4-H 4-U

Farm to skin you say? That's right. In this episode we chat with Julie Thurgood-Burnett, first generation farmer and owner of Hereward Farm, a lavender farm located in East Garafraxa, Ontario. At Hereward Farm, they not only grow lavender but use it to create their own products, crafted and sold on the same site they are grown. Julie shares about her family, the learning that comes with owning a farm and small business and advice for those interested in becoming first generation farmers. 

Did you know the 2022 topic of the Amber Underwood Memorial News Competition is," How does 4-H impact your community?" Joining us to discuss 4-H in the community and share heartfelt stories are Paulette Macdonald, volunteer and Hannah Ethier, youth from the Sudbury 4-H Association. Paulette and Hannah have been part of many community involvement projects within the Sudbury 4-H Association and have a wealth of experience when it comes to community initiatives. In fact, their community club is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2022. Tune in as they reminisce on some of their favourite memories and discuss the importance of 4-H in the community. 

About Hannah Ethier

Hannah Ethier has been a member of the Sudbury Clever Clovers 4-H Club since she was 10 years old. Now at 21 years old, Hannah is headed off to the University of Toronto to begin a second degree. Having loved the experiences she has been part of and memories I have made in 4-H over the last 12 years, she notes that she is "Really savouring this last year I get to be a 4-H member! 4-H has been a huge part of my life and I am very thankful I have gotten to be a part of many projects that engage our community in wonderful ways!"

About Paulette Macdonald

Paulette Macdonald started out in Renfrew County as a 4-H member and later, became a 4-H leader in the Arnprior area. After moving to the City of Sudbury, Paulette and her husband opened the Sudbury 4-H Club, the first truly urban 4-H club in Ontario. Paulette believes that creating a sense of inclusivity and belonging are the foundation to building community and that youth who have positive community experiences will, in turn, build community. Currently, the club, situated in Sudbury District, offers 4-5 projects annually, and manages the Westmount 4-H Club Community Garden and Shared Harvest program. 

Head, Heart, Hands and Health, a History of 4-H in Ontario was released in 1994 as part of the celebration of 4-H Ontario's 80th anniversary. Did you know that when this book was written in 1994 that the province was divided into 16 council regions? In this episode we read from the history chapters of regions 3 (Algoma, Sudbury, Manitoulin), 4 (Parry Sound, Nipissing, Muskoka) and 5 (Renfrew, Ottawa-Carleton, Lanark). 

To hear about regions 1 and 2, circle back to season 2, episode 8. 

Did you know 4-H volunteers can be facilitators at provincial programming opportunities? In this episode, long time 4-H facilitator, Justin Williams joins us to chat about his experience as a 4-H facilitator. Justin is a 4-H volunteer from the Prince Edward 4-H Association who has been a facilitator at 4-H's Youth Adventure Camp for more than a decade. He walks us through a day in the life of a 4-H facilitator at Youth Adventure Camp, some memorable moments and why volunteers should become 4-H facilitators themselves. 

Learn more about being a 4-H facilitator and other ways you can get involved as a 4-H volunteer on our website - https://4-hontario.ca/volunteers/volunteer-positions/ 

4-H Ontario is still looking for bus chaperones to help with Youth Adventure Camp 2022. If you are interested, please contact Nicole French by email at opportunities@4-hontario.ca 

In this episode, Kayla Emmerton, Ontario Youth Advisory Committee Representative tells us about her experience on this national committee and her trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia for the 4-H Leadership Summit in April 2022. Here's more about Kayla:

Kayla Emmerton has been part the Peel 4-H Association for 11 years, completing over 70 projects. Throughout her 4-H career, Kayla has held many leadership positions, including Club President, Vice President and Press Reporter, as well as serving as the 2019 Peel 4-H Ambassador. She also had the opportunity to attend the U.S National 4-H Conference in 2019 and is a Provincial Go for the Gold champion. 

In her second year as the Ontario Representative for the Youth Advisory Committee, Kayla holds the position of Vice Chair and sits on the 4-H Canada Board of Directors. Kayla is currently in her second year at Queen’s University, pursuing a degree in Concurrent Education. 4-H has fueled her passion for leadership, which she is excited to develop further as a prospective educator.

Did you know the first Go For The Gold game was played in 1982 when it was called Reach For The Top? Go For The Gold is 4-H's trivia style competition where youth ages 9-21 compete locally, regionally and provincially for the title of Go For The Gold champion. 

In this episode we learn about the history of Go For The Gold and what to expect in 2022, hear Go For the Gold sponsor, John Tayler, President, Ontario Mutuals and sit on the sidelines of a short Go For The Gold game played by John Taylor and Christine Oldfield, Executive Director, 4-H Ontario. Listen to hear who wins! 

Laurie Farquharson of Middlesex 4-H Association became the new Ontario 4-H Council president on March 26, 2022. Laurie has been a 4-H volunteer for over 20 years and has worn many hats throughout this time from club leader to association executive, co-chair of multiple provincial committees and Director on the Ontario 4-H Council. She was a 4-H member in the North Simcoe 4-H Association and continued participating in clubs through university where she received a Bachelor of Applied Science degree.

Learn about Laurie and her passion for 4-H in this episode!

Head, Heart, Hands and Health, a History of 4-H in Ontario was released in 1994 as part of the celebration of 4-H Ontario's 80th anniversary. In this episode we look at the chapter called, "A Place Called Home" regional histories of 4-H in Ontario. When this book was written, the province was divided into 16 council districts and in this episode we hear about Region 1: Kenora, Rainy River, Thunder Bay and Region 2: Cochrane, Temiskaming. 

In this episode, 4-H Volunteer John Drummond joins us to chat about the virtual cooking clubs they have been hosting for youth across the province. If there was a silver lining of the pandemic, this would be it. Three years ago none of us could have pictured over a hundred 4-H'ers logging in over zoom on a Saturday morning to cook a delicious meal for their family. Listen and learn with today's episode. 

More about John Drummond

Born and raised in Smiths Falls, Ontario, John Drummond is a proud product of the Lanark and Leeds 4-H programs. Now in his 37th year as a leader in Waterloo Region, John has been active with many clubs, including Paintball, Dairy, Veterinary, and the Kitchener Market 4-H Club. John was the President of the Ontario 4-H Council in 2006-08, Syngenta Arbor Award Winner in 2006,  and Canada's 4-H Volunteer of the Year in 2013.

4-H Ontario is pleased to announce two NEW projects and one UPDATED project will be coming to you in 2022. In this episode, Elizabeth Johnston from 4-H Ontario joins us to chat about each of these projects 1) Technology and the World Around Us (NEW), 2) Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NEW) and 3) Goat (UPDATE). 

Technology and the World Around Us - This project provides a great introduction into the world of technology and how it affects our everyday lives by looking at new and emerging technologies such as robotics, GPS, genomics and precision agriculture. This project examines the implications of new and emerging technologies in the agri-food sector, such as decreased environmental impact, cost reductions, reduced labour requirements and production efficiencies. The development of this project resource has been made possible through the support of funding provided by the Stanley Knapp Foundation and Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship - This project has been designed for the “go-getters”, the enthusiastic 4-H members across Ontario who want to make a difference. The difference may be in seeing a need or a problem and starting a new business venture. It may be about beginning a new service or event in the community. It may be about being a better employee or student. Go-getters carry an entrepreneurial spirit. This project begins by looking at successful Canadian entrepreneurs and innovators and the characteristics and skills they possess. The project then challenges 4-H member how to better develop what it takes to make a difference. The development of this project resource has been made possible through the support of funding provided by the Grand River Agricultural Society.

Goat - The goat industry is a growing industry in Ontario with increasing demand for goat milk, cheese and other dairy goat products as well as chevon (goat meat). This project has full sections on health, nutrition, housing, reproduction & genetics and the business of goat farming including marketing & regulations. The development of this project resource has been made possible through the support of funding provided by Gay Lea Foods Co-Operative Ltd.

2022 Cloverbud releases - In 2022, the following three Cloverbud Units will be added to the Year One curriculum: Goat, Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Technology & the World Around Us. The development of these Cloverbud Units was made possible through the support of Syngenta Canada.

In this episode we are joined by Evan Krebs and Caleigh Slits. Evan is the winner of the 2021 Scott Van Kampen and Don McCutcheon Memorial Award. Evan was raised in Hensall and was a member of the Huron 4-H Association. He completed projects with the Hensall Life Skills Club, Sodbusters and South Huron Sheep Club. Evan is in his fifth year of mechanical engineering at the University of Guelph. He also has a full fleet of used farm equipment and does custom farm work on 150 Acres of cash crops.

Caleigh Slits is part of the Scott Van Kampen and Don McCutcheon Memorial Award Committee. She grew up in Dufferin County on a Dairy, Beef and Sheep farm. She was involved in 4-H from ages 10-21 and completed over 70 clubs. Caleigh is now a 4-H leader in Perth County where her and her husband operate their dairy farm. In addition to the farm, Caleigh works at RBC Royal Bank as an Agriculture Account Manager. In this episode, Caleigh tells us about the Scott Van Kampen and Don McCutcheon Memorial Award and more. 

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math - did you know one of 4-H's leadership development pillars is "Science and Technology"? Though as you'll hear in this episode, STEM is so much more than science and technology and there are so many skills and learnings that come within STEM 4-H clubs. 

In this episode we are joined by four 4-H volunteers to discuss the importance of youth in STEM and the ways 4-H contributes to just that. Learn about each of the volunteers below: 

Jennifer Pollock is a Professional Engineer with a degree in Materials Engineering from McMaster. Throughout her 4-H career she completed 42 clubs, attended Provincial Leadership Camp, Inter-provincial exchange, and was a 4-H Ambassador. Since becoming a 4-H leader, Jennifer has led multiple STEM based clubs including Lego Engineering, Engineering, and Cloverbuds. She has presented on STEM in 4-H at 4-H Ontario volunteer symposiums and the 4-H Canada Leadership Summit.

Tayler Black spent twelve years as a 4-H member completing over thirty clubs on a variety of topics and participating in both provincial and national opportunities. Tayler continues his 4-H journey as a leader with the Wellington 4-H Associations and as a Trustee with the Ontario 4-H Foundation. In addition to 4-H, Tayler volunteers in leadership roles with various other community organizations including the local fair and pipe band. Currently an IT Systems Administrator and Business Manager with Husky Farm Equipment Limited, Tayler pursues his passion for agriculture and technology through his work both professionally and in his spare time.

Megan Pollock has been involved in 4-H for over 20 years, as both a member and a leader. She has participated in a wide range of lifeskills clubs, ranging in topics from square dancing to international cooking to computer programming. She is currently working as a User Experience Designer at Zeitspace, a software consulting company in Waterloo.

Todd Radigan is currently the President of Waterloo 4-H, and works as a Software Engineer in Kitchener.  He has led a variety of life skills clubs, from cooking to computer programming.  He enjoys opportunities to share his passion for technology with 4-H members through STEM clubs.

Join us as welcome Anikka Bolender, Nicole French and Michaella Snyder, three 4-H Ontario Ambassador Alumni, to share their 4-H stories, ambassador experiences and wise words of wisdom for future 4-H ambassadors. 

Anikka graduated from the York 4-H Association after more than a decade of outstanding memories. As a member, she completed over fifty clubs, was a youth leader, enjoyed many 4-H opportunities and was a 4-H ambassador. Anikka is now a teacher working for a not for profit organization called Teach For Canada where she recruits, prepares, and supports teachers working in First Nations communities in northern Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta.

Nicole French is a long time 4-H member who is graduating the program this year. She partook in many 4-H opportunities during her tenure at the local, provincial, and national level, including being a 4-H Ontario ambassador for 2017 and 2018. This past spring, she graduated from Brock University, and is now working full time for 4-H Ontario as Program Coordinator.

Michaella Snyder is a 4-H volunteer from Waterloo Region and past 4-H Ambassador in 2019. She was a member for 12 years and got to attend many provincial, national, and global 4-H experiences. In her spare time, she enjoys making pottery, tending to her sheep herd, and taking part in her local 4-H's projects and events.

The 4-H Ontario Ambassador program is proudly sponsored by FS. 4-H Ontario is greatly appreciative of FS's support of this program for more than 15 years. 

Join us on a throwback all the way to December 1994 when the book Head, Heart, Hands, Health. A History of 4-H in Ontario was released. In this episode we will be reading the chapter, Conversations with Carm - Carm Hamilton and the Living Archives. Hope you enjoy!

In our last episode of season one, we wanted to draw your attention to our NEW Summer Survival Guide that is now available to ANYONE as is completely free when signing up for our mailing list. The Summer Survival Guide contains games and activities for rainy days, 15 4-H recipes that you can try at home, super fun science experiments that will keep your kids learning all summer and so much more! 

Visit our website to get your FREE copy now: https://4-hontario.ca/?popup_preview=true&popup=11641

We also wanted to thank everyone who has taken the time to listen to our FYI Podcast and engage with it, we are truly grateful for all of the support! If you have any ideas or if you would want to be a guest on season two, reach out to digital@4-hontario.ca. 

This month at 4-H Ontario we were focusing on our critical thinking skills. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone has had to live through extremely, dare I say unprecedented times.

With that comes this overwhelming need to create some sort of resolution to our lives or our circumstances. Which also means there is an even larger chance of miscommunication and misinformation. Especially, in our very dynamic digital landscape, when every individual can share their opinions which the click of a button.

Thank you to our sponsor, FS, for their ongoing support and leadership of the Ambassador Program.

This month marks one whole year since COVID-19 first hit Ontario. We sat down with our 2021 4-H Ontario Ambassadors to reflect on the year we have had and what we have been able to take away from it. Thank you to our sponsor, FS, for their ongoing support and leadership of the Ambassador Program. 

To be featured on the 4-H Ontario FYI Podcast, or you have ideas on a topic you think we should discuss, reach out to digital@4-hontario.ca. 

We are developing a series of supports and material called Taking Our Mental Health to Heart which will be available later this year. If you or anyone you know is struggling with anything and would like to talk to someone, please reach out and get help. 
You can call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6888 or Text 686868.

With COVID-19 having an impact on mental health, mindfulness is a conversation we have been having a lot at 4-H Ontario. Jocelyn Wells, helps us define and learn to practice mindfulness in our everyday lives. 

In honour of our first episode, we wanted to showcase our appreciation for our volunteers and youth and spend some time talking about gratitude. Due to the pandemic, as an organization, we had to continue to pivot, but our volunteers and youth stood alongside us all along because of their dedication and passion for 4-H.

That makes this such a good place to start! The staff at 4-H Ontario are so grateful to work with such passionate individuals who care so much. We’ve had a lot of amazing stories of youth & volunteers this year and wanted to share a little bit of that.