Youth Development

County 4-H Leadership Training
Goals for the annual 4-H Leadership Training include: providing an opportunity for 4-H members and leaders to interact with those of across the county; provide 4-H members with activity ideas they can utilize at their club events; uphold the mission and objectives of 4-H by providing opportunities to learn life skills, gain knowledge while having fun, and make contributions in such areas as environmental education, community service, and current youth issues. The event is organized and conducted by the Rio Arriba County 4-H Council leadership team. Topics explored at this year’s leadership training included: implementing the Complaint Free World curriculum, teamwork, club leadership, and effective communication.
A total of 24 youth attended the one day event. In evaluating the event, increase awareness of age limitations, instruction comprehension, and support activities were made by the 4-H Council officer team were noted. One youth reported, “One thing I learned today is teamwork.” Another member mentioned that they learned how important communication was. Youth participants expressed increased interest to attend more County level events, along with visually increased interaction amongst 4-H members and leaders.

4-H Enrollment
In efforts to make the 4-H member enrollment process as effective and efficient as possible, each chartered club is visited individually. During the enrollment visit, the 4-H Youth Development Program mission, goals, and objectives are reviewed. First-year 4-H members and re-enrollees are presented with the opportunity to receive instant feedback about 4-H from Extension Staff. In evaluating the enrollment process format, leaders and members have both expressed appreciation and support for the face to face interaction. Although well received, the process requires advance time management and scheduling efforts. Plans to continue the format of enrollment has have been made. A total of sixteen clubs were visited. Youth 4-H enrollment was twenty members higher when compared to the previous year’s enrollment. Sixty-eight new adult volunteer leaders completed the screening process and enrolled in Rio Arriba County. There were six teen leaders and thirty-six adult volunteer leaders re-enrolled for a total of seventy-eight leaders in the county.

4-H Competitive Events
Goals for programming included providing 4-H Members with the material and opportunities to gain knowledge needed to participate in the various 4-H contests at all levels of 4-H (County, District, State, National). In addition to promoting member participation beyond the club level, 4-H members could explore the various 4-H contest events. A contest open-house introduced the series of practices. A total of 6 practices were held. In evaluating the effectiveness of the series, feedback received were positive and included suggestions to organize the monthly program to include a session of general 4-H inquiries. The efforts to increase participation beyond the club level were met with slightly increase participation by 4-H members across the county which included County and District Contests. Plans have been made to continue the programming series in the future 4-H year.
County 4-H Contests are conducted to expand life skills and knowledge. Contest Areas included: public speaking, talent, consumer decision making, favorite foods, shootong sports and comparable cloverbud topics. Of the thirty-seven (37) youth participants, all reported gained confidence in completing the contest area of interest with additional plans to continue to exploring the topic in future years. Increased mastery and independence was noted by parents of the participants.

4-H Project Days,
Each year during the winter holiday season and summer the Home Economist offers 4-H youth several project workshops. The projects that I offer are those that are not covered by any of our registered leaders, thus enabling youth to learn about new project material. The workshops are scheduled during the day and 4-H youth, Clover Buds to Senior age are invited to attend the workshop of their choice, or all the workshops offered. Attendance is low, but the youth who attend complete one or all of the projects offered in the time allotted. Project days were offered on December 29th- 30th, June 3-9 and August 18th-19th 5 youth attended and completed several projects that were entered at the county fair as a completed project. County 4-H leaders offer similar workshops during the 4-H year at different locations they attend: ceramics, rocketry, baking, sewing, leathercraft, braiding, shooting sports, scrap booking, weaving, and many other project workshops. 15 youth attended and completed project workshops, competition training, etc., prior to District/State Conference and Bi-County fair this year.

Tribal Agent Food Preservation Training
There are over 200 projects listed on the Literature Materials Short List that 4-H youth can choose from as their yearly projects. “Foods For The Future” was introduced by the Home Economist to the Tribal Agents that have 4-H responsibilities. This project has gained popularity in recent years and provides easy and inexpensive recipes for leaders/youth to learn about canning dehydration, and freezing. On November 17, 2009 tribal agents learned the 3 basic steps to preserving with these steps agents can teach interested leaders/youth the basics of preserving. Agents learned food safety canning tips, altitude adjustments for preserving at higher elevations, hot pack and cold pack methods of processing canned foods. As an added activity the prepared Apple Butter the recipe was taken from the “Complete Guide to Home Canning”. Agents were surprised as to how easy and fun is was to make something so delicious. Teaching tribal agents about traditional 4-H projects will help them to combine traditional 4-H and Native American cultural values and norms to 4-H projects.