Youth Development

The agent dedicated time to maintaining and supporting traditional 4-H club leaders and members. 4-H members and leaders had an opportunity to participate in a variety of county-wide 4-H activities during the year. Advertisement for activities was done via e-mail reminders to leaders. These activities included:

Camps, Workshops, Clinics & Trainings:
The agent provided programing to 112 youth in collaboration with Mesa Public Libraries Youth Services at the annual Chile Camp in June and July. The camp is devoted to making reading fun through the addition of arts and crafts activities to stories which are read each week for eight weeks. This year’s camp concentrated on international stories involving farming including Greek, Asian, African and Native American mythology.

Competitive Events:
Los Alamos County Fair. Sixteen 4-H members exhibited 16 indoor exhibits.

New Mexico State Fair -- Five 4-H members exhibited five exhibits. Four or 80% of the five exhibits received first, place awards.


Awards & Recognition:
Four 4-H members submitted end of year record books. An Annual 4-H Awards Program for the 2009-2010 year was held January 8th at White Rock Town Hall. The purpose of the program was to recognize 4-H members who completed 4-H record books, and to recognize 4-H members and leaders for the number of years they’ve been involved in the program. Outstanding 4-H youth and volunteers were also recognized. Twelve 4-H’ers and seven 4-H leaders received awards. Bruch, provided by the 4-H families in attendance, was a new offering at this Saturday morning program. Twenty members, leaders and parents were in attendance.

Community Service:
The 4-H Council created “4-H Scarecrow” for the Los Alamos Scarecrow contest. The scarecrow contest is sponsored by the Los Alamos Arts Council and is open to any community organization. The Council was awarded the Sleepy Hollow Award consisting of a certificate and cash award.

Family Festival – Decorating 4-H Cookies – Nine 4-H youth and ten adult volunteers provided leadership to this annual event geared towards young families. One hundred forty (140) youngsters participated in the “Decorating 4-H Cookies” activity. Children decorated four leaf clover cookies, made by 4-H members, with a variety of decorating toppings. The Family Festival is sponsored by Family Strengths Network

School Enrichment

In collaboration with the Los Alamos Middle School 7th grade science teacher the agent made four presentations to 92 students on Basic Botany and four presentations on Native Plants. A number of computer games and collecting and mounting plants found on school grounds were strategies used to communicate the topic.

The agent provided programming to 16 youth on seed germination at McCurdy Elementary School in Espanola.

Special Interest

The new 4-H Robotics Program serves as an early introduction to robotics for elementary age students. Through a series of cross-curricular building and programming activities, the system integrates science, math, and literacy concepts while teaching the basics of control technology. The agent facilitated the group of 9-14 year olds using Lego MindstormsNXT. There were 12 participants in the program who met weekly. The kits included small motors, simple sensors, wheels, gearwheels, belts, and relays - everything the members needed to construct a series of different robots. The kits were developed in accordance with educational principles derived from Jean Piaget's theories of cognitive development (1966) as revised by Seymour Papert (1980;1986). This approach suggests that the center of all learning processes is the active role of the learner who enlarges his/her knowledge through the manipulation and construction of objects. Giving life to an object through interaction with a personal computer makes it possible to develop applications which go beyond the original ideas of those who first proposed this methodology. Members constructed small, mobile machines that simulated the behaviors of real animals. Such prototypes are essentially mobile robots. Like real animals they have a sensory apparatus (i.e. sensors which are sensible to light or heat), a motor system (e.g. mechanical arms or wheels controlled by motors) and a brain (represented by a computer programmed to control the motor system using information from the sensory apparatus).

Practical experiments such as these helped learners to assimilate concepts which would otherwise be abstract and obscure. The children assimilated the notions of dynamics and complexity through the construction of systems composed of a number of hardware and software components. They learned to study reality from different points of view (i.e. at different levels of analysis) by observing the behavior of individual robots.

Project Meth: It has been reported that in addition to Meth being harmful to a person and their immediate surrounding, the production of methamphetamine may create serious environmental hazards, indoors and out. The dumping of those wates on the ground, down drains, or down sewers can cause contamination of soil, ground water, lakes, and rivers. In order to educate the youth of Bernalillo County on the dangers Meth production has on individuals and the environment, the Urban 4-H Agent developed a Meth Prevention/Education program for youth ages 7-14. In 2010-2011, the Agent facilitated Project Meth to 71 youth at the Jr. Law Enforcement Academy hosted by the Bernalillo County Police Athletic League. Participants reported not knowing the dangers meth production had on our land before the workshop and were surprised to learn that it did.

Robotics: In partnership with University of Nebraska-Lincoln's GEAR-Tech-21 program and as a result of two successful one week summer camps in 2010, the Agent partnered with a local 5th grade teacher to implement the curriculum in his afterschool science club at Griegos Elementary School. GEAR-Tech-21 is a geospatial and robotics 4-H curriculum available to middle school age youth. It is an innovative curriculum that brings together robotics, GPD (Global Positioning Systems) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Using LEGO MINDSTORMS NST® robotics kits and handheld GPS devices, youth experience science, engineering and technology career areas. Designed with the experiential learning model, all activities have a hands-on problem-solving focus.

Egg-2-Chick: Most youth in Bernalillo County will never have the opportunity to see a live hatching of a chick. Egg-2-Chick teaches youth the study of the avian egg by providing them with an opportunity to understand some of the theories and principles of reproduction. Using a hands-on approach, the Agent went into 15 classrooms, set up incubators, and facilitated weekly activities teaching the anatomy of chickens and eggs as well as talk about the importance agriculture has on our economy and way of living. Activities included "disecting" a hard boiled egg to learn the parts of an egg and then giving each student condiments to make their own egg salad, a healthy snack alternative. Rotisserie chickens were also taken into the classes to learn chicken anatomy with a yummy, healthy twist. Overall, 244 children and youth participated in the Egg-2-Chick program. The program, which doubled in size from the year before, is projected to continue to grow based on the evaluation of students and teachers alike.

Nutrition Education: As a founding member of the New Mexico Super Fit Family Challenge, the Agent partners with a variety of programs, including faith-based programs, city community centers, and Albuquerque Public Schools. The New Mexico Super Fit Family Challenge focuses on two things a family can do right now to keep a healthy weight: making smart food choices and encouraging more physical activity.

This eight week program starts families on the road to healthy living. Families eat and play together while learning more about how to stay healthy. The weekly program is family oriented, kid friendly and interactive. The Super Fit Family Challenge helps families who:
1. Have been wanting to make some changes but aren't sure where to start.
2. Are confused about what to eat.
3. Need some ideas to get their family moving more.
4. Are concerned that their family is not as healthy as they could be.

The Agents role in this years Challenges was a bit more hands-off than previous years. Primarily because she trained those involved how to teach the curriculum she developed--a Super Fit Healthy Jeopardy game that quizzes the participants (parents and youth, alike) on all they have learned in the eight weeks of participation.

G.R.E.A.T. Camp (Gang Resistance Education And Training) formally known as DEFY Camp: Through a partnership between the National Guard, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, Albuquerque Police Department, and 4-H 488 youth in Bernalillo County were served throughout the summer of 2011. The goal of the G.R.E.A.T. Program is to help youth develop positive life skills that will help them avoid gang involvement and violent behavior. G.R.E.A.T. uses a communitywide approach to combat the risk factors associated with youth involvement in gang-related behaviors. The lessons included in each curriculum are interactive and designed to allow students to practice positive behaviors that will remain with them during the remainder of their development years. Youth participated in activities such as archery, fishing, rock climbing, and workshops on character development, meth prevention, and community related issues Bernalillo County faces like gangs. Each camp ended with a graduation, celebrating each youth's success at the camp. Without fail, kids would beg to come back another week to participate because they had so much fun.

Photography: Research shows that youth who are engaged in arts programs are less likely to revisit the legal system, and more likely to achieve academic success and become contributing members of their community. Arts prevention programs are a cost-effective solution to the challenge of youth at risk. Photography requires long hours of practice, focus and perseverance—all components of self-discipline, a trait that many at-risk youth are desperately lacking. In a national study, three cities have rigorously evaluated their arts programs for at-risk youth and found that these programs decrease involvement in delinquent behavior, increase academic achievement and improve youth’s attitudes about themselves and their future.

The Urban 4-H photography program introduces youth to an array of digital photographic techniques used in the studio, on location and in post-production. Youth will learn what makes a good photograph by studying with professional photographers. In addition, they will learn the fundamentals of composition, natural lighting, and studio portrait techniques. While using photography as an outlet, young people can explore the opportunity to harness their creative energy into creating a platform for issues that are important for them. In addition to learning how to handle a camera and implement photographic techniques, youth are taught how to store and manipulate their photos with an iPad.

After 6 weeks of classes, the parent of the most challenging youth in the class approached the Agent thanking her for offering such an inspiring class. She went on to say, "My son is involved in afterschool programs every day, but this is the one he doesn't beg me to make him go to. He loves coming so much, it's nice to see him finally involved in something that's positive."

Astronomy: A new venture for the Agent, she has partnered with a local Principal to teach astronomy to 5th and 6th graders at a Title 1 school. Using iPads to bring a hands-on approach to learning the constellations, the Agent encourages students to go beyond the textbook and develop a passion for the universe. This is a brand new program; outcomes will be reported in the next year. However, the overwhelming response of youth attending is an early sign that this program will be a success.

Robyn Kelley has signed on to support Youth Development within Bernalillo County.

School Enrichment
The agent has made significant efforts to collaborate with local schools to promote 4-H and program related opportunities. With the help of support staff, the agent was able to conduct school enrichment programs in 12 different topic areas which included: Germ Detective, Cloverbud Food Fun, Egg to Chick, Consumer Savvy, Jump into Food and Fitness, New Mexico Flavor, Food Land People, The Purple Coat, The Boy & the Quilt, Kids on the Grow, Sewing Expressions and Aerospace Adventures. A total of 504 youth were reached, note this is almost double the number of students reach year prior. Through the various topics, students practiced goal setting, were exposed to key terminology, experienced following instruction, how to assess outcomes and self-evaluate. Many meaningful, working relationships have been established from visiting individual classrooms. The agent is in the process of working with a couple local Elementary schools to plan, organize and construct a hoop house, which will be all the staff to incorporate school wide agriculture and environmental science related curriculum.

Youth Camps
Fifty-four youth and 12 adult volunteer leaders attended the 2011 Rio Arriba County Camp held the first weekend of June. The activity-filled event provides senior 4-H members the opportunity to help plan, organize and conduct the event. Five devoted and enthusiastic senior leaders lead this year’s event. Topics and activities explored during the 3-day, 2-night event included: Orienteering, Karate and Respect, 4-H Spirit actives and group hike. Over 75% of participants reported an increase in belonging and generosity. Participants frequently noted they learned “respect and to help other” from camp. Other common theme form camp evaluations were “teamwork” and “working together.”
County Cloverbud Day Camp is dedicated to youth ages 5-8. The week-long program welcomed participants with a morning snack and fitness activity. The day’s activities included the following topics: the 4-H slogan & motto, nutrition education, water safety, forest fire prevention and emergency readiness. Many local agencies were invited to participate as guest speakers. Support was received by the US Forest Service and US Army Corps of Engineers. Parents of the participants reported increase environmental awareness and increase belonging in the event’s evaluations. All youth participants expressed enjoyment and the opportunity to making new friends.