If you are uncertain whether you have registered, you can check on the Blue Ribbon website: 
http://www.Kansas4-H.org/BlueRibbon/
Thomas

Discipline instruction will be provided for: Archery, Shotgun, Muzzleloading, County/District Coordinators, Rifle, Pistol and Hunting Skills. Registrations are due March 21, 2005. Approximately 60 Kansas counties/districts currently have certified programs. Extension units desiring to start one MUST have a certified coordinator and certified instructors in the disciplines in which they wish to participate.  Gerhard ggerhard@oznet.ksu.edu

Please note that certain events require pre-qualifying. The minimum 4-H age for state 4-H peer competition is 10 (before January 1, 2005). Only enrolled 4-H shooting sports project members may participate in this event from counties/districts with certified 4-H Shooting Sports programs. Registrations must come through the County/District coordinator to the Department of 4-H Youth Development and are due no later than close of business (5 PM CST), Monday, March 28, 2005.
Gerhard ggerhard@oznet.ksu.edu

The Sunday evening meal will be on your own. A list of restaurants in the downtown area will be provided in your registration packet or you can visit the Topeka Convention and Visitors Bureau web site at: http://tcvb.accesstopeka.com/tourguide/restaurants.html

Lt. Governor John Moore will be presenting a proclamation signed by the Governor recognizing 2005 as the Kansas 4-H Centennial. This presentation will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, February 21, on the Second Floor Rotunda in the Capitol Building. If your delegation is still setting up visits with legislators, you might keep this in mind and avoid this time, if possible. Don't reschedule or avoid this time if it's all you can get.

We have had several questions about recommended dress for the event. Sunday evening should be casual dress; slacks and button-up or polo shirts for the gentlemen; slacks or skirt and nice sweaters for the ladies. NO T-SHIRTS OR JEANS. Monday morning will be business professional: slacks, nice shirts, ties, and jackets (if they have one) for the gentlemen, pant/skirt suits or conservative dress for the ladies.

Several agents are looking for rooming arrangements. Please check the list that was emailed, or if you have a need in that area or other questions, please e-mail me at jwiebers@ksu.edu, and we will be happy to help you!  Wiebers

• 4-H Newsletter Article
• Newspaper Press Release
• 2005 Discovery Days Logo
• Tentative Schedule
• Discovery Days Basic Information Page for Potential Delegates
• Class/Tour Descriptions
• Delegate Registration Form for all youth and adults
• Registration Electronic Summary Form
• Discovery Days Policies and Guidelines

The March issue of the Kansas 4-H Journal will include the tentative schedule, basic information page for potential delegates, class descriptions, and the registration form.  Wiebers

2005 CCS Catalogs - will be arriving in each county office around the first of March. Please remember to use these as a reference only to aid you in filling out the Kansas Ext. Distribution special CCS Order Form that will be sent to you also in March!  Adams jadams@oznet.ksu.edu

National Volunteer Week - Celebrate National Volunteer Week, April 17-23, by recognizing your Extension volunteers!!!! Check out these websites and companies that offer a variety of recognition information and products which might be of interest to you!

http://www.nc4h.org/volunteers/recognition/
http://www.energizeinc.com/
http://www.unitedwaycc.org/volrec.htm
http://www..positivepromotions.com
http://www.voluncheer.com
http://www.energizeinc.com
McNally

4-H Venturers Headed to the Boundary Waters in 2005 - Details are being finalized for the 2005 Venturers Program, which offers a unique high adventure challenge to teens and adults who thrive on the "fear factor" and seek a wilderness experience.

The 2005 adventure will take place June 22-July 2, and will be offered to 27 teens and adults. The adventure include 6 days and 5 nights canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area in northern Minnesota plus fun road trip adventures to the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN, as well as the Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior.

A promotional flyer and registration materials will be sent to your office by late February. These materials will also be available on the 4-H Venturers webpage: www.kansas4-h.org/Venturers  Registrations will be due April 1st in the State 4-H Office. McNally

Make checks payable to "Riley County Kennel Club" and mail, along with registration and proof of vaccinations to : Dan Rogers, 2909 Nevada, Manhattan, KS 66502.  If you have any questions please call (785-532-5813) daytime or (539-6340 evenings) or email drogers@ksu.edu

Check-in will begin at 8:30 AM.  An approximately one and one-half hour workshop will begin at 9:00 AM. The contest will begin approximately one-half hour after the workshop.

You are required to clean up after your dog inside and out, and remove all trash when the match is over.  Dogs must be kept on leash or kenneled at all times when they are not in the ring.  Any individuals exhibiting unsportsmanlike behavior, any dog that attacks another dog, and any person found abusing dogs anywhere on the site, will be asked to leave.

The workshop and match will be conducted by Dr. Charles (Bud) Kramer, who will also lead the workshop and discuss contest procedures and rules.  Dr. Kramer conceived the basic concepts of Rally Style Obedience, which were first published in an article on dog agility. 

Food stand available for continental breakfast and lunch.  Visit: http://www.www.Kansas4-H.org/ and click on "What's Hot" for registration information.  Adams

Dog Care and Training Action Team - A meeting is planned for March 12, 2005, in conjunction with the Rally Obedience Workshop, at Potorff Hall in Manhattan! We would also like to recruit and invite potential new Action Team members to this spring meeting. Anyone wishing to serve should complete a nomination form and submit it to your local Extension Office for submission to the State 4-H Office by March 1, 2005!!   Adams    jadams@oznet.ksu.edu

Moving Ahead: Preparing the Youth Development Professional Training - We invite you to attend the "Moving Ahead: Preparing the Youth Development Professional" training set for April 26 - 28, 2005, at Rock Springs 4-H Center.

Moving Ahead is designed to provide the basic principles and practices of youth development, as well as the language needed to advocate for youth and their families, and for programs you offer that support them. It is structured to take advantage of the opportunity to network with one another; to gain from the commonality, as well as diversity of your experiences; and to strategize an integrated approach to working with youth in your community.

The course will start at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26, and end at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 28. Registration cost is $275 and will include all materials, meals, breaks, and lodging. Deadline to register is April 1.

Registration brochures will be available soon on the state 4-H web site. Contact Diane Mack at: dmack@oznet.ksu.edu for more information. Mack/Hinshaw

Basic 4-H Operations I Training -  begins at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 18, and goes through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19. All sessions will be held at Pottorf Hall, CiCo Park, Manhattan. This training is now part of the New Agent Training Cycle, but anyone in the system who would like a refresher course is welcome. 

Topics to be addressed include: 4-H Financial Management, VIP, Accountability to the 4-H Mission, Learning Through Events, Risk Management, Program Planning, Program Management, and more.

Diane Mack, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, NE, and Beth Hinshaw, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, SE, are co-presenters for this training.

If you have questions, please contact Diane or Beth. Cost to attend is $20 payable to the Kansas 4-H Foundation. Please contact Diane Mack at: dmack@oznet.ksu.edu by April 1 if you plan to attend. Hope to see you there! Mack/Hinshaw

Meet David Henderson - Vice President for Strategic Communications, National 4-H Council. David is the force behind the new 4-H Umbrella Statement and the push for the new national 4-H web site, http://4husa.org

David is coming to Kansas to present at the State 4-H Ambassadors Workshop March 18 - 19. We have arranged for him to meet with interested folks on Friday March 18. He will be on campus March 18, starting about 11:00. Please let Diane Mack or Rod Buchele know if you would like to be part of the group meeting with him. Also plan to hear him by attending the Ambassador Workshop; information is on the web:
http://www.Kansas4-H.org/Events/Ambassador/Default.htm

Here is a great article from David's Feb. 04 blog.

"What are 'sub-messages?' As I've met with extension and 4H groups to discuss the 'umbrella' message that has evolved, so naturally, from meetings with the youth of 4H, I am asked about sub-messages ... how do you go about figuring out what is a sub-message. That's the next step in my work with state organizations ... to facilitate workshops on how to craft persuasive messages.  Messages provide focus to what we say. 

"In a nutshell, it goes like this -- think about the way that you and I communicate. Communication is a two-way street -- you say something, I might respond with a question. We communicate in roughly organized thoughts. We present an idea, support it with caveats or examples. While we might use slang, we don't speak in clichés or slogans or taglines like advertising but they don't make any sense and create confusion. We try our best ... usually ... to articulate clarity in our statements.  When someone asks us what time it is, we tell them. We don't start by building them a clock or explain the evolution of time. 

"Defined messages help point us in the right direction. It's a starting point. For example, if I were to ask you "what is 4H all about?," you could begin by saying that "4H is a community of young people ... across America ... who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills." Then, you can expand that with a sub-message. For example, you could talk about what you mean by a 'community of young people" or "leadership." You could take it in any direction you chose ... to provide examples, stories and even supporting data, such as the millions of youth who are touched each day by 4H programs. 

"Think of the 'umbrella' message as a starting point and sub-messages as the way to bring the concept of 4H alive through examples. You personalize it through your personal sub-messages.
Want to discuss it more? Invite me to a workshop -- email: dhenderson@fourhcouncil."

We did!  Check out David's blog, http://www.davidhenderson.com/blog/  Buchele

"Call for National 4-H Camp/Conference Memories"  - for National 4-H Headquarters, USDA. Did you know that the first National 4-H Conference was in 1927 and was called National 4-H Camp? Delegates slept on cots in tents, supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. From the earliest days, participants visited Capitol Hill as part of this annual event. In the 1940's and 1950's, the event was held at various locations around Washington where delegates no longer slept in tents. In 1957, the Camp became known as National 4-H Conference.  Since 1959, the National 4-H Conference has been held at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center (which is operated by our private partner, National 4-H Council) in Chevy Chase, Maryland. 

In 2005, the National 4-H Headquarters, located within Families, 4-H and Nutrition at USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, will sponsor the 75th National 4-H Conference! 

To celebrate this historic moment, National 4-H Headquarters is collecting stories from past National 4-H Camp/Conference participants. Participants of all ages are invited to share their fondest National 4-H Camp/Conference memories. A selection of stories, with participants' permission, may later be shared on the National 4-H Conference website or other Conference materials. Contact information is requested for the sole use of National 4-H Headquarters, USDA, for follow-up regarding entries.

Share your stories at http://www.4-h.org/2005conf.

Questions about National 4-H Conference? Contact Maria Parisi, Youth Development Program Specialist, at National 4-H Headquarters, USDA, at 202-720-8857or mparisi@csrees.usda.gov.

Please share this information via email, newsletter, etc., with everyone you know who has ever attended National 4-H Camp/Conference!  McNally