Contract for grade - project #1 by Todd Mehrkens March 23, 1999

The 1999 Youth and U Conference was held February 9 and 10 in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Youth and U Conference is an annual conference that is co-sponsored by the MAE4HE (Minnesota Association of Extension 4-H Educators) and the Center for 4-H Youth Development.

Youth and U was started 5 years ago in response to a desire expressed by Extension staff who work with 4-H. They were looking for a chance to get together to share ideas and to learn more about working with 4-H programs across the state. The conference is open to all individuals who work with youth, however the focus of the conference is on 4-H club work.

The stated objectives of Youth and U are: 1. To showcase research, curriculum, education and management tools that can assist staff in being more effective in their youth development work. 2. To bring specializations, colleges, the Center for 4-H Youth Development and MAE4HE together to create a dynamic dialogue around the work for positive youth development. 3. To provide a professional development opportunity for University of Minnesota Extension Service Staff with 4-H Youth Development responsibilities. 4. To provide an opportunity for MAE4HE members to conduct mid-year business related to current board and committee goals.

I was asked to serve on the 1999 Youth and U committee. I was hesitant to do so because I had not yet had the opportunity to attend a Youth and U. I was assured that my perspective as a first-timer was valuable to the committee. Because I had always wanted to be a part of Youth and U, really believed in it, and wanted to learn about it, I said yes.

The work of the committee started last fall with the planning of the "call for proposals". The committee discussed at length how to best facilitate this process. Because the workshop sessions are the primary delivery vehicle for Youth and U, the committee wanted to ensure that workshop sessions were offered that met all of the goals of Youth and U. Different approaches to ensuring this were discussed.

Two of the stated goals for Youth and U also tied in with this discussion. The goals of "showcasing research, curriculum, education and management tools" and "providing professional development opportunities" were most easily met through an intentional process of making sure that there were sessions provided to meet those goals.

In the end, it was decided by the committee to send out the call for proposals without having the presenter try to fit their proposal into a pre-defined category. A list of sessions that were requested at the conclusion of last year's Youth and U was also included as a guide for persons developing their sessions. In response to the call for proposals, nearly 20 proposals were submitted to the committee.

The committee also looked over the specific proposals and compared that with the sessions that were requested from last year. Based on that and further discussion of the goals of Youth and U, an additional 6 sessions were suggested (along with possible presenters).

The committee then defined the following categories and assigned the proposals as follows:

Personal and Professional Development - 9 proposals Tools of the Trade (Practical Applications) - 14 proposals Research and Program information - 5 proposals Collaboration with partners - 2 proposals

The numbers seemed appropriate and supported the stated goals of Youth and U, including a strong emphasis on the practical application aspect of 4-H work. In the end, it was registration numbers that determined if a session was to be held, and there was only a small handful that were cancelled. Given the large number of offerings, it was great to see the registration process "validate" the session offerings.

The committee also spent some time discussing keynote and capnote speakers. It is interesting that these speakers were mentioned by some to possibly be optional, whereas having the workshop sessions were not even questioned. Again, this points out the key role that the workshops play in Youth and U - they are the meat of the conference. In the end, the committee did choose to have both a keynote and capnote speaker. Because there is a new Director of the Minnesota Center for 4-H Youth Development, it was felt appropriate to invite him to address the group either at the start or the close of Youth and U. Dr. Dale Blyth chose to address the conference at the beginning, along with Katherine Fennelly, former Dean and Director of the University of Minnesota Extension Service. The capnote address was felt by the committee to be important to apply what had been learned in the previous two days. In other words, someone who could motivate the participants to take what they had just spent two days learning and feel motivated and energized to take it and make a difference in the lives of the youth that they work with.

The evaluation revealed that the keynote and capnote addresses brought different responses from the participants. The keynote was important to frame the work that we do and was appreciated by most, however the simple logistics of sitting for three hours listening to a speaker was a challenge. The evaluation indicated that the capnote speaker did an excellent job of using humor and an excellent working knowledge to encourage and motivate the conference participants.

Another of the goals of Youth and U is "creating a dynamic dialogue". Much of this dialogue happens informally during and between the sessions, at meals, etc. The committee did consider the need for a "social" room or gathering point for participants to have a chance to interact informally, so a room was designated for this purpose. Attention was also given to entertainment for the evening meal. The musical group that was chosen for this was selected based on its Youth Development aspects as well as its entertainment value. The group that performed did generate significant positive discussion along with delighting the audience with its talents.

After sorting through and deciding on the workshop proposals and other conference components, and ensuring that all the necessary areas were covered, the work of the committee was then focused on the mechanical aspects. A schedule needed to be made that accommodated the speaker's preferences, room availability and other potential conflicts. Arrangements also needed to be made for lodging, registration, meals, etc. These duties were divided as appropriate and worked out well, with previous year's experience being an excellent guide.

While at the conference, I asked several participants why they attended Youth and U, and which of the stated goals of Youth and U they see as most important or beneficial to them personally.

One person I talked with is relatively new to Extension and 4-H work, and they really appreciated the chance to get ideas and learn more about their job. Youth and U brings together people from all over the state.

When I talked with a 4-H Extension Educator who has been with Extension for several years, they shared that they really appreciate the chance to network with their coworkers. Not only is it good to see old friends, this is a chance to challenge each other and grow. One of the challenges of being in the same position for several years is that the work can get repetitive and stagnant. Interacting with other "seasoned" coworkers provides the opportunity to challenge and refresh each other.

I got an interesting perspective from a person who is part of the state 4-H staff. She said that as a state staff person, they really look forward to Youth and U as an opportunity to disseminate information. Youth and U provides the time and space for county staff to think about new ideas or programs that may not normally be there in the day to day routine. It is also more efficient to do this face to face.

In looking back at my experience with Youth and U, I was impressed how useful and appropriate the stated goals were - and how well Youth and U met those goals. Different people were able to attend Youth and U with different motivations and needs, and in most cases, those needs were met. As a committee member I was surprised at the "call for proposals" process. I honestly thought that in order to submit a proposal, a presenter had to be highly polished and have earth-shattering knowledge. Actually, it was simply a formalized way for colleagues to share what they have been working on and learning, which made for a very affirming and mutually beneficial conference.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 1999

Answers

(Sorry, I thought I had answered this before....?email?)

Anyway, I think your important realization about "I honestly thought that in order to submit a proposal, a presenter had to be highly polished and have earth-shattering knowledge. Actually, it was simply a formalized way for colleagues to share what they have been working on and learning, which made for a very affirming and mutually beneficial conference." is important for all of use to remember!

Also, having reread your report on Multiple Intelligences, I see that you've internalized the concepts so well, I'm imagining that you could see ways in which you could incorporate some of that information for these folks? Plenty to do for the next 25 conferences!

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999