Youth Development (Socorro County)

Hot August Nights: The City of Socorro requested that the Socorro County 4-H’ers provide activities for the youth in the community during their Hot August Night events. 4-H County Council officers provided hand-on arts and craft projects such as flip-flop decorating, building a race car, designing a crown, painting a snake and more. All the supplies are purchase from the City of Socorro, our responsibility is to assist them in completing their projects. We also provided a variety of games such as ring toss, bean bag toss, twister, and hula hoop contests. The 4-H youth learn to be patient because we often times get bombarded with children wanting to complete projects and play games.

Alamo Century 21st After School Program: During the school year, the Socorro County Extension Agent makes bi-monthly visits to the Alamo Century 21st after school program at the Alamo Navajo Indian Reservation. Programs generally last between 90 and 120 minutes and focuses on hands-on activities with strong educational components. Information and project ideas are taken from the 4-H project list and adapted to fit a variety of themes ranging from seasonal lessons to cultural exploration. During this reporting period youth have learned the basics of plastic canvas cross stitching and were taught to make book markers that will be used by the youth during the next school year. Youth who completed the project exhibited the item in the county fair. Other programs have included; recycling of resources such as making picture frames out of Popsicle sticks and windsocks out of recycled lunch sacks. During the time of the Balloon Fiesta youth decorated their own hot air balloons out of paper mache. Some holiday activities that were completed were: Halloween Lapel pins, pine cone turkeys, and pine cone Christmas trees.

Through these activities youth have learned several life skills. Some of these have included:
HANDS: Giving
• Contributing to Group Efforts: Youth are expected to participate in group discussion during the lector portion of the session. We often times do a question and answer session and all youth are expected to participate.
Working
• Teamwork: Some of the tasks that must be completed are done in groups of two or three. The youth must work together to complete the task, without fighting over how to get it done.
HEAD: Managing
• Wise Use of Resources: The Agent brings the supplies for the activities and the youth need to be creative in designing their end product. They are also expected to not waste materials.
HEART: Caring
• Sharing: Youth are expected to share supplies with each other. They are also expected to share stories and experiences while learning new information.
Relating
• Cooperation: Youth cooperate with each other as well as with the Agent to complete task. Youth must be patient by waiting for their turn to speak as well as waiting in line to gather their supplies.

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 dirt babies, play do and horse feed. The Socorro County 4-H County Council Officers were required to pair up and provide a hands-on activity for youth make and take home with them while teaching youth about the project at the same time. Over 150 youth were given material on 4-H through brochures and flyers.

HANDS: Giving
• Responsible Citizenship – Youth learn to be responsible by caring for their dirt baby at home; they have to make sure it has plenty of food and water or it will die.
HEALTH: Living
• Healthy Lifestyle Choices – Youth learned the difference between human and animal nutrition. They learned that there’s not much difference, we all require things to help maintain our body’s health.
HANDS: Giving
• Community Service Volunteering – The 4-H Council Officers volunteered their time to educate other youth in the community about 4-H and the opportunities it has to offer them. The youth are servicing the community by providing activities for youth in the community.

Kids, Kows & More: Socorro County Extension Service hosted their 3rd Annual Kids, Kows & More on April 30, 2009. 500 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, 4th, and 5th graders in Socorro County. Students rotated through seven fifteen minute presentations, topics included: Food for America: Where do we get our meat?, Cattle Ranching; Seeds, Farming, Water Conservation, Sheep Shearing, 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.

HEAD: Thinking
• Learning to Lean – Youth learn about a variety of agricultural related topics. Many of these kids have no idea where their food and clothing comes from and we are trying to do our part to change that.
HEAD: Managing
• Wise Use of Resources – Through Kids, Kows and More youth are learning how to conserve many of our earth resources such as water. Water is very limited in New Mexico and we need to teach our youth early on how to conserve it.

Egg to Chick: The 4-H Agent has assisted 100 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 2009, an evaluation was given to 22 students in the Magdalena 3rd grade class asking them to color the face that is the best answer. 22 students colored a happy face stating that the activity was fun; 22 colored a happy face stating that the activity helped them learn about chickens; 22 colored a happy face stating they learned how a baby chick grows; and 22 colored a happy face stating they told their family about this project.

HANDS: Giving
• Responsible Citizenship – Youth learn to be responsible by caring for the eggs. Students are responsible for making sure that the incubators have plenty of water, the temperature remains at 99.5 and that eggs get turned. They also have to care for the chick after they hatch by making sure they have water and food.
HEAD: Managing
• Keeping Records - Youth keep daily records of water levels, incubator temperature, what we saw when we candled the eggs, how many hatched, how many did not hatch and why.
• Learning to Learn - Youth spend roughly 30 days learning about embryology. Teachers are provided curriculum that they teach to their students from the time we set up the incubators until the hatched chicks leave their classroom.
HEART: Caring
• Concern for Others – Youth learn to care for things other than themselves. They care for the eggs before they hatch and the chicks after they hatch.