The Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team is starting to recruit applicants for our 2013-2014 Team. We're looking for 4-H members and/or recent 4-H alumni who are 16-19 years of age as of 9/1/2013 to apply and interview for a 2-year term starting September 1.

We're looking for top youth leaders who are interested in giving back to the Illinois 4-H program. YLT members plan and conduct the Illinois 4-H Junior Leadership Conference, design and teach the Speaking for Illinois 4-H program, and help with various statewide 4-H events, including but not limited to: Illini Summer Academies, State Fair, Legislative Connection, ACES Connection, Salute to Ag Day and more. Representatives from the Team also serve on the Illinois 4-H Foundation Board of Directors and the Illinois Farm Bureau Youth Education Committee. YLT members have the first opportunity to apply for trips to National 4-H Conference in Washington, D.C.

The application is available on the 4-H website (http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/members/leadership_sylt.cfm) and on the 4-H Contacts portal (Youth & Adult Volunteer Opportunities = Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team). Applications are due postmarked by June 15 for interviews to be conducted June 23-25 at the Illini Summer Academies or August 1 for interviews to be conducted August 8-13 at the Illinois State Fair.

Help us recruit the best teen 4-H leaders in the state to help us continue to conduct our statewide 4-H programs!

Illinois has been selected as one of five states to pilot the 4-H: Empowering Youth to End Hunger in Their Communities, an effort to heighten awareness of and solutions to reducing hunger and food insecurity in America. This grant opportunity, sponsored by the National 4-H Council with funding from the Howard G. Buffet Foundation is designed to engage and empower youth through service projects addressing community-based food security and hunger relief. Our goal is to engage a minimum of 500 youth and 100 adults in providing 10,000 service hours addressing this important issue. Program information for staff is posted to the Portal under Groups/4-H Contacts/Feeding and Growing Our Communities and includes:

Feeding and Growing Our Communities Overview – background information about the opportunity and useful websites.

2013 Illinois Challenge Grant Application – application form for use by 4-H clubs and extension staff in applying for funding.

4-H Ending Hunger Toolkit – a compiled source of resources, activities, and workshop suggestions to increase awareness of hunger and food insecurity and the Invest An Acre program for farmers and landowners.

Illini Fighting Hunger Community Partner Handbook – a step-by-step resource is provided by the Illini Fighting Hunger organization for groups interested in organizing a meal-packaging event to fight hunger in their community, county or region. Illini Fighting Hunger is a student led volunteer organization serving the UIUC campus and expands their reach into the state. If you are interested in observing and learning more about a meal-packaging event join Chancellor Phyllis Wise on April 20 as the U of I Campus community volunteers gather to assemble 146,000 meals representing 1,000 meals for every year the University of Illinois has been in existence.

This information will be posted to the State 4-H website and a notice will be emailed to 4-H leaders who had members enrolled in vegetable gardening during the 2011-12 4-H program year.

How can you get involved? Please communicate this opportunity to all 4-H clubs in your county/unit and challenge them to practice BIG M as they engage as a group to learn about hunger/food insecurity in their community and how they can become part of the solution in alleviating this significant need.

Feeding and Growing Our Communities Webinar – plan now to attend the Feeding and Growing Our Communities Webinar scheduled for Friday, April 19 from 1:30 – 2:30 PM. Following is the registration link:

https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=8182

Once your registration is complete you will receive a confirming email with the Meeting ID and Password.

The April/May 2013 issue of the Illinois Leader is now available for download from the portal under Volunteer Support: Illinois Leader. It will also be posted shortly to the Illinois 4-H web site under Volunteers: Volunteer Support: Leader Resources: Illinois Leader. Please share this newsletter with your 4-H leaders via email, by linking it on your county/Unit web site, by including it in your county/Unit newsletter, or by providing paper copies at leader meetings.

We have rescheduled the cancelled September Speaking for Illinois 4-H Training and reopened registration for more participants! The new session is set for Saturday, November 17 at the Scott County Extension Office in Winchester.

Speaking for Illinois 4-H trains older 4-H members in advanced public presentation - how to solicit donations, provide reports to county boards, speak to state legislators, presentations for civic groups, etc. We train these youth to help YOU in the local Unit to spread the 4-H story and get the word out! Members receive a brief training in BIGM and the importance in including that type of data/information in talking about 4-H to stakeholders. Pam Weber, the legislative lobbyist for Extension Partners, provides informaton on putting together the member's 4-H story to share with legislators and county board members. As an extra bonus, SFI4-H youth are invited to help at the spring Legislative Connection event(s).

SFI4-H trainees must be at least 14 years old to participate. Get them excited about sharing not only their own accomplishments, but those of the entire Extension program within your county and/or Extension unit.

Registration items are already posted to the 4-H Contacts Portal, including the link to the registration site. The Illinois 4-H website page (http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/members/leadership_sfi4h.cfm) is also updated, including the link to a new registration site.

Youth who were registered for the September 29th session do not need to re-register. However, they MUST complete a NEW Agreement to Assume Risk Form and send that in for the November session. If they were already registered, but cannot attend, have them notify Deb Stocker and we will refund their registration fee from the first session.

Speaking for Illinois 4-H is designed, sponsored, and taught by members of the Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team -- Teens teaching teens! Get your teens involved now and you'll have help throughout the rest of the program year!

Clover Challenge Grants for 2012 – 13 Now Available

Applications for the 2012-13 4-H Clover Challenge Grant program are now available for downloading from the Illinois 4-H Foundation website. Thanks to DuPont Pioneer and the Illinois Soybean Association for sponsoring this opportunity for a second year. Staff and members can download the applications at: http://4hfoundation.illinois.edu/financial_support.

Staff are encouragedto review the applications on line as the information included will answer many of their questions. In addition to meeting both age and project requirements as listed in the application, selected applicants will be expected to:

• Secure an adult mentor (non-parent) to discuss their plans and seek advice/guidance and will meet with their mentor at least two times during the year
• Submit a Plan of Action detailing the steps they will follow to complete their study, secure the signature of their local 4-H Youth Development educator and their Mentor and return a copy to the State 4-H Office
• Agree to share their results using a minimum of two different methods to communicate with the public

Please note: all 2012 State FairExhibitors in Crops and Foods and Nutrition projects meeting the age requirements andreceived a Superior ratingwill receive a special email invitation to participate. Applications are due December 1 and program acceptance will be communicated with all applicants before January 1. Applicants will have between January 1 and July 31, 2013to complete their plan and report their accomplishments.

Please let me know if you have additional questions. Bill

Yes, you can start planning for the new 4-H year already by promoting the next Speaking for Illinios 4-H Training!! It's been set for Saturday, September 29th in Winchester at the Scott County Extension Office.

As a reminder, Speaking for Illinois 4-H trains older 4-H members in advanced public presentation - how to solicit donations, provide reports to county boards, speak to state legislators, presentations for civic groups, etc. We train these youth to help YOU in the local Unit to spread the 4-H story and get the word out! Members receive a brief training in BIGM and the importance in including that type of data/information in talking about 4-H to stakeholders. Pam Weber, the legislative lobbyist for Extension Partners, provides informaton on putting together the member's 4-H story to share with legislators and county board members. As an extra bonus, SFI4-H youth are invited to help at the spring Legislative Connection event(s).

Start recruiting your older 4-H members this summer at your fairs and 4-H shows. SFI4-H trainees must be at least 14 years old to participate. Get them excited about sharing not only their own accomplishments, but those of the entire Extension program within your county and/or Extension unit.

Registration items are already posted to the 4-H Contacts Portal, including the link to the registration site. The Illinois 4-H website page (http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/members/leadership_sfi4h.cfm) is almost ready - the download materials are ready, but the link to the registration site is not updated yet. (Had a glitch this morning; hopefully it will be ready to go by Thursday!)

Speaking for Illinois 4-H is designed, sponsored, and taught by members of the Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team -- Teens teaching teens! Get your teens involved now and you'll have help throughout the rest of the program year!

The Illinois 4-H Foundation recently received a $4,500 grant as one of the annual charitable distributions from the 1^st Farm Credit Donor Advised Fund, established in 2010 through the IAA Foundation. The mission of the IAA Foundation is to fund education, research, and charitable activities that benefit Illinois farm families and agriculture.

With these funds, the Illinois 4-H Foundation is able to help provide the 4-H experience and develop future leaders through new 4-H Metro Clubs and assist the 4-H Youth Leadership Team with efforts throughout the state while they mentor younger 4-H members. 1^st Farm Credit's generosity will also allow the continued collaboration with Illinois 4-H as a Project Partner, focusing on providing experiences around science, engineering, and technology within all project areas.

To view full press release and photo: http://4hfoundation.illinois.edu/content/illinois-4-h-foundation-receives-gift

The Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team is starting to recruit older Illinois 4-H members and recent 4-H alumni to apply and interview for the 2012-2014 term. We are looking for 4-H teens who have demonstrated leadership abilities and are willing to step forward and assist with programming on the statewide level.

Information regarding the Youth Leadership Team and their activities, along with the YLT application, is available on the Youth Leadership Team page of the 4-H website: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/members/leadership_sylt.cfm. Applicants must be at least 16 years of age by September 1, 2012 (and no older than 19 by that date) in order to apply. We will be interviewing to fill 3-8 positions on the team from teens from across the state.

Applications are due at two times during the summer, depending on when the members wants to interview. Interviews at the Illini Summer Academies require applications be sent to the State 4-H Office no later than June 15. Interviews will be conducted June 24, 25 or 26 during meal and break times. Youth do NOT need to be attending ISA in order to interview on those dates, but they will be required to come to Champaign/Urbana for the interview.

For interviews during State Fair (August 10-14), applications are due by August 1. Interviews will be held on the State Fairgrounds.

If you would like a promotional piece to give to your teens, you can run a copy of the YLT brochure at your office. It is designed to be run on the 4-H marketing 3-segment brochure paper. If you don't use this paper, you will have large blocks of "white" on your copies of the brochure.

The April-May issue of the Illinois Leader has now been posted to the Portal under Groups: 4-H Contacts: Volunteer Support: Illinois Leader. It has also been sent to our web folks to post on the Illinois 4-H web site under Volunteers: Volunteer Support: Illinois Leader. Please consider a variety of methods to share this information with your 4-H leaders: print copy in newsletter, link on your county 4-H web site, email file to leaders, distribute copies at face-to-face meetings.

We are excited to announce a spring Speaking for Illinois 4-H (SFI4-H) Training has been scheduled for Saturday, May 10 in Woodstock at the McHenry County Farm Bureau.

All promotional materials are available on the 4-H contacts portal under Youth & Adult Volunteer Opportunities = Speaking for Illinois 4-H. An updated promotional brochure, fact sheet, and registration link will be posted to the Illinois 4-H webpage shortly: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/members/leadership_sfi4h.cfm.

With the uncertainty of the state budget, now is the time to recruit our older 4-H members to help us tell the 4-H story - to county board members, to state legislators, to potential donors. SFI4-H provides training to members in the basics of Postive Youth Development, BIGM, 4-H statistics, telling your 4-H story, and more to help Extension staff in getting the word out about their outstanding programs.

Check out the materials on the portal and then starting recruiting members age 14 and above for this leadership opportunity. SFI4-H members join Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team members in helping at the State Capitol for our 4-H Legislative Connection events.

We are excited to announce the five youth delegates who will be representing Illinois at the 2012 National 4-H Conference this spring! Heading to Washington D.C. and Chevy Chase, MD from March 24-30 will be:

Aleska Barkoviak, McLean County
Brad Braddock, Marion County
Ann Clary, McLean County
Blair Phillips, McLean County
Matheu Poust, Kane County

Aleska, Brad, Ann, & Blair will be representing the Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team. Matheu was selected as a "delegate at large" to complete our 4-H membership representation.

While in Washington, D.C., the delegates will work in roundtable discussion groups focusing on national issues of importance to teens. The 2012 topics include Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention; Youth Suicide Prevention; Healthy Eating & Living; Equal Education Opportunitieis for Under-Represented Groups (Rural and Inner City); Integration of Veterans and Military Family Members into the Local Community; Using Science & Technology to Improve your Local Community; Making Education Relevant for Future Career Readiness; and Creating the Next American Scientist. After discussions, roundtable groups will provide briefings to national leaders of agencies, organizations, and industry on their findings.

Illinois delegates will also visit our federal legislators to promote the 4-H program and Extension, as well as tour several national memorials and museums. They will also participate in various workshops focusing on decision-making, issue planning, roming partnerships, event planning, or self-identity.

Once delegates return, they will spend the next year working on a statewide special project to complete their commitment to this Conference.

The Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team has scheduled the next Speaking for Illinois 4-H (SFI4-H) Training for Saturday, March 3 in Breese at the Clinton County Extension Office (Unit #23). Registration is already open for this training.

SFI4-H Training is open to Illinois 4-H members ages 14-18 with the approval of their local Extension office. Extension staff are expected to work with and use the skills learned by these members to recruit new volunteers, present to civic groups, seek donors for programs, and/or provide information to local and state elected officials. Youth receive advance training in public presentations, Positive Youth Development, BIGM, using state and county statistics, how to tell their 4-H story, and speak with donors and elected officials.

The following items and links have been posted on the 4-H Contacts Portal (Youth & Adult Volunteer Leadership Opportunities = Speaking for Illinois 4-H) to help you promote this program. This includes all the paperwork that is also needed to register for this event.

SFI4-H Fact Sheet - Winter 2012

SFI4-H Promotional Brochure

SFI4-H Promotional Flyer (Updated for March Training)

SFI4-H Fact Sheet (updated for Winter 2012)

SFI4-H Application

Agreement to Assume Risk Form

FI4-H Media Release

Link to 3/3 Training Registration Site

Information has been forwarded to the webmaster and items should be updated on the SFI4-H page on the 4-H website shortly: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/state4h/members/leadership_sfi4h.cfm.

Youth who have completed the SFI4-H Training will be invited to participate in the Legislative Connection dates at the State Capitol this spring. SFI4-H and Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team members who can attend any of the Legislative Connection dates will be assigned to visit specific state legislators to discuss University of Illinois Extension and 4-H programming accomplishments. Those dates have just been finalized and are scheduled for April 18-19 and May 15-16. More details will be sent to SFI4-H youth later in the spring about registration and responsibilities.

Registration is OPEN for the 2012 Illinois 4-H Jr. Leadership Conference! The Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team provides this event for junior high (7th and 8th grade) 4-H members. This year's conference is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, February 25-27 at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center in Urbana.

The 2012 theme is Find the Clue to the Leader in U. All youth attend all workshops - 2012 topics will include Animal Science, Community Service, Forensics Science, Leadership Development, and Theatre Arts. In addition, delegates will have a great time with all of the mixers and team-building activities planned to keep them active and involved.

The registration cost has increased to $125 for the 2012 conference and includes the hotel room, 3 meals, programming materials, special insurance, and conference t-shirt. 2012 Illinois 4-H Junior Leadership Conference Registration. Members attending are permitted to bring along one non-4-H friend. Registration is currently open and will close Monday, January 30. Final payments and paperwork must be postmarked by February 1 or the registration will be cancelled.

A limited number of scholarships are available for first-time 4-H members. The application is available on the 4-H contacts portal and the Illinois 4-H website and is due by Monday, January 9. Illinois 4-H JLC Scholarship

Adult chaperones are also needed for this event. Chaperones are placed in charge of up to 10 youth of the same gender. All chaperones must be screened by the University of Illinois Extension Volunteer Screening process and must pay the $125 registration fee. If they wish to have a single hotel room, an additional fee is required.

Various promotional pieces are located on the 4-H Contacts portal under Events/Statewide/Illinois 4-H Junior Leadership Conference. Please contact any YLT member or Deb Stocker (dstocker@illinois.edu) if you have any questions.