Attendance
Darlene Baker-Millard,
Martha Couch,
Charles Cox,
Susan Holder,
Jeff Howard,
Thearon McKinney,
Lamar Nichols,
Marilyn Norman,
Kellye Rembert,
Yvette Robinson,
Bo Ryles,
Claudette Smith,
Marshall Stewart,
Sonja Stueart-Davis,
Cathy Sutphin,
Mark Tassin,
Gina Taylor
Welcome – Claudette Smith
NAE4-HA Matters – Bo Ryles
- Everyone is encouraged to apply for offices, this will…
- … help with continuity in the board of NAE4-HA
- Is it possible to offer trainings and forums to assist with this?
- Need to encourage all efforts in a non-threatening way
- Betty Wingerter will be asked for some talking points
- (Mark Tassin) There is no drive for county staff to go forward into these leadership positions
- Tom Manske, Southern Region Rep, will be invited to join our next PLN conference call
National 4-H Competitive Events – Bo Ryles
- There are many events out there that vary in scope and quality and are being conducted as national 4-H events
- We need to look at all competitive events and set up criteria – if the event meets those criteria it is “OK” to be called a national 4-H event
- (Mark Tassin) Will we be able to mandate this? Or, should we involve the ones who have been conducting these events in some generative discussion in order to build consensus?
- It was commented that there are times to be “heavy handed” with issues like this
- Contest events must be age-appropriate
- This group will need to provide oversight to instill/maintain elements of positive youth development
- A set of standards needs to be given to 4-H Program Leaders to pass down to specialists and county faculty to get their “buy-in”
- (Susie Holder) We need to develop a schedule of rotation for these events and Program Leader attendance – this will alleviate us making assumptions that “all is well” – those attending need to have a sense of what is going on (what should and shouldn’t be happening)
- Cathann has an inventory of these events
- (Thearon McKinney) North Carolina has a guide for these events
- A connection with Cathann’s staff needs to be made to build this into the Tuft’s study
- We need to connect with the management teams of these events
- Risk management needs to get behind us on this (for example: requirements for helmets at the horse events)
- There are both quantitative and qualitative components of guidelines for 4-H events
- Motion (Bo Ryles):
- Dr. Mark McCann and Dr. Thearon McKinney join with others in working with National 4-H to develop National 4-H Competitive Events criterion for positive youth development.
- The draft of the criterion will be shared with State Leaders to be discussed with ANR/FCS specialists for awareness and input.
- State 4-H Leader and/or state specialist in the state where event manager is housed should work together.
- Ask state 4-H Leaders to serve as liaisons for each national event.
Motion carried.
Election of “Booster Chair”- AKA “Chair-Elect” – Claudette Smith
- Bo reminded everyone that this person needs to have experience who can “take the dog to the fight”
- There are some expenses, so the respective state will need to be committed
- This person needs to have time before retirement (it is a 3-4 year commitment)
- Johnathan Despain will be nominated
4-H ECOP Task Force
- Is this group “going into sunset?”
- (Susie Holder) This is not our choice - it is up to the Directors. We must be careful not to confuse transitional leadership with what that group can do
- (Bo Ryles) The word is that this task force has not moved forward with the caucus and has actually hindered it (the caucus)
- Someone has been hired to work with the 4-H caucus
- (Marilyn Norman) Task force meetings have been scheduled, but no work has been done in between – this hinders it moving forward. Ivory gets everything having to do with 4-H put on him from the directors – this is a hindrance
- (Bo Ryles) Perhaps we (state leaders) haven’t been engaged enough – we need to work with the Extension administrators who are on Council to move this along
- We need to focus our efforts toward getting Council to work to move the caucus forward as well as to energize this group
- We need to be in constant communication with our directors so that the 4-H caucus remains on the priority list
Shooting Sports – Martha Couch
- Texas is hosting the national workshop
- Resources left when the national shooting sports committee dissolved are in Texas – approximately $100,000 in equipment
- There is blatant illegal use of the clover, but they are working on it
- (Susie Holder) Does anyone know where shooting sports is going with regards to direction, management, finances, etc?
- We, as a group, need to keep the shooting sports conversion discussion moving ahead
Other Thoughts:
- Bo Ryles announced that the Foundation Directors would like to spend time with us – perhaps join us at our next meeting. (General Discussion) This has been done before, but little was accomplished by it. The new 4-H Headquarters in Ohio would be a possible location; however, our PLN meeting is supposed to be on an East-West-East-West rotation. If we combine the meeting the planning committee needs to be combined. The meeting needs to include time for separate meetings of the two groups.
- Marshall Stewart brought forward the need for a discussion about the 4-H military programs.
- Nashville, TN has the bid for 2010 Biennial
- Bo Ryles reported that the virtual biennial is moving forward
- Bo Ryles reported that PWG has recommended 2-year terms with regional rotations (South & North Central in 2009 and West & Northeast in 2010). Lamar Nichols made a motion to implement these rotations and Martha Couch seconded the motion. Motion carried. Bo’s term ends in 2009.
- A brief, informal survey was taken to determine which states are using which (if any) data collection systems
Hearing not further business, Claudette adjourned the meeting.