Are you interested in joining 4-H this year, as a youth or volunteer? Make sure you complete your enrollment or re-enrollment! If you have any questions or experience any issues with enrolling, please contact the Extension office at 517-543-2310 or email oosterh6@msu.edu.

Each year, youth who wish to join 4-H must enroll or re-enroll in our 4-H Online database.

The link to 4-H Online2.0 and help documents on the enrollment and re-enrollment process can be found at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/michigan_4_h_enrollment

A few important tips with 4HOnline2.0:

All returning volunteers must complete both of these steps (deadline dates are different for everyone! Check step 1 for your date). If you are new and wish to apply as a volunteer, please apply at https://msu.samaritan.com/custom/502/volunteer_home.

If you wish to resign from volunteering, please also reach out so that we can record that in the system. Thank you for your dedication to volunteering with the 4-H program.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shift and change, Michigan State University issued new guidance for the broader MSU community on October 13. These changes impact attendees of MSU Extension programs occurring on non-MSU property. Effective immediately, the following guidelines apply to indoor MSU Extension or Michigan 4-H programs or events:

For the purpose of MSU Extension events and programs, indoor events are considered those in an enclosed building with limited airflow. Barns and other outbuildings that have multiple doors that can be fully opened to maximize air flow are considered an outdoor, open air facility.

To help figure out if you need to require participants to wear a face covering at your 4-H meeting, please view the chart at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/outreach/about/approved-activities or contact Kristy at 517-543-2310 or oosterh6@msu.edu to talk through options.

The Eaton County MSU Extension office is open on Mondays - Fridays from 8:30am - 5pm, closed from noon - 1pm. Please note that the office may be occasionally closed due to availability of staff. It is recommended to call ahead to set up an appointment by calling 517-543-2310. If you need to meet with Kristy, please email oosterh6@msu.edu or call the office to set up an appointment. As a reminder, there is a dropbox behind the office that can be used for forms or other paperwork when the office is closed.

We are transitioning back to in-person county level meetings. All meetings will be in-person at the PMR (basement conference room at the Extension office building) and will offer a Zoom option to connect virtually to the meetings, unless otherwise indicated (subject to change with COVID-19 guidelines). If you would like a virtual connection option for these meetings, please use the Zoom registration link for each meeting to register. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with the connection information. If nobody is registered for the Zoom option by 5pm the day of the meeting, Zoom connection will not be set up.

Did you miss out on the Eaton County 4-H Council t-shirts sold during fair week or during pre-orders? You still can get a shirt!

Buy your t-shirts at the MSU Extension office during office hours (Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30am - 5pm; highly recommended to call 517-543-2310 prior to visiting). T-shirts are $12 each (2XL and 3XL sizes add $2/shirt). Sizes are available until gone, if your size is gone, sign-up on the list for a future order!

The Michigan 4-H Helping With Rainbow Hands Club (formerly the Michigan 4-H LGBTQIA+ Alliance) is reopening applications for the teen leadership team. Members of this team will serve as advisors for the club, working together to determine the direction and activities of the group and eventually assisting with the establishment of more local/regional clubs around the state. Currently, the teen leadership team meets via Zoom on the first and third Sundays of the month at 7pm.

This opportunity is open to youth ages 15-19 and they do not have be current 4-H members to apply. The application and further information about the club can be accessed here: https://forms.gle/4VHiuGjNK7hzKSAw5

Applications should be submitted by November 5.

Wednesday, November 10

7:30pm-8:30pm

Children are experiencing challenging times managing numerous stressors, including demands on time and energy. This workshop will help 4-H volunteers who work with children identify what causes stress, identify common signs and symptoms of stress, and learn strategies for supporting children, youth, and families in managing stress.

Register in advance for this MSU Extension virtual workshop at the following link: https://msu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMldOqsqTMtE9Aa1bPx2bC3vIBlF43nK7-x

MI Diaries is a research project that is documenting changes in the lives and language of Michiganders during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond by collecting oral histories from people all across Michigan. The MI Diaries project is run by the Sociolinguistics Lab at Michigan State University. The MI Diaries project is particularly interested in hearing from youth (especially 5th - 10th graders) and from adults who work with youth.

The way the project works is participants sign up to become a Diarist and then the MI Diaries research team will send them an email every week (or as often as they designate that they would like to participate). Diarists record themselves and submit their audio diary to the research team via a secure server. Diarists have the option of using the free MI Diaries app on their phone or tablet which makes it very easy to record themselves and submit their recording. Diarists can talk about the prompts they receive, or about anything else that is on their mind. Anyone who submits at least 15 minutes of audio diary in a given two-week period gets a small ($5) gift card as a thank-you.

To learn more, sign-up, and hear a sample of recordings that have been submitted to MI Diaries, visit https://www.mi-diaries.org/

Voting in your 4-H club is an effective, educational way to make to decisions. As a result, youth will learn at an early age how much of an impact voting can have. However, voting doesn’t have to only take place when an official motion is on the table, it can also be an effective tool before the motion is made.

There are many ways to not only make voting at 4-H meetings more effective, but also fun! According to Michigan State University Extension, when a club or committee is trying to decide on something that doesn’t necessarily involve a motion, it can be beneficial to use a voting process called "Gradients of Agreement," which is a form of consensus voting, or a variation called "Voting with your Feet."

This process has the advantage of allowing participants to move forward on an issue before there is 100% agreement on all the details. It also allows everyone to see how individuals feel about an issue before an actual motion takes place. There are many different ways to utilize this tool and different ways to take the vote.

Here’s an example:

A club wants to make a decision on a community service project that they will be committing to for the year. The leader or facilitator has narrowed it down to the top three choices. The leader will now name the first option and ask the youth to get up and vote on how they feel about that option (voting with their feet). The leader needs to make it clear to the youth where they should stand in relation to how they feel about the project. They may say that the east side of the room means you are really excited about this project, whereas the west side of the room signifies that they hate the idea and do not want to go forward with it.

The line across the room from one extreme to the other represents the level that participants do or do not support the idea. It can be very helpful for this process if the leader puts newsprint on the wall to signify the two extremes. This will cut down on the confusion and make sure the leader is getting an accurate answer. The participants will then stand on the line representing their level of agreement with option one (Gradients of Agreement).

This process will show everyone in the room how many of the group agrees or disagrees with option one and at what level. The leader may choose to ask for clarification from the youth who voted to the extreme as to why they feel that way. Keep in mind that not every situation warrants such sharing. Asking for clarification will often help shed light on some of the issues and may change the opinions of others. It also allows members to be heard which reinforces that their opinions are valid and valuable, even if that option is/isn’t chosen in the end.

This voting process should then be done with the other two options. In the end the leader and participants will be able to visually see which option the majority of the group is in favor with.

Adapted from "Use this tool for voting at your meetings when a motion is not in order" by Roxanne Turner. For more information, variations, and additional resources, visit: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/make_voting_at_your_meetings_more_meaningful_and_fun