Friday, March 30, 2012

4-H Camp T-Shirt Design

Are you interested in creating a design for this year's Camp T-Shirt? Click on the link below for more details!

4-H Camp T-Shirt Design

Thursday, March 8, 2012

4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp

4-H Great Lakes & Natural Resources Camp

July 29 – August 4, 2012
Camp Chickagami
Presque Isle, Michigan

Teens 12 – 15 years old:

Go charter fishing, snorkeling or sailing! Hike through forests! Wade through wetlands! Explore dunes! These are just a few of the exciting activities you can do at 4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp.


If you want to have fun and amazing outdoor hands-on learning experiences, come to the week-long adventure known as 4-H Great Lakes & Natural Resources Camp.

 Ten reasons to attend camp
1.  Have fun in the great outdoors doing camp activities such as fishing, boating, swimming, hiking and having a campfire!
2. Learn about and enjoy Great Lakes ecol­ogy and Michigan’s diverse natural resources.
3. Explore natural resources management issues and what you can do to help.
4. Find out about careers related to the Great Lakes and natural resources.
5. Learn from Michi­gan State University faculty, MSU Exten­sion program staff and others who are also natural resources experts.
6. Discover environmental education proj­ects that you can do at home.
7. Make new friends from across the state and learn about where they are from.
8. Enjoy a chance to be independent from your family in a safe, friendly environment.
9. Learn new ideas, skills and techniques you can use for the rest of your life.
10. Develop your leadership abilities.

When and where is camp?
4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp will be held July 29 to August 4, 2012. Lodging, meals and programming will take place at Camp Chicka­gami, near the shore of Lake Huron between Alpena and Rogers City. The state-licensed camp has dormitory-style cabins, a dining hall, and toilet and shower facilities.

Who should attend?
You do not need to be a 4-H member to attend 4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp!
You can apply to attend 4-H Great Lakes and Natural Resources Camp if you’ll be aged 13 to 15 during camp. (Note: If you’ll be entering eighth grade in the fall after camp but have a late sum­mer or fall birthday so you’ll only be 12 during camp, you may still apply.)
Space is limited to 70 campers.

How much does camp cost?
The fee of $335 for campers who are 4-H members and $345 for campers who are not 4-H members includes meals and snacks, lodging, a T-shirt, and program and activity fees. Donors to the Michigan 4-H Foundation, Michigan Sea Grant Extension and Michigan State University Extension generously offset about 26 percent of the real $450-a-camper cost!

How do I apply?
You can download a camp application from http://4h.msue.msu.edu/4h/glnrc or pick one up from your county Michigan State University Extension office. The packet includes the Camper Application, Code of Conduct, Parent or Guardian Consent forms, and optional partial scholarship request information.
Send your completed application packet and deposit ($100 for 4-H members; $110 for non-4-H members) by May 14 to:
4-H GLNR Camp Registration/Attn Holly Lacina Michigan State University 160 Agriculture Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Please make the deposit check or money order pay­able to MSU and write 4-H GLNR Camp on the memo line.
If space is still available after May 14, late enroll­ments will be accepted with a $25 late fee until camp fills or until June 8, 2012, whichev­er comes first. The remaining $235 payment is due by June 11, 2012, along with additional forms that will be sent to you in a camper accep­tance letter.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Exploration Days 2012


Registration Books and Forms are now available at the Marquette County MSU Extension office or may be downloaded (see "Forms" below).
About 4-H Exploration Days
More than 2,500 students and adult chaperones will be on the Michigan State University campus June 20-22 for the 43rd annual 4-H Exploration Days.  Participants stay in residence halls and attend sessions in their areas of interest ranging from veterinary medicine to Web design, performing arts, how to start their own business, organic farming and many more. Nearly 200 hands-on classroom and field trip sessions are offered.   Participants from Marquette County must have turned 12 years old before January 1, 2012 in order to participate in the event.

Exploration Days, Michigan’s largest annual 4-H event, is designed to help students learn new ideas and techniques while exploring career options and developing decision-making, independence and teamwork skills. They also meet and interact with people from different backgrounds and areas throughout Michigan. 4-H volunteers and staff are on hand to offer oversight and guidance.


“Exploration Days gives 4-H youth an authentic collegiate experience,” says Judy Ratkos, MSU Extension 4-H Youth Development program leader and coordinator of the event. “They are exposed to things they cannot get at the local level. Information learned in a session may spark their interest in a college major or career.”


When not in sessions, students will have a plethora of recreation and learning choices. This year’s Exploration Days features tours of the MSU Skandalaris Football Center, Breslin Student Events Center, the MSU Dairy Store, the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, the 4-H Children’s Gardens and a planetarium show. The opening night entertainment on June 20 features 
Judson Laipply, creator and performer of “The Evolution of Dance” and an award - winning speaker and inspirational comedian


Here's a clip of Judson:




The annual State 4-H Awards Celebration, a formal event celebrating the accomplishments of more than 160 Michigan 4-H members, takes place June 21.


Cost and Scholarship Information

Option #1
Option #2
Option #3
Option #4
Current 4-H Members

$239

$199

$126

$86
New and Returning 4-H Members

$249

$209

$136

$96

Full cost with no scholarships
Cost with $40 State 4-H Scholarship applied
Cost with $113 Marquette County 4-H Council Scholarship applied
Cost with $40 State 4-H Scholarship AND $113 Marquette County 4-H Council Scholarship applied


The options above show the cost for youth to participate in the event.  The costs include a $165.00 Exploration Days Registration Fee,  a $24.00 early arrival fee, a $50.00 bus fee, and (for youth not currently enrolled in 4-H) a $10.00 Participation Fee.  In addition to these fees, participants are also responsible for 3 meals while traveling to and from East Lansing.  Some sessions also require that participants pay a "session fee".  See registration booklet for more info.  

The Marquette County 4-H Council and the State 4-H Office provide financial assistance to support the participation of Marquette County youth in this event.  Youth must complete scholarship applications in order to receive financial assistance.  


Marquette County 4-H Council Scholarship
The Marquette County 4-H Council will provide $113.00 scholarships to youth who complete a Marquette County 4-H Council - Exploration Days Scholarship Application Form.  The form must be received by the Marquette County MSU Extension office by April 20, 2012 in order for youth to get this scholarship.

State 4-H Scholarship
Each year the State 4-H office awards each county a limited number of Exploration Days Scholarships.  These $40 scholarships are available to full time youth participants only.  These scholarships are to support participation of financially limited youths who would otherwise not attend and to encourage and support youth who have not participated in Exploration Days in the past.

Registration Instructions and Deadlines

Please note: All participants MUST include 8 session choices on their registration form.  You will not be registered unless your form has all 8 session choice lines completed. 

Everything you need to register for Exploration Days is in the Registration Book.  You can download the book (or only the forms) from this blog.  Printed books are also available either from your club leader or  at the MSU Extension office.  Feel free to stop by and pick one up or contact the office and we can mail you the book and forms. 


Sessions are assigned in the order that registrations are received, so early registration is highly encouraged!  For the best chance of getting assigned to the sessions of your choice, have all paperwork completed and turned in to the Marquette County MSU Extension office no later than March 19, 2012.   Scholarship applications are due April 20.  The final day to register is April 27, 2012.


Forms


Registration Checklist
Marquette County 4-H Council Scholarship Application
State 4-H Scholarship Application
Registration Book
Registration Forms Only

For more information about Exploration Days, visit the website at: http://4h.msue.msu.edu/4h/4_h_exploration_days

Thursday, March 1, 2012

4-H Japan Exchange Program



Summer 2012 - Host a youth from Japan!

This coming summer 52 Japanese students between the ages of 12 and 16 will travel to Michigan along with 4 adult chaperones.  These young people are excited to learn about the customs, culture, values, foods, clothes, and lifestyles of Michigan families, but mostly, they want to meet other young people, make friends, and try communicating in English!  Open your home to an exchange student, and open your lives to the world!


The exchange will take place July 22 to August 18, 2012.  Michigan 4-H is looking for host families that represent the broad diversity of Michigan families, including families from rural and urban communities, single-parent families, and families from all religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.


The youth will be visiting the United States as part of a 4-H Exchange Program. You don’t need to be involved with 4-H to host. You just need a willingness to share your lives and your friendship with a young person from another country.  


The program is open to families who have a child close in age to the Japanese youth. One Japanese visitor will be matched to a family based on the host sibling’s gender, age, and interests. The homestays are only for a month during the summer, but the experience will last a lifetime!  


There are also opportunities to host adult chaperones for 2- 4 weeks.  Families who host chaperones are not required to have children in the home. 


For more information, visit http://www.states4Hexchange.org/

Host family application materials and more information can be found at http://4h.msue.msu.edu/4h/international_exchange_programs

You may also contact the 4-H Program Coordinator at your county MSU Extension office or Brian Wibby, the State Coordinator of the 2012 Japan Summer In-bound Exchange Program.  Call 906-475-5731 or email wibby@msu.edu


4-H POLISH EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE SCHEDULED


Teens, ages14 to 19 as of January 1, 2012, from around Michigan are invited to travel to Poland from June 29 to July 27, 2012.  This travel opportunity is coordinated by Michigan State University Extension, 4-H Youth Development Global and Cultural Programs.  Global and Cultural programs help young people explore, appreciate, and value what people next door, across town and around the world have in common and what makes them unique. Youth who travel to Poland this summer will have the chance to make life-long international friends as they live and explore Poland with a Polish host family and explore a topic of interest in Poland.

Would you like to spend a month with a host family in Poland for the entire month of July 2012?  This life changing experience can happen by contacting your local County MSU Extension Office County 4-H Programs Coordinator or contact the 4-H Polish Exchange Outbound Coordinator, Jan Brinn 269-673-0370 Ext. 2555 or e-mail at brinn@anr.msu.edu for an application.  Send your application along with a deposit of $750.00 payable to Michigan State University Extension by April 1, 2012 to Jan Brinn, MSU Extension Educator, Allegan County MSUE, Human Services Building, 3255 122nd Avenue, Suite 103, Allegan, MI 49010-9511.  The total estimated cost is approximately $2000.00.  Some counties offer scholarships as well as fund-raising opportunities.  Orientation for travelers will be held in May, 2012.  The location will be based on the distribution of students in the state.  Do not let this exciting global educational opportunity pass you by!

You can find out more about 4-H International opportunities like this one for youth, adults and families; plus the application forms at http://4h.msue.msu.edu/4h/global_cultural_education