In an effort to enhance the UConn 4-H program, members have gotten together to form the UConn 4-H Teen Council. The Council consists of active members in UConn 4-H between the ages of 14 and 18, with no more than 2 members from each county in the state.
Check out UConn 4-H Teen Council’s Quarterly Newsletter, County Connections, to learn more about the council’s vision, officers, and more!
Access the newsletter here.
UConn 4-H and Partners Move Over 78,000 Pounds of Dairy Products to Support Connecticut CommunitiesUConn 4-H, the youth development program of Extension in the UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources has moved 78,894 pounds of dairy products to date – the equivalent of six full-size elephants – during Operation Community Impact. 4-H members and volunteers are working with community partners and the UConn Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Deliveries of dairy products were made to 96 food pantries in 57 towns statewide. The effort has involved 88 Extension families that donated their time to help unload and deliver the dairy products.
The most recent donation, 33 pallets of ice cream, was received last week from H.P. Hood in Suffield. “We are glad to partner with a wonderful organization such as 4-H and UConn Extension to provide assistance to local Connecticut communities when we can,” says Megan Uricchio of H.P. Hood, and an alumni of UConn 4-H Hartford County.
Milk donations were received from Dairy Farmers of America through their local facility, Guida’s Dairy. Agri-Mark Cooperative and Cabot Creamery donated yogurt and sour cream. All of these products were previously distributed to facilities statewide. Fluid milk donations totaled 8,640 gallons – that is more than the amount needed to fill an 18-foot round swimming pool.
The Freshplace food pantry in Hartford County stated: “Our Freshplace food pantry serves 100 individuals and families in the North end of Hartford – the poorest neighborhoods in Hartford. Most of our participants do not have access to a grocery store and depend on small bodegas that have a very limited supply of dairy products, fresh veggies, etc. This has become a much larger problem due to the current COVID situation. The delivery of the generous donation of milk will help not only our Freshplace participants but many of our other clients who are having a very hard time obtaining food. We have expanded our Freshplace services beyond our Freshplace members to encompass all Chrysalis Center clients in need of food. The milk is an incredible addition to our daily deliveries! Thanks so much – this definitely shows that we are all in this together!”
A Fairfield County food pantry that serves 115 families said, “The families that our pantry serves are in significant crisis right now. They are relying on the food pantry for all of their food/meals. Typically, we are very limited in the amounts of dairy products we are able to receive and distribute. The milk, yogurt and sour cream has been a blessing – and has made a real impact. Families are now able to add this to their meals, providing a more balanced, nutritional meal and promoting overall health and well-being. THANK YOU!”
Community service is a key component of the 4-H civic engagement mission. This project provides UConn 4-H members the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of consumers and dairy producers. Operation Community Impact would not be possible without the efforts of many community partners, volunteers, food pantries and businesses statewide that the project is serving. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone helping to connect those in need with the milk and dairy donations. We created this short video to thank our dairy donors: https://bit.ly/DairyCollaborations.
UConn 4-H is the youth development program of UConn Extension. 4-H is a community of over 6 million young people across America who are learning Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), leadership, citizenship and life skills through their 4-H project work. 4-H provides youth with the opportunity to develop lifelong skills including civic engagement and healthy living. Learn more and enroll your child in the UConn 4-H program at http://4-H.uconn.edu/.
Our UConn 4-H program coordinated with dairy cooperatives, 4-H members and volunteers, and the UConn Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program- EFNEP to have dairy products donated and delivered to food pantries statewide. These products are helping feed families in need throughout the state. We’ve had two days of dairy donations and deliveries and our efforts will continue.
To date, our team has delivered 1440 half gallons of milk (720 gallons) and 28,000 pounds of yogurt and sour cream so far, and another 7,200 half gallons Monday (3,600 gallons).
With: Guida’s Dairy, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Cabot Creamery Co-operative, Agri-Mark, Connecticut Dairy, New England Dairy, UConn 4-H Litchfield County, Fairfield County, CT 4-H UConn, and UConn 4-H New London County
National 4-H Conference
April 6-11 I was fortunate enough to be selected as part of the Connecticut delegation sent to Washington D.C. for the 2019 National 4-H Conference. I was a part of the Entrepreneurship round table and we were tasked with answering a set of questions for the United States department of labor. The challenge question tasked to us was as follows, “It is estimated that fifty percent (50%) of the U.S. workforce will be freelance workers by 2027. What is the Gig economy and what are the characteristics that make it so alluring to youth? What are the kinds of skills entrepreneurs need to be successful and in what ways is entrepreneurial, skills training taught? How important could an innovation-based entrepreneurial economy be to a rural area?” These questions were tough to answer at first but with the help of my round table, which consisted of 15 4-Hers, 14 from the United States and one boy from Saskatchewan Canada, we were able to begin answering the questions quickly and efficiently. We prepared a 30 minute presentation for select members of the United States department of labor and the presentation went very well. Many of these members have been receiving the presentations done by 4-Hers for many years now and as a group the members said our presentation was among the best they’ve ever seen. I learned a lot at this conference about leadership and it tested my public speaking skills as I met other 4-Hers from around the country and as I talked with high ranking officials., Leadership skills came into play in the planning stages of the round table discussions as we needed to put together a very large, multi-parted presentation with people we had never met before. I learned a lot from this conference as well about the industry that I want to go into.
I want to be an entrepreneur and own my own horseback riding facility when I’m older so through the topic of entrepreneurship at conference I learned a lot about what I will need to do in order to be successful in my field.
Why donors should fund these trips?
My experiences in 4-H surpass anything else I’ve done in high school or my other clubs because of the important life skills I’ve gained from these 4-H trips. I have been a part of various different clubs and sports throughout my youth, but the only thing I truly stuck with was 4-H because even at a young age I understood that in 4-H I was being taught important life skills that I would gain no where else. 4-H has taught me a lot about the importance of public speaking and being able to communicate effectively with others. From my first public speaking competition in 2015 where I was barely able to finish my presentation to placing 5th at the Eastern National 4-H Horse Contests in the Individual Presentation contest at the end of 2016, I have shown immense amounts of growth in being able to speak well. From there as I continued to work on my speaking skills I’ve made it to the Connecticut state public speaking finals four times.
Once my public speaking skills were improved through 4-H, I turned my focus to becoming a better leader which 4-H teaches so well. I worked my way up the ranks of my club to become club president for three years. From there I felt I had improved my leadership skills enough to become a superintendent of the Horse Exposition at my local 4-H fair, which is a fair entirely run by 4-Hers. I was able to implement an entirely new event at this fair from my skills learned about leading a group from my local 4-H club. I am now a ranking officer at my fair.
4-H is also a great place for kids to learn interpersonal skills and how to make friends. When you first join 4-H or go on your first national trip, it is likely you will know no one. This encourages kids to make new friends and connections and step outside of their comfort zone, possibly even for the first time. My experiences in 4-H are matched my nothing, and I truly thank the wonderful leaders and extension agents I’ve come to know for that.
Article by Maddy Hatt, UConn 4-H member
4-H has impacted my life by teaching me that even in the hard times you should hold onto your project and never let go. 4-H has also taught me how to do math. 4-H has helped me with my spelling. Through my 4-H years I have learned a lot. I have learned patience while working with my animals. It has helped me with setting and reaching my goals. It has made it so I know how to set goals that I can reach in a set time. The rewards that I have gotten out of my 4-H years are knowing how to deal with all sorts of different people. I have also learned a lot from being president in my club. I have learned how to deal with adults and how to talk respectfully to them. I have learned that people like to have fun and I want to better learn how to incorporate more fun into our meetings to hopefully keep everyone involved. The rewards I got from my citizenship and leadership opportunities are wisdom, understanding, and knowledge on how to deal with all sorts of people. I think I need more experience in being a leader to expound on my leadership skills. Some of the problems that I have experienced from these experiences are trying to keep the other members of my club interested in the meetings and getting people to come to the bake sales and the community services that the club does. I hope that by going on this trip I can learn how to better myself in these areas so the club will be more profitable for our community. I hope that the experiences I have had in 4-H and the ones to come will help me with getting in to the college that I want to go to, and I hope they will help me get a job when I am ready to get one. Sure not all my 4-H experiences have been good ones, but I have learned from all of them. I hope to learn from the ones I get in the future.
By Samantha Smith
When I joined 4-H 5 years ago, I thought that I would just be learning about animals. I had no idea that I would learn leadership, citizenship and public speaking skills that I would apply to many situations both in and out of 4-H. I never imagined that when I joined 4-H, I would meet some of the best people in the world that would help me to grow as a leader in my community.
Through 4-H, I have set many goals related to my project and my community. I used to think that because I had a goal, I had to achieve it, even if it was a minor goal. 4-H has taught me that I didn’t have to achieve my goal; as long as I tried my hardest, I was still achieving something, even if it wasn’t what I hoped for. I would achieve the ability to say “Congratulations” to someone when they won the prize that I set as my goal. I would achieve the ability to say “I’ll try again next year”, when I didn’t get voted into the officer position that I hoped for. Through 4-H I learned that no matter what I set as my goal, I will attain something.
Throughout my 4-H career, I have had many rewarding experiences, such as becoming involved in my community. Through my club, I have raised funds for the Torrington Police Department for a K-9 bullet-proof vest. I have also assisted my club in raising money so that a veteran was able to get a service dog. We also raised money for a shade awning at a local pound. It has been very rewarding to see a change in my community that I helped to facilitate. Another rewarding 4-H experience was when I ran for a leadership position on my county’s Fair Association committee. I ran for the position of publicity chair, and was elected! I am enjoying having a role in planning and promoting this year’s 4-H fair. This has enabled me to meet people and network in my community.
After becoming active in my community, my biggest challenge has been the realization that 4-H is not widely known. While venturing out into my community, I have had the opportunity to educate people about 4-H. By participating in the Litchfield County Ad Campaign, I have raised funds and helped raise awareness about 4-H and the opportunities that it provides to youth.
By Olivia Hall
4-H has, in a sentence, taught me how to be myself and to tap into my full potential. I was once a quiet kid who desperately wanted to speak out and have an impact but didn’t know how. Now, I am a determined, confident young adult who can be heard the minute I walk into a room. I’ve come to realize that I love management and situations that involve directing or engaging others, especially to the goal of helping someone or having a positive impact. My management skills have been built up through 4-H, during the many situations wherein I was responsible for leading a group. Leading camp activities has taught me quite a bit about flexibility in particular, as last-minute situations that need quick thinking to fix come up often at camp.
I attribute many of my successes thus far in life to 4-H. This fall, I will be attending Yale University, and am certain that the time I spent with 4-H over the last several years contributed directly to my acceptance to that prestigious institution. Indirectly, 4-H has made me the person that I am today, a person who can and will accomplish great things.
4-H has been a positive constant in my life, always there to remind me to smile. 4-H is one of the reasons that I am such a bright, shining force, dedicated to making everyone around me feel better about themselves and others. I am passionate about self-love, especially among young people, and my 4-H experience – going to camp, meeting a wide variety of new people, discovering myself – is the reason that I can have such confidence. 4-H not only allowed me to see how widespread self-confidence issues are among teenagers and children by putting me in a situation where I became very close to so many kids, it also showed me that I was worthy of growing and becoming more self-assured.
My mother has been sending children to 4-H camp for twenty years. I’ve attended for eleven years, and my siblings attended before me. Every member of my family knows and sees the growth of children who experience 4-H. Many of my relatives cannot believe how much I have changed in the last few years alone, and I always attribute it to 4-H. As someone who wishes to someday work in public service, I know that the leadership, management and problem-solving skills that I have attained through my 4-H club will define me as an adult. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to 4-H for making me the person I am today, or how certain I am that I want to continue being an active participant in 4-H for as long as possible.
By Maria Grillo
For the past eight years 4-H has taught me many things that I probably would not have learned without it. I have experienced how the association for the fair works over the past few years. I learned that without it, the fair would not happen. Every one of the officers has their own role and has to stick to doing what they have pledged to do over the year in office such as sticking to their specific agenda and timeline, writing officer reports, and attending meetings. I have learned a lot from helping at my brother’s school and how much effort it takes for some of the kids to do something that may be easy for us to do. It has taught me patience, tolerance, and compassion.
From 4-H, I have made certain goals that I probably would not have set without it. For example, I would not have knitted certain projects if I did not set the goal to make something for 4-H. It pushed me to knit something more difficult. I set a goal to learn how to canter off of the lunge line. This is something that I was not keen to when I started but made it a goal for 4-H. I have also set a goal to either do public speaking, expressive arts, or even both. I learned that setting goals will help you achieve something more than if you just think about it.
From my leadership roles, I love seeing what I can do for other people whether it is making them smile or helping them do something that they need help with. After helping someone, I feel glad that I made a difference. In Home Arts, I enjoy being a part of transforming the building from an empty barn to a barn full of wonderful projects displayed on tables, organized by category, covered with green and purple table cloths.
I have found that it is difficult for everyone in the meeting to agree on something. Being a new coordinator, I was told that it would be my ultimate decision but still found it a little difficult to negotiate with people who had very strong opinions. Also, when it is clean-up time for the end of the fair, a lot of people helped out during the first helf hour to an hour but after that, they did not help as much to clean up the tables and other things that had to be put away for the barn to be cleaned. Something else that is difficult is not having people show up to the barn when they committed to help out during the weekend.
I need to learn to voice my opinion. Most of the time, I have the right answer or right question, but I do not tell it. This is something that I have been working on so I do not let something pass over if either I do not agree with it or have a question about something. Something else that I need to learn is to feel comfortable in a group of people that I do not know. I am a shy person and do not speak up when I do not know who someone is. In order to be a leader, people have to know what you want from them. You have to be able to handle criticism and understand someone else’s perspective.
From this past year of being the coordinator, I have been a lot better about speaking up and voicing my opinion. While I was on CWF, I learned how to come out of my shell and not always need to feel that I need to be quiet or not speak up. This trip has made me the most outgoing I have ever been in my life. It was an experience that I would never be able to take back nor would I want to. I made a great bond with my county extension leader and have been able to talk with confidence I have never experienced before this trip.
The leadership abilities that I learn in 4-H will help me in the future because I will know how to lead something in the correct way and not in a rude or disrespectful way. Everything that I learn in 4-H will help me with many things in the future such as: goal setting, short and long term goals, discussing different opinions and coming to a consensus. I will know how to mentor someone in the future as others have mentored me. 4-H has also helped me to become curious and try new things. This a great way to come out of your comfort zone.
By Hannah Platt
By: Marc Cournoyer
UConn Extension 4-H Program Coordinator
Approximately 100 4-H youth and adults converged on the state Capitol in Hartford on Wednesday, April 15th for the annual state 4-H Citizenship Day. Representing all corners of Connecticut, these individuals came together to meet with legislators, explore our state Capitol, learn a bit more about government and how they can be active citizens in their neighborhoods, communities and throughout the state.
The theme for this year’s event was Living Out the 4th H: The Science of Healthy Living. Youth and adult members of the CT FANs IM 4-H club of New Haven County provided workshop stations where event participants had the opportunity to tune up their physical health by dancing or playing sports using the Nintendo Wii gaming system and record small group videos on iPads about making healthy eating and life choices. They also learned about composting and home gardening skills, as well as, how much sugar is in many of the foods we eat daily. At the conclusion of the workshop sessions everyone had the opportunity to view a video that was created from the many small group efforts and photos from the various workshops. Winners of the state 4-H public speaking contest also gave their presentations to the group assembled.
After a healthy lunch, everyone ventured to the Legislative Office Building where they learned about the history of our state and the buildings that make up our state Capitol. They then had the opportunity to mingle with legislators and staffers from many districts around the state during an ice cream social featuring UConn dairy bar ice cream in the historic Hall of Flags. 4-H members shared poster displays they created about the day’s theme or discussed their 4-H experiences with legislators in attendance. They also delivered ice cream to the governor and lieutenant governor’s offices.
The day concluded with an orientation for 40 youth from throughout Connecticut who will be attending a weeklong national citizenship education program this June in Washington, DC called Citizenship Washington Focus. This national effort is sponsored and facilitated by National 4-H Council and is open to high school aged youth who are leaders in their club and county 4-H programs.
Much thanks goes to the group of 4-H youth and adults who met over the course of fourth months to coordinate the logistics of holding this event. Special thanks also to state legislators and staff who assist every year in securing necessary meeting space and other logistical requirements, and finally Emanuel Lutheran Church who has served as meeting place for this event for many years.
