Youth Development (Socorro County)

State 4-H Livestock School: Thirty- two Socorro County youth and adults attended the NM State 4-H Livestock School. Raising livestock is nothing new to traditional 4-H youth but someone who has a lot of odds against him; raising livestock is just what they need. Nineteen youth from the NM Boys and Girls Ranch attended Livestock school in the hopes of learning…well pretty much everything there is to know about their animal. Every youth living at The Ranches is required to participate in 4-H and raise an animal. First year members are required to raise a large livestock species and youth that have advanced to an upper level are only required to raise small stock. It is amazing to watch these youth grow through experience. At the beginning of year these youth wouldn’t even touch the animal and then come fair time they cried because they had to let it go. Through this experience, they learned responsibility, caring and passion for something other than themselves. I am so glad that they have gotten this opportunity and know that their future is much brighter due to this experience.

Socorro Family Fun Fest: A community wide youth day sponsored by CYFD was held during the month of March. Organizations were invited to present information to the public. Socorro County 4-H took advantage of the opportunity and developed hands-on stations allowing youth to make an item and take it with them. Socorro County 4-H Council Officers assisted the 4-H Agent by helping youth make Pin wheels, Horse Feed (trail mix) and Dirt Babies. This year we also brought out the 4-H shooting sports trailer and youth got to learn about handling a fire arm and took a chance and shooting at a target. 170 youth were given material on 4-H through brochures and flyers.

Kids, Kows & More: Socorro County Extension Service hosted their 5th Annual Kids, Kows & More on April 21, 2011. 562 youth and 50 teachers attended the event which was an educational and hands-on learning experience that introduced children and adults to the agriculture industry and where their milk comes from. The program was open to all 3rd and 4th graders in Socorro County. Students rotated through 7 fifteen minute presentations, topics included: Food for America: Where do we get our meat?, Cattle Ranching; Sheep Shearing, Farming, Water Conservation, Weaving, and Where our Milk comes from. Following the event, we have an essay contest and the winner of the essay contest wins a $100 savings bond and an ice cream party for their entire class. 4-H materials are sent home with each student and teacher by putting a pencil and brochure into each goody bag.

Earth Day: Midway Elementary in Lemitar, NM hosted an Earth Day event at their school where they invited the Socorro County Extension Office, Bosque Del Apache and a Geologist to their school to discuss topics related to Earth Day. The Socorro County Extension Agents discussed how plants affect the earth. We discussed what plants need to live such as soil, water, sun and carbon dioxide. We discussed how plants help us by producing oxygen that we need to breathe and we produce carbon dioxide that plants need to breathe. Each child was allowed to make a dirt baby to take home and care for. Every Midway Elementary in Lemitar, NM hosted an Earth Day event at their school where they invited the Socorro County Extension Office, Bosque Del Apache and a Geologist to their school to discuss topics related to Earth Day. The Socorro County Extension Agents discussed how plants affect the earth. We discussed what plants need to live such as soil, water, sun and carbon dioxide. We discussed how plants help us by producing oxygen that we need to breathe and we produce carbon dioxide that plants need to breathe. Each child was allowed to make a dirt baby to take home and care for. Every Kindergarten through 5th grade students in the school participated in the activity, with 100 dirt babies being made. By participating in this workshop, youth learned how to be a responsible citizen, how to use their resources wisely and caring for the world around them.

Egg to Chick: The 4-H Agent has assisted 68 youth in kindergarten through 3rd grade in completing the Egg to Chick program this spring. The 4-H Agent assisted youth with curriculum instruction, egg candling, and egg hatching. Youth have learned responsibility through the care of the eggs to the care of the chicks after they are hatched. In April 2011, an evaluation was given to 25 students in the Magdalena 3rd grade class asking them to color the face that is the best answer. 25 students colored a happy face stating that the activity was fun; 25 colored a happy face stating that the activity helped them learn about chickens; 25 colored a happy face stating they learned how a baby chick grows; and 25 colored a happy face stating they told their family about this project. The Agent spent a lot of hours this spring researching the problems we have been having with the project. We have had full developed eggs that won’t hatch out for several years now. The Agent worked with a specialist from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension who helped us to regulate our humidity and temperature. I do have to say we had better success this year but some of our same problems still existed.