November Newsletter

National 4-H Congess

Each year, 4-Hers who have achieved the highest awards, either by winning a State Award or a State Contest, are invited to attend National Congress held at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia. Delegates spend 5 days in Atlanta attending leadership and citizenship workshops as well as participating in community service activities. One of the many highlights of this long standing program is the chance to interact with many different 4-H members from around the country.

Leadership Academy: Online Series

Members 12+, 4-H Age

Join the Montana 4-H Leadership Academy workshop on Sunday afternoons in 2022/2023.  The leadership academy is a network of Montana 4-H members interested in exploring and developing their own leadership skills while serving their county 4-H program in new ways. 
 
These workshops provide local county leadership groups an opportunity to join (virtually) with groups from around the state as well as the Montana 4-H Ambassador Officer team, to work on skill building, planning and mentorship. 
 
Each month the officer team will be present a different workshop topic that they have found to be important as they have grown their own leadership abilities. This workshop should be paired with a local county leadership meeting to work on county projects that serve the local 4-H program and community. 
 
County Leadership groups should plan to meet face to face whenever possible and engage in the virtual state wide workshop together.
This time can be viewed as a leadership club meeting. County ambassadors can aid in planning and facilitating these local workshop meetings. The following agenda is currently being planned. All workshops are Sunday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00.  Zoom links for each workshop session will be emailed to county extension offices and can be shared locally. 

Visit the webpage for complete for descriptions:   https://www.montana4h.org/programs/youth_leadership/academy.html

To receive the zoom meeting link and info for this workshop series please complete the short registration by clicking the "Register Now" on this montana4h.org page. Once the form is complete an email containing the zoom meeting link for all 5 workshops will be sent automatically. 

• November 20, 2022
• December 11, 2022
• January 8, 2023
• February 5, 2023
• March 5, 2023

International Hosting & Exchange Opportunities for 2023-2024

Family Hosting Opportunities, Short-term and Long-term, are available:

• 12 Japanese Youth Delegates & 1 Chaperone (~4 weeks mid July-mid August)
• 2 Norwegian Youth Delegates (~4 weeks at the end of June-end of July)
• 2 Japanese Youth Delegates for the Academic Year Program (August-June)

Outbound 2023 Summer Programs are 4 weeks

• Costa Rica
• Korea
• Japan (4 weeks or 8 weeks)

For more information regarding this program please contact Christine Sommers-Austin at c.sommersaustin@montana.edu or (406) 994-3504.

Shooting Sports Training

• Kalispell: December 2-3, 2022
• Havre: December 9-10, 2022
• Belgrade: December 16-17, 2022
• Circle: December 16-17, 2022
• Billings: April 2023
• Manhattan Wildlife Association: Location TBD/May 2023

More information can be found at: Montana 4-H Shooting Sports Page, 

Montana 4-H Citizenship Seminar

Montana Citizenship Seminar is designed to inspire 4-H youth as they learn about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Youth delegates gain hands-on experience with the legislative process by participating in a mock legislature, create and debate bills, work with other youth from across the state, meet with elected officials, tour the capitol, and participate in a service-learning project.
Citizenship Seminar is traditionally held in Helena in the years when the legislature is in session. Youth delegates share their 4-H experience with current legislature representatives during the Legislative Breakfast, which is hosted on January 17 by Montanans for 4-H.
The seminar will be held at the Delta Hotels Helena Colonial (early afternoon to early afternoon). It is open to youth ages 13-19 (13 as of October 1, 2022) and to certified volunteer chaperones 21 years of age and older.
Look for email with registration and specific seminar information soon!
For more information regarding this program please contact Christine Sommers-Austin at c.sommersaustin@montana.edu or (406) 994-3504.

Legislative Breakfast

• Application for Youth Speaker due on November 27
• $50 county donation received by January 4 (Invoice can be found here: https://montanansfor4h.wixsite.com/legislativebreakfast/registration
• Registration deadline in ZSuite is January 4
• Practice Dinner: Monday, January 16 & Breakfast: Tuesday, January 17 in Helena
• ***Please Note if you have youth that register for Citizenship Seminar event, they DO NOT need to register for legislative breakfast, it is already included.***

The 19th Biennial Montanans for 4-H Legislative Breakfast is fast approaching and it is imperative that we get the word out to members, volunteers, and 4-H advocates.

The Legislative Breakfast is a statewide Montana 4-H event hosted by The Montanans for 4-H. This event depends on local county participation to bring informed youth and adult participants together with state legislators to communicate the impact 4-H has on their community and our state. This event is open to active 4-H members and volunteers that are interested in citizenship and sharing positive information about 4-H with statewide lawmakers. Participants will also be encouraged to contact legislators prior to the event and personally invite them to attend the breakfast.

The event includes a breakfast with legislators Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 6:30 AM and a practice dinner and training workshop Monday, January 16, 2023 at 6:00 PM. Both events will take place in the ballrooms at the Delta Hotels Helena Colonial Inn in Helena, MT.

Participants are highly encouraged to attend the Monday evening dinner as this event serves as a practice run for the Legislative Breakfast. A workshop hosted by the Ambassador Officer team will follow the dinner for youth participants to practice their communication skills when speaking with their legislators.

Please include an invitation to participate in this event in county newsletters and correspondences with families and volunteers.  The event is open to all 4-H members and volunteers of all ages. 4-H members must be chaperoned by an adult.

Registration

This information can be found on the registration page.

County Council/Foundation Support
The Montanans for 4-H Committee requests a donation from each county of $50 to cover the cost of the meal and a ‘thank you for supporting 4-H’ gift for legislators and invited guests. Please download the county invoice here and return the completed form and payment to the Committee Treasurer by no later than January 4, 2023 deadline. Download Invoice here. 

Youth Speakers
The committee is looking for youth speakers to share their "4-H: An Opportunity for All" story with legislators and guests at the breakfast. To be considered for this opportunity members should complete the very short application with a 2 minute video here by Sunday, November 27, 2022. Application form here. 
We would appreciate it if county agents and or volunteers can encourage members they feel could fill this role to apply. We are looking for two speakers, one age 10-12 and one age 13-16. This is a tight turn around and we appreciate your help in finding a youth speaker that can share the impacts of Montana 4-H firsthand.
Youth speakers are required to attend both the Monday night dinner and breakfast in person and be able to speak to a group of approximately 400 people for 3-5 minutes.
We appreciate your efforts in sharing this event information with your 4-H community. Please feel free to reach out to the committee with any questions.

4-H Project: Small Equine

This project explores many aspects of the Small Equine industry including breed basics, health and nutrition, reproduction, and grooming. This project also allows members to learn about competitions specific to small equines.
Members do not need to be enrolled in regular Horsemanship classes to participate in the Small Equine Project.
Curriculum is now available online.
The 4-H Clover is also updated online, and its hard copy will be updated next spring.