July 24, 2007

NAB Meeting
July 24, 2007

The fourth meeting of the National Action Board was called to order at 9:15 pm (CST) on July 24, 2007. It was a continuation of the unofficial meeting that was held on July 17. Members in attendance included Megan Baker- North East Region President, Amy Schwertner- NAB Secretary, Sarah Edens- Southern Region President, Jasmine Honore- NAB Business Manager, Jessica Falkenthal- Web Team Liaison and proxy for Kristie Storms, April Mendenhall- Conference Coordinator and proxy for Amber Mathisen, and Vanessa Cerny- North East Region Second Year NAB.

Members in attendance at the July 17, 2007 unofficial meeting included Amber Mathisen- Western Region Second Year NAB, Jasmine Honore- Business Manager, Amy Schwertner- Secretary, Jessica Falkenthal- Web Team Liaison, Christy Clary- Advocacy Team Liaison, April Mendenhall- Conference Coordinator, Antoine Jefferson- Southern Region Second Year NAB, and Sarah Edens- Southern Region President. There were not enough voting members present on the conference call to call an official meeting to order.

Announcements and updates from the Web and Advocacy Teams were given at the July 17 meeting. Falkenthal announced that the Web Team is working with the Advocacy Team on the database. They would like NAB members to write a page for the new area of the website. Falkenthal also gave an update on the database. She said that she is needing the following from each regional representative: a list of every active club in each region, and contact information for each of these clubs as well as an alternate member and advisor. Clary gave updates on the Advocacy Team. They are currently working of National 4-H items. This year’s theme for National 4-H Week is “Science, Engineering, and Technology” and Collegiate 4-H is welcome to use it as well. Therefore, the Advocacy Team will be updating material from last year to use this year during National 4-H Week.

Mike Razim was then accepted to the Advocacy Team, and Clary will be in touch with him.

The Ag Consortium position will be voted on through e-mail. Votes can be made until July 22. Schwertner will send both applications to NAB voting members.

The fist item of business that was discussed at the official meeting was the NAB Leadership Grant. Mendenhall had sent in a request for the grant so that it could be used to bring in a representative for a workshop at the 2008 Collegiate 4-H Conference. Baker also sent in a request for the Maryland 4-H Club; they would use the grant money to assist in funding the North East Regional Conference. Edens motioned to cease discussion, and Baker seconded the motion. All voting members present were in favor of closing discussion. Falkenthal then moved to give the $400 leadership grant to the Maryland Collegiate 4-H Club. Discussion followed. Edens then seconded the motion, and the motioned passed unanimously. The $400 NAB Leadership Grant was presented to the Maryland Collegiate 4-H Club to assist them in sponsoring the North East Regional Conference.

The next item of business was in regards to the Agricultural Consortium position. Voting delegates voted through an online pole, and the results were announced:

Members voting in favor of Austin Bishop, South Dakota State University Included:
Kristie Storms
April Mendenhall
Beth Bray
Amber Mathisen
Members voting in favor of Mike Razim, University of Missouri Included:
Sarah Edens
Megan Baker
Member abstaining from the vote Included:
Antoine Jefferson

After the results had been announced, Edens moved to accept Bishop as the new Agriculture Consortium to the National Action Board. Cerny seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.

Edens then moved to adjourn the meeting. Baker seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. The fourth meeting of the National Action Board was adjourned at 9:25 pm (CST).

August 14- NAB Meeting

Present

April Mendenhall, Conference Coordinator and proxy for Western Region Representative

Sarah Edens, Southern Region President

Antoine Jefferson, Southern Region Second Year NAB Member

Amber Mathisen, Western Region Second Year Member

Kristie Storms, North Central Region President

Jessica Falkenthal, Web Team Liaison to NAB

Austin Bishop- Ag Consortium Liaison-Elect

Dale Leidheiser- National Collegiate 4-H Advisor

Byron Garrett- Liaison from National 4-H Headquarters

Absent:

Megan Baker, Northeast Region President

Vanessa Cerny, Northeast Region Second Year NAB Member

Beth Bray, Second Year NAB Member

Tommy Inglis, Western Region Representative and NAB Chair

Jasmine Honore, Business Manager
Amy Schwertner, Secretary

Christy Clary, Advocacy Team Liaison

The meeting was called to order at 10:07 by April Mendenhall. April was defaulted to the NAB Chair position. Jessica was appointed the temporary secretary.

Sarah moved to accept the minutes from June’s meeting and Amber seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Noone from the Partnerships Committee was present to report on their previous meeting

Antoine moved to table the Partnership Committee Report to the next meeting. Sarah seconded. All in favor.

Reimbursement for Collegiate4h.org domain name. Antoine moved and Sarah seconded that Jessica be reimbursed for payment of the collegiate4h.org domain name. Motion passed unanimously.

Direction of the National Collegiate 4-H Organization.

Jessica discussed conversations she has had recently with Cathann Kress, National Director of Youth Development, National 4-H Headquarters, USDA and Byron Garrett, National Program Leader of Mission Mandates. There has been no followup by NAB with National 4-H Headquarters since the NAB Retreat last summer. The Strategic Plan had not been forwarded to Headquarters, in addition to no thank you notes for sponsoring the meeting. Jessica has since forwarded a contact list for this year’s NAB and the Strategic Plan. Unfortunately, the National Collegiate 4-H Strategic Plan did not answer the question of how Collegiate 4-H at the national level will benefit 4-H. There is no emphasis on service to 4-H or interaction with 4-H. We need to identify this. Cathann would like to meet with some NAB members very soon to discuss what we want our organization to be and evaluate how we can get there. Resources could be provide to the National Collegiate 4-H Organization if we were to identify what it is that our national organization is supposed to be about. Example: If XYZ Collegiate 4-H Club exists at XYZ University, what does it mean to their club members and their club to be a part of the National Collegiate 4-H Organization. How is there a benefit to the club towards being a part of a national organization?

Every 4-5 years the National Collegiate 4-H Organization goes through a crisis of “who we are and what is our national purpose?” and it would be nice to finally solve this and establish our relationship with the 4-H organization. How does our organization benefit 4-H as a whole? What is the value of having a NAB? What should NAB members be doing to make the national organization function?

Jessica asked Dale to elaborate on this as he has been involved with National Collegiate 4-H since the organization was formed in the 70s.

Dale mentioned that there was not a lot of continuity of leadership in the organization and how there are many challenges that collegiate organizations faces. He believes it would help if the National Collegiate 4-H Organization supported the national 4-H objectives and that would probably help provide National 4-H Headquarters with a reason to support us. Being involved with SET would be very beneficial for our organization.

He believes the value of NAB and a national conference for Collegiate 4-H is to further alignment with 4-H by offering training in Youth Adult Partnerships, science, technology, GPS, GIS, and provide methods and resources to how all collegiate 4-H clubs can do this locally.

Ideas and Comments

SDSU- Austin would like to see Collegiate 4-H be advocating the need to “get involved during college” to high schoolers during state conferences. Needs to DO stuff. There are other clubs, or start a new clubs.

We need to create a sense of belonging to a national organization

We’d like to create a National Service Outing similar to an alternate spring break. This could go on during winter breaks or offered during several weeks during the spring break season. This would be coordinated by NAB. (Idea proposed for Jess to setup a web survey to gauge Collegiate 4-H members interest in participating in such an event)

Campaign where land grants 1862 and land grants work together to help create clubs.

Headquarters and National 4-H Council have done a great job in doing professional development opportunities such as the Collegiate Facilitator opportunities. We feel there is a need for national opportunities that reach more people. They give Collegiate 4-H visibility. Need to be able to use NAB members as Facilitators to advocate Collegiate 4-H.

Dale mentioned that Colorado 4-H is involved in a series of events at home football events for kids and children. 4-H is present at village. SET activities, GPS scavenger hunts. Colorado Youth Summit that engages youth in service and making an impact.

We’d like to create a National Collegiate 4-H promotional video with clubs from everywhere featured. Personalized regional ones. State video commercials.

The National Action Board needs to know what’s going on. Has someone to understand what others are doing.

1- Management- communications. Ensures that committees do work. Converse about what clubs can do. Devise ideas how Collegiate 4-H Clubs can align with national organization. Manage by supplying information.

2- Creating a retreat nationally for leadership. USDA and Council train us on this.

4-H SET- Science Engineering and Technology

Visit http://www.fourhcouncil.edu/scienceengineeringtechnology.aspx to learn more about SET. This is a very important area of discussion for what 4-H is and where we are going. Collegiate 4-H Clubs need to get involved in this. (All NAB members need to be well versed in this topic prior to the next NAB meeting, so read the website and files.)

Byron Garrett joined the call to discuss 4-H SET with NAB.

Currently 5.9 million young people are involved with Science, Engineering, and Technology within the 4-H Program. The goal is that by 2013, we will have involved 1 million more youth in 4-H SET programs.

Right now the framework for making this happen is being developed. This consists of a national SET leadership team and then each state has a designated SET Liaison who is an adult (in most cases a state 4-H staff member or a local staff member) and perhaps a youth liaison.

What does this 4-H SET initiative really mean? Didn't you say that 4-H was already doing SET programs? What's changing?
The framework for progress is being developed that outlines 4-H SET’s objectives in seven key areas: program development, professional and volunteer development, curriculum development, evaluation and research, communications, collaboration and partnerships, and funding. This framework is based on four guiding principles that give 4-H a clear niche in the SET arena. They are:

• Science, engineering and technology learning takes place in the context of the Essential Elements of 4-H Youth Development.
• 4-H’s approach to science, engineering and technology must include youth/adult partnerships.
• Programs are based on National Standards.
• Programs are delivered in a variety of setting and locations and involve diverse audiences.

What materials are available about creating SET 4-H clubs? October 11^th will be the 4-H SET Internal Launch, which is to be held at NASA in DC.

Visit the 4-hbrandnetwork.org for information about promoting National 4-H Week. Counties and local 4-H will be watching the NASA event through teleconference equipment and then planning local events. Local agents have been invite.

How can Collegiate 4-H help the 4-H SET program/initiative?

• Get clubs thinking about cutting edge science and utilizing their land grant universities connection.
• Look for information and stats from the RAGS report. Business came to the table. We believe that youth will go into science. How can we tie into that?
• Mentoring, tie into technologies and teach others.
• Advocate the success of the 4-H SET program.
• Help local or institution focus and develop 4-H SET programs.
• Supply feedback for the 4-H SET area.
• What is the broadest way possible to incorporate ideas for technical or professional organizations? Need to recruit volunteers that come from science areas. Identify some technical and professional organizations that 4-H should partner with to find such volunteers.

We need a shift in thinking. What about me and what about us needs to go away….

Start thinking about what can we do as a part of the national 4-H system.

Support 4-H…. how, how, how? How do we serve? What is the role of NAB at a national level to help 4-H?

How do we tweak this to serve all 4-H members?

Currently there is YIG/YAP (Youth in Governance and Youth Adult Partnerships). The other mission mandates will soon follow with national initiatives. Healthy Living- national conversations about healthy living will be conducted in a similar fashion as the 2002 National 4-H Conversations. They will need people to serve on the leadership team for that. Citizenship- they’re still developing the structure of things for this area. Need to create some uniquely different from CWF.

We can:

• Dream projects at national level for healthy living or citizenship.
• Identify program that need funding. Creative ideas that are effective that youth will be engaged in. Bring to scale.
• One final thing: facilitators- Headquarters is trying to identify other opportunities.

On the topic of state leaders creating similar experiences within states: Need to keep us engaged and increase skill sets while using our 4-H experience.

Needs:

• We need to get the nation to collaborate together.
• Getting us involved in leadership deals such as SET and leadership conferences.
• Increase skills and competencies of members engaged in science programs. Want to see them graduate and continue into science careers
• We have to provide opportunity to reach interested potential Collegiate 4-H members.

Ag Magic- would be a good curriculum to use. LSU teaches 4^th and 5^th grade about Ag fun. Setup fair.

Coming up with new ideas could be overwhelming. Finding a way to align ourselves with existing things. It will be easier to handle by aligning instead of creating new ideas.

More reasons we need a national organization?

• We advocate for local clubs.
• We recruit for local clubs.

It was resolved that in order to continue this discussion, NAB members needed more time to think things over and come back together.

Austin, April, Antoine, Kristie, Amber, and Jess agreed to post on the NAB discussion board about these topics.

As NAB covered a lot of new topics today, it is very important that other NAB members know immediately what is going on. NAB members that were present during the discussion will be calling other NAB members to update them on what NAB is doing.

All NAB members will be expected to post their thoughts on the topics provided on the NAB Facebook discussion board. After we are actively participating, Jessica will invite Cathann to participate in the group.

Names of people to call and who will be contacting them.

Jasmine- Antoine

Beth- Kristie

Megan- Jess

Vanessa- Antoine

Tommy- Amber & April

Christy- Jess

Amy- Sarah

The next NAB meeting in September will be solely to finalize the thoughts of what NAB members believe the responsibilities of NAB need to be and where the national organization needs to go and finalizing our proposal to Cathann about what the National Collegiate 4-H Organization can bring to the table with National 4-H. We will schedule a meeting with Cathann via online or conference call for late September/ early October. Jessica and April have been identified as the liaisons to Cathann. We need to take this very seriously as the meeting will determine whether there is a need for a national organization or if we should cease to exist.

As there were many conflicts with the next meeting being held on the second Tuesday of the month due to new schedules for the new schoolyear, NAB members need to vote this week on what their availability is for NAB meetings.