, I was very fortunate to visit the Bayer CropScience facility in Research Triangle Park, NC. Bayer was the corporate sponsor for my 2016 Youth in Action Award in Agriculture and Animal Sciences. We received a warm welcome from Sarah Meyer and the research staff before continuing on with a tour of the BeeCare Center.
The Bayer CropScience facility is second to none. I was extremely impressed not only with the amount of brochures, research literature, and videos they had, but also with the interactive educational exhibits. One of the exhibits I really enjoyed was about beekeeping. It demonstrated the role honey bees play in the pollination of our crops. I sampled a variety of local honey, which surprisingly tasted different from the honey made in Ohio! In another exhibit, the different types of honey bees found in a hive were mounted on display. Other notable exhibits I enjoyed were the bee life cycle charts and the detailed honey bee models.
It was wonderful meeting Kim Huntzinger and the researchers and interns. I was able to see the current testing on bee parasites such as Varroa Mites and Nosema. It was exciting to wear a lab jacket, safety goggles and even perform some of the testing myself! I was given in-depth instruction on how Nosema is evaluated under a microscope and was allowed to complete some sample evaluations. I sampled and counted a Varroa infestation in a lab sample that was sent to the Bayer facility for evaluation.
The greenhouse displayed the vast areas of crop research that are currently taking place at the facility. Led by Nate, the tour was informative, and I found the projects and studies they were working on exciting. I learned about the parameters researchers altered to see the effects on various crops.
The current expansion of the Bayer CropScience facility is great. It is inspiring to see the partnership between Bayer and farmers grow, with the facility testing innovative methods to help farmers with crop production and increasing crop yields.
After attending the National 4‑H Council’s AgriScience summit in 2015 and 2016, I learned about the field and all that it has to offer. The summits further fueled my interest in pursuing a career in the field of AgriScience. Visiting a corporation like Bayer was beneficial because it provided me with a hands-on introduction into the field and encouraged my decision to go forward with my educational pursuits in AgriScience.
Following my visit, I was able to speak with members of my local beekeeping club in Ohio about my visit and the various research that is being conducted at Bayer. Like me, they were impressed and excited about the future of honey bees, agriculture, and Bayer Crop Science.
Winning the 2016 Youth in Action Award was simply amazing! It was the highlight of my 4‑H career. Visiting Bayer was a great opportunity and learning experience. Moreover, they could not have been more cordial and hospitable towards my mom and I. Being an advocate for honey bees and agriculture, I am proud that Bayer is my sponsor and supports 4‑H, agriculture, and America’s youth.
The Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) trip is almost a rite of passage for the older 4‑H members in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, or at least it felt that way to me. Many of my 4‑H role models and friends were older than me and therefore got to go on the CWF trip years before I could. This summer was (finally) my turn! For Oklahoma delegates, CWF is a ten-day bus trip—four days traveling and five days in Washington, D.C.
On the way to D.C., we stopped in Gettysburg, Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We had the opportunity to learn about historical events that happened in each city that helped shape our country, and we also had the chance to see and experience things as they were two hundred years ago. Our time in Washington, D.C. was action packed. Personally, I’ve traveled to D.C. a few times before going on CWF, but I had never experienced anything like this. It’s more than just a tourist trip.
On the trip, we toured monuments and memorials, Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, and the National Cathedral. At each of these places, we learned more than just facts and figures. We learned why each memorial and monument was created and who they honor. We toured George Washington’s home and walked around the grounds as he would have. We visited the graves of the Kennedy brothers and witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We found a 4‑H clover and a piece of lunar rock in the stained glass windows of the National Cathedral.
When we weren’t touring, we were at the National 4‑H Conference Center learning about what it means to be a good citizen and a good leader. We learned about how our government works and how bills are passed in workshops, and then we got to experience United States government first hand during our time on Capitol Hill.
Being a delegate on this year’s CWF trip has given me a greater appreciation for history. I’m more aware of little things that had a helping hand in shaping this country. I also learned things like the properties of a good citizen: being respectful, up-to-date on current issues, obeying the law, being patriotic, etc. Being a good citizen is important, and going on this trip has taught me how to be one. While the trip was educational, it was also extremely fun! I met so many new people. 10/10 would recommend.
HughesNet and 4‑H continue to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education through 4‑H National Youth Science Day when it kicks off across the country in October.
This year’s theme, Drone Discovery, designed by Cornell University Cooperative Extension, offers youth an opportunity to learn the engineering concepts behind fixed and rotary-winged drones. They will design and build a camera-equipped foam glider to complete a specific task, and create, code and “fly” a drone in an online simulator.
HughesNet partners with 4‑H to promote STEM education and is a 4‑H NYSD sponsor for the fourth year in row. Thaddeus Hughes, winner of the 2016 4‑H Youth in Action STEM Pillar Winner and 2016 Hughes summer intern, led a group of students from the Montgomery and Frederick County 4‑H clubs through an exclusive preview of the Drone Discovery challenge at Hughes headquarters in Maryland, on August 3.
The Drone Discovery challenge teaches youth the basic forces of controlled flight; concepts such as payload and remote sensing; coding and programming an unmanned vehicle; and how drones can solve complex real-world challenges such as identifying invasive plants in a corn field or tracking the path of a forest fire.
In addition to 4‑H NYSD, HughesNet sponsors 4‑H programs at their headquarters such as National Engineers Week, the 4‑H Youth in Action STEM Pillar and HughesNet sponsored STEM days at 4-H summer camps. This partnership brings STEM learning experiences to young people across the country, including the same communities 4‑H serves where resources for interactive STEM learning may be limited.
“HughesNet and 4‑H share a passion for STEM education,” said Peter Gulla, senior vice president of marketing at Hughes. “Access to quality science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education shouldn’t be determined by where you live. Kids all across the U.S. should be exposed to STEM. Not only is it important for the development of our youth, but it’s also important for our country’s future. Our passion towards STEM education is the core driver of our initiatives with 4-H. As the nation’s premier youth development organization, 4‑H has a long history of leading innovative programs, and we are proud to support the work they are doing.”
For more information on HughesNet’s STEM partnership with 4‑H, please visit: http://www.hughesnet.com/4h
“Brand in Action” is a series of interviews with 4‑H leaders in states nationwide who are investing in the 4‑H Grows Engagement Campaign to grow awareness and reach of 4‑H programming. In this first installment, we feature Tony Carrell, 4‑H Youth Development Specialist at Purdue University in Indiana.
Describe your role as a 4‑H youth development specialist at Purdue University? How long have you served in this position?
Tony Carrell (TC): I’m currently working on my fifth year in this position on campus. Prior to that I spent 15 years working at the county office in a county educator position. My duties at the state office currently include oversight for all of our non-animal projects and exhibits. I also coordinate all of our national trips, work with our scholarship and awards program, coordinate staff development, our 4‑H roundup, and our band and chorus.
Why is it important to Purdue University to grow awareness of Cooperative Extension’s 4‑H programs in counties across the state of Indiana?
Can you describe your recent efforts to align Indiana 4‑H marketing efforts with the national 4‑H Grows Engagement Campaign?
TC
: Quite honestly, we’ve never had a real focus on marketing and it’s just been hit or miss. We are excited about the new 4‑H Grows partnership with National 4‑H Council. We are going to continue to put the word out and continue to provide resources to all Indiana counties. We are actually working with our Ag communications folks right now to put our brand on the 11×17 posters that you made available on the 4‑H Marketing Online Resource Center. We are going to provide all 92 counties with two complete sets of the posters.We are also looking to expand the digital billboard campaign with the 4‑H Grows materials that we started this summer. In August, we purchased a billboard on the state fairgrounds — one of the most heavily traveled avenues in the city of Indianapolis.From a marketing perspective, we are utilizing the billboards to keep the 4‑H name and emblem out there in front of the public so that as they continue to see 4‑H they will become familiar with it and those that aren’t familiar with it, then it might strike up a conversation about it. The more we can put the [4‑H] name out there in front of the public long-term, the better off we are going to be in terms of being able to grow our program. Not only growing it in terms of numbers but in terms of reaching new audiences.
I’m going to challenge National 4‑H Council to look at audiences beyond alumni in terms of growing our program. There’s a push with the Hispanic community to reach those communities. We have a staff member in Marion County in Indianapolis that has been able to get into the Hispanic audiences, oh my gosh, it’s amazing. They are just as thirsty for our program, if not more, for our program than our Caucasian population is. Now that we have the material and templates in place, let’s get those into Spanish so we can start providing promotional materials to our county staff so they can target the Hispanic audience. The diverse audiences are a high priority for us in Indiana.
Are you satisfied with the progress of this 4‑H partnership and work to date?
TC: Oh yes. If it weren’t for having [these creative materials] already put together by National 4‑H Council, we would still be working on creating our own stuff or continuing to use someone else’s stuff. So I think as far as “are we satisfied by where we are at?” Absolutely we are. We didn’t pay the many thousands of dollars [in this campaign] to just sit back and watch it being used. We are paying so that we could actually use it and get as much bang for our buck out of it as we can.
In addition, we’ve seen a significant increase in our social media followers since we launched our Facebook page in 2013. In June, we were ecstatic when we broke 5,000 followers on our Facebook page. Now we are up to close to 5,500 followers. It’s amazing how that has continued to grow. It’s growing faster now. We also know that the key is to post there on a regular basis and to make a concerted effort.
What are you most excited about as it pertains to this new 4‑H campaign?
TC: I guess the real excitement for me is that National 4‑H Council has already done a lot of the legwork and now it’s just me being able to take this and put it into play. It’s just incredible the time it takes to get something put together before it can even be utilized and now all we have to do is figure out how to best utilize it.
Ultimately when we look back in 3 to 4 years, I hope that we will be able to see an increase in our program numbers. Otherwise, I hope that we can see that we are reaching new audiences and that we have gotten those folks involved in our program, and I hope that we would start to see an increase in the number of volunteers who were once alumni, or once members of our program, who come back as volunteers.
Since 2008, 4‑H National Youth Science Day has engaged millions of youth around the world in exciting and innovative STEM learning and experiences, from wind power to robotics to rocketry. This year, the 4‑H NYSD challenge is soaring to new heights with the 2016 National Science Challenge, Drone Discovery, developed by Cornell University Cooperative Extension.
This year’s hands-on science challenge explores the science behind drones and how they are being used to solve real world problems. Youth will learn everything from flight dynamics and aircraft types, to remote sensing and flight control, as well as safety and regulations.
While the official 4‑H NYSD event takes place on October 5, 2016 in Washington, D.C., clubs, groups and schools around the world are also inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders, all taking part in what is known as the world’s largest, youth-led science event.
Participating in 4‑H NYSD is easy:
So what are you waiting for? Put what you know about engineering, drones and flight into action. Purchase your kit, register your event, and get ready to take flight in this worldwide science phenomenon!
It is fair season in Maine. I counted 29 fairs listed on the Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs website. Maine has large fairs (like Fryeburg Fair and Skowhegan State Fair) and small fairs (such as Houlton Fair and Monmouth Fair). Windsor Fair, a large fair, touts itself as a “progressive fair.” Ossipee Valley Fair, small, calls itself an “old-fashioned” fair. Waterford World’s Fair says it is a small family fair. Union Fair says it is a large family fair. I assume they are both talking about the size of the fairs and not the families that attend! Union Fair, by the way, is famous for including the annual State of Maine Wild Blueberry Festival. Maine has at least 25 of those (festivals, that is), as well, including the Lobster, Moxie (a Maine soft drink), and the Internet Cat Video festivals!
Most of the agriculture fairs, large or small, old-fashioned or progressive, small family or large, have some 4‑H involvement – which keeps the 4‑H educators of Maine hopping during the summer. Don’t even try to connect with the 4‑H Educator in Kennebec County during fair season. She has FIVE fairs in her county. That almost seems UNfair! However, it is fair to say Maine enjoys its fairs.
On August 4, I got to go to the Bangor Fair (large). I was a 4‑H Educational Exhibits judge judging exhibits put up around the fair by 4‑H’ers, 4‑H Clubs and, in an “open” class, farms. Exhibit exhibitors can win some pretty good premiums too. First place was $450!
I learned a lot from these exhibits. I learned beef products are used in the process of brewing Guinness Stout, Holsteins came from the Netherlands, and, depending on how you look at it, a cow has either one stomach with four parts or four stomachs – the argument rages!
I also learned, or re-learned, some other things.
