January 2024

Welcome our new

4-H Community Education Specialist!

Placer County 4-H Youth Development Program

Jonathan Stefani is an accomplished 4-H adult volunteer with over 22 years of experience in the Placer County 4-H Youth Development Program. He has grown up in the Auburn area since the late 80’s. He began his 4-H experiences as a youth in the Placer Hills Community Club in the 90’s and attended summer camp at Woodchuck Flat. As he transitioned into an adult, he volunteered as camp staff where he worked in the kitchen, preparing many meals for hungry campers. This role turned into the Camp Director for four years. After his time as a camp volunteer he joined the Ophir 4-H club as a leader of several projects. In 2020, when the club was struggling, Jonathan took the club over as the Community Leader and has grown it to a now thriving club with 119 youth members and 22 adult volunteers. On top of being a very dedicated 4-H adult volunteer, Jonathan is also an active member of the Auburn Rotary club. Jonathan has two boys that both attend Placer High and are members of the Ophir 4-H club. Jonathan is also married to another Placer County 4-H alum who he attended camp with back in 1998. He is delighted to serve and grow the entire Placer County 4-H Youth Development Program in his new position as the Community Education Specialist for Placer County 4-H.

*Pictured left to right: Jonathan, Joey (son), Liza (wife), Ashtan (son)

Community Calendar

January 8: Gold Country Fair Junior Livestock Auction Sub-Committee Social 1/2 hour & Meeting (info below)
January 12: Nevada & Placer County 4-H Camp Counselor Applications due
January 17: Teen Leadership Essentials Webinar: "The Art of Facilitation"
January 21: Placer County Fair Steer & Replacement Heifer Weigh-in, 8-9am
January 28: Summer Camp Teen Counselor's Meeting
February (TBD): Placer 4-H County Field Day - A Day of Contests!
February 15: Teen Leadership Essentials Webinar: "Adapting Without Collapse"
February 25: Summer Camp Teen Counselor's Meeting

March 24: Summer Camp Teen Counselor's Meeting
April 19-24: National 4-H Conference. provide opportunity for young people to connect, learn, engage to impact their communities. Learn more and sign up.
April 28: Summer Camp Teen Counselor's Meeting.
June 2: Summer Camp Teen Counselor's Meeting.
June 23: Summer Camp Teen Counselor's Meeting.
July 15-18: Placer-Nevada 4-H Summer Camp (Donner Mine) - SAVE THE DATE!!

Adult Volunteer Calendar

February 15: Become a Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMFHA) responder (in-person)
March 2: Become a Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMFHA) responder (zoom)
March 5: Online Workshop Series for 4-H Project Leaders: Best Practices in youth development
March 12: Online Workshop Series for 4-H Project Leaders: Learning in 4-H
March 18: Become a Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMFHA) responder (in-person)
March 19: Online Workshop Series for 4-H Project Leaders: Working With All Ages (from 5 to 18) and Abilities
March 26: Online Workshop Series for 4-H Project Leaders: Creating effective youth-adult partnerships & working with youth leaders

Meet 4-H Club President Kamden

Author: Matthew Rodriguez,

Recently I [Matt] had a chance to interview 4-H youth member Kamden who is also this year's 4-H club president for Placer Hills in Placer County. The following are Kamden's responses to my questions.

About Kamden

[Matt] What is your current role in the 4-H program? Describe your involvement and any leadership responsibilities you have.

[Kamden] I am currently the President of the Placer Hills 4-H club. My responsibilities include planning and running community meetings, setting and cleaning up before and after meetings, and simply educating younger 4-H'ers.

Read the entire article here.

Interested in playing a larger role at the 2024 Gold Country Fair?

The Fairgrounds would like to invite you to the January 2024 Junior Livestock Auction Sub-Committee meeting on Monday, January 8, 2024 at 6:00 pm in the Auburn Host Lions Building.

Come early for a 'Social Half-Hour' to meet GCF Staff and enjoy a snack!

For more information about the Junior Livestock Auction Sub-Committee, please visit their website:

Gold Country Fair Junior Livestock Auction Sub-Committee

Summer Camp Counselor Applications are Due!

Counselor application deadline is January 12, 2024!
Applicant must be currently enrolled in 4-H or will enroll in the 4-H program before counselor meetings start.
Counselor candidates must be age 14 and above, or age 13 having completed the 8th grade by time of camp.

Click for Full Details

Click for more info about workshops

2024 State Fashion Review

The SFR categories have been announced!

4-H Bi-County Officer Training

Author: Taylor H., Ophir 4-H Club Reporter

Attention all officers! Just over a month ago, on October 28th, the Bi-County Officer Training was held at Magnolia Middle School in Grass Valley. It's an event where all 4-H officers get to go and share a little about their position with others, as well as learn new and interesting things about their roles! Whether this is your first year on the board, or you've been a part of the team for years, you can always learn something new! Once there, you play games, learn how to move a motion (Example: I motion that our club holds a food drive this fall), and give a short presentation on your role. Multiple clubs attend this event, so you always have a chance to meet someone new!

The Bi-County Officer Training is an amazing experience that all 4-H officers, old or new, should have a chance to engage in. I hope to see you there next year!

Leadership Opportunities

Placer County 4-H Committee

We invite you to sign up for one of nine 4-H committees. This leadership group will help shape the future of our 4-H Placer program.

Resources

Volunteer Educators' Guide

Check out the new 4-H Volunteer Educators' Guide. This document provides important information and resources for 4-H volunteers, such as: creating positive learning environments for youth, crafting engaging project lessons, tailoring project lessons according to youth's ages and stages, understanding 4-H lingo, creating 4-H lesson plans, youth-adult partnerships, developing youth leaders, safety and insurance, and other 4-H resources and trainings.

Download the Free Volunteer Educators' Guide

ZSuite Enrollment Support Document

Here is a help sheet on how to confirm member enrollments. This document better aligns with the current Unit Report options in ZSuite. Download document here.

4-H Updates Newsletter from State Office

Here is the November 4-H Updates email newsletter from the State Office. View email here.

Volunteer Resources

Youth Member Resources

Visit the New CA 4-H Resource Website

UC Cooperative Extension - Placer County 4-H Office

11477 E Avenue (enter through D Avenue Off Richardson Blvd.) Auburn, CA 95603

Phone: 530-889-7386 | FAX: 530-889-7397 | placer4h@ucanr.edu

Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m | Closed from 12:00 -1:00 PM on Fridays

Jonathan Stefani

4-H Community Education Specialist

jestefani@ucanr.edu

Matthew Rodriguez, PhD

4-H Advisor

mrro@ucanr.edu

Vera M. Bullard

Regional Program Coordinator

vmbullard@ucanr.edu

Dan Macon

County Director

dmacon@ucanr.edu

Visit our Placer County 4-H website

The University of California working in cooperation with County Government

and the United States Department of Agriculture.

It is the policy of the University of California (UC) and the UC Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities. (Complete nondiscrimination policy statement can be found at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/215244.pdf). Inquiries regarding ANR’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to UCANR, Affirmative Action Compliance & Title IX Officer, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2801 Second Street, Davis, CA 95618, (530) 750-1397.