2014 is the Centennial of the Smith-Lever Act, which provided federal funding for the Cooperative Extension Service and, thereby, 4-H programs nationwide. To mark this significant milestone, the National 4-H History Preservation Program is debuting “Voices of Extension History,” drawing on the success of “Voices of 4-H History.” The program is rolling out at the GALAXY IV Conference in Pittsburgh, September 15-19. With all Extension professional associations meeting together, it’s a perfect place to illustrate how 4-H’ers, rapidly learning to document 4-H History through our own “Voices” project, can record and broadcast the vitally important impact made on America’s development by the Cooperative Extension Service. 4-H members are now producing “4-H History” films; from here, they can extend their reach to “Extension History” and document that meaningful impact.Besides news about our participation n GALAXY IV, this month’s Newsletter encourages linking the myriad 4-H History websites, records the dedication of Danforth Court’s “American Girl” statue, includes fun activities to honor the historic legacy of 4-H songs, and seeks help with the Report to the Nation Team. How can you not click to enter?
Connect with 4-H History…
If you manage a website related to 4-H, we would greatly appreciate a link on your site pointing to 4-HHistoryPreservation.com.
Images, complete with the HTML code, may be found at http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/Connect/
GALAXY IV pan-Extension conference in Pittsburgh, September 15-19,
If you’re going to the GALAXY IV pan-Extension conference in Pittsburgh, September 15-19, look for us there; come by and say “Hi.” We have an exhibit and two Poster Sessions: “Voices of 4-H History” and “Voices of Extension History (based on the 4-H model).” Even if you’re not going, we hope you enjoy this issue of the 4-H History Newsletter. Feedback is always welcome at Info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com.
National Archives Historical Materials
National Archives has 70 boxes of historical 4-H materials which need to be further reviewed and cataloged, with many items digitized. These boxed treasures range in topics from “Music in 4-H” to “4-H and War Programs” to “Urban 4-H.” The National 4-H History Preservation Leadership Team plans to review this cache in the coming year. Would you like to help? Fascinating research opportunities available! Contact Info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com.
Local Leaders! Without you …
“Local Leaders! Without You, 4-H Club Work as we Know it Would Not Exist!” proclaimed the July/August, 1938, National 4-H Club News, as it honored the contribution of 4-H volunteers. In the July, 1919, Farm Boys’ and Girls’ Leader and Club Achievements, an article featured accomplished 4-H members from Port Washington, OH, and Dallas County, IA, who went on to become valued volunteer leaders. This month’s “Hands-On History” suggestion is to interview local volunteer leaders and document the contributions they make to the strength of 4-H. Since 1938, the then-100,000 volunteer leader force has increased five-fold to serve six million 4-H members.
This 1956 National 4-H Calendar recognizes 4-H Leaders
Hot August Summer – “Cool” 4-H Happenings!
Hot August Summer – “Cool” 4-H Happenings!
One of the “coolest” happenings this hot August was the National 4-H FilmFest in Branson, MO; something we can legitimately call “Contemporary 4-H History.” For the first time, this year’s line-up of 38 “youth-made” films from eight states included a category of “4-H History.” Four states (MO, SC, UT, and VT) submitted in the History category. Jordon Bolinger of SC, the only history winner able to attend 4-H Filmfest this year, won third place in the 4-H History category with her “4-H Camp Sew” film. Read further for the first and second place winners.
VT and UT took slightly different approaches to document “Voices of 4-H History.” In VT, the Champlain Shamrocks 4-H Club used http://FrontPorchForum.com to identify people they wanted to interview, and used Windows Movie Maker for the editing. Their film, “Voices of VT 4-H History” took second place in the National 4-H FilmFest. UT members dug into their personal family histories for stories and used iMovie to edit. Amanda Jones’s “4-H History Preservation – LaRee Jones” (her grandmother) won first place at Branson. Are you thinking of entering a 4-H History film in the 2014 FilmFest? Contact Info@4-HistoryPreservation.com
Volunteers for 4-H History Needed
4-H has a rich history – an important history. For those who have worked in Extension or had an affiliation with 4-H in some other way over the years, the National 4-H History Preservation leadership team needs your assistance and your recollections. For those just getting started in your careers, the more you can learn about history, the better you can understand and perform your 4-H responsibilities.
Unfortunately, much of 4-H’s important national history has either been lost or destroyed, or is buried in archives difficult to access by the general public. For four years now, a group of volunteers – mostly retired state and national 4-H extension professionals or retired from National 4-H Council – have been striving to reverse this situation. The National 4-H History Preservation Program leadership team is retrieving and researching 4-H archival materials and writing about relevant 4-H history. Our leadership team works in close collaboration with the 4-H National Headquarters, NIFA, USDA; National 4-H Council and State and County 4-H programs. And, we have a growing group of volunteers helping us. Our initial group of volunteers numbered seven – now we have over 70. We are inviting you to consider becoming a Volunteer for History in the National 4-H History Preservation Program, as well.
Check out the teams and the volunteers at: http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/Teams
You may be interested in helping with our new “Voices of 4-H History” program seeking audio and video interviews about 4-H history and 4-H recollections. Or, the “Hands On” 4-H History project, seeking all kinds of activities for documenting, preserving, appreciating and using history at the local and county levels.
Help us document and write more than 100 segments for the General 4-H History section on the history website. Help us document urban 4-H programs, 4-H camping history, early black 4-H clubs, war time 4-H support and victory gardens, Native American 4-H activities, National 4-H Sunday, National 4-H Conference or contemporary 4-H history like 4-H National Youth Science Day, military family programs, after school programs, robotics and more.
Help us seek books, reports, other literature – films, videos, slide sets – to have digitized and placed in the archives on the 4-H history preservation website. Much of this material that is missing nationally, is probably in some state archive in at least one of the 50 states. We seek your help in locating it.
Help us document 4-H artifacts and establish a network supporting the hundreds of 4-H collectors across the country by providing more attention to the http://4-HCollecting.com website operated by our team.
There are many ways you can become one of the growing number of Volunteers for History. We do most of our communicating via e-mail and usually assign projects to various program teams. You may not wish to do research or writing, but maybe to be a reviewer, once drafts are written. Or, to help locate materials or recruit other volunteers within your state. No red ribbons, no white ribbons. Only blue ribbons for being on our blue ribbon 4-H volunteer history team! Contact us at: info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com
“Voices of 4-H History” Becomes New Competition Category at FilmFest 4-H
Young filmmakers from across the country will soon have yet another way to add to the scope of 4-H history, through the new “Voices of 4-H History” competition category at FilmFest 4-H, the national 4-H film festival. Through early 2013, these teenage filmmakers will be interviewing 4-H alumni, volunteers, staff and supporters, about their personal 4-H experiences. Those efforts meeting the “Voices of 4-H History” guidelines may enter their film at FilmFest 4-H, which takes place during the week of August 5, 2013 in Branson, Missouri.
Films selected for viewing at FilmFest 2013 will be reviewed and judged from a field of films received during the April 15-July 15 submission period. For more information on FilmFest 4-H, visit the website at http://4h.missouri.edu/filmfest or click on the link from the history preservation website at http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/voices/
Contact the National 4-H History Preservation team at: info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com
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Contribute to the National 4-H History Preservation Program
To make a contribution to the National 4-H History Preservation Program, please go to the history website – http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com and “click” on the Donate button in the left hand menu bar on the home page; or mail a check payable to National 4-H Council to:
National 4-H History Preservation Program
National 4-H Council
c/o Wells Fargo Bank
P.O. Box 75375
Baltimore, MD 21275-5375
Please write 4-H History Preservation Program on the memo line of your check.
Thank you for your support. Contact the 4-H History Preservation Program at info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com
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“Voices of 4-H History Introduced at NAE4-HA
In October, 2012, “Voices of 4-H History” was introduced to those attending the 2012 meeting of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents in Orlando, Florida. Over 1,000 4-H agents, volunteers and program leaders had the opportunity to see a 90-second video of historical images projected in the National 4-H Council exhibit area. The 90-second video of historical 4-H images was part of a continuous loop that played numerous times during the two days the exhibit hall was open.
Representatives of the National 4-H History Preservation Leadership Team were available to visit with state and county staff about the Voices project. More than 500 rack cards describing the project were distributed during the conference. Delegates from more than 30 states provided their contact information expressing high interest in the 4-H history project. Many of these contacts had done some history data collections that they are excited about sharing with the national project. The “Voices of 4-H History” team will follow up with those who requested follow up.
The new website for “Voices of 4-H History” was introduced and the web address shared with many at the Orlando meeting. This new web page is designed to serve as a tool kit for local teams wanting to start a “Voices of 4-H History” project in their local community; http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/Voices/
To contact the voices team write: info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com
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