The 1914 Smith-Lever Act provided federal funding to the Extnsion Service in every state. To honor this milestone in support of the planning and activities of celebrating the centennial in 2014, the National 4-H History Preservation Team is leading an Oral History program to capture success stories of Extension and 4-H. This program is titled "Voices of 4-H History."

West Virginia 100 Years of Camping documented by Voices of 4-H History Video.

Last week was West Virginia's Older Member's Conference Camp that I attended for a few days to film the 100 Years of Camping celebration as well as to get interviews from some 4-H legends who weere in attendance. This week I compiled a 6 minute film about the 100 Years of Camping Celebration that was viewed on the website I created (wvvoicesofhistory.blogspot.com). Please feel free to look and tell me what you think.

The rest of the summer I'll be working on completing individual county history videos with the teen leaders involved as well as teaching a film class at WV's other state camps: Alpha I and Alpha II. We hope to have completed most of the project by the fall and will have something to submit for next year's FilmFest.

I hope everything is coming together well nationally and that you're having a wonderful summer!

Samantha Clarkson, WVU Extension Service, Multimedia Intern. 304.293.7996

1890 Development History
2014/2015 Accomplishments/Plans of Work. DRAFT.

The special 1890 125th Anniversary Project being celebrated by the 1890 Smith-Lever universities in 17 states includes a 4-H and/or youth development component for which the National 4-H History Preservation program is helping, under the guidance of the Voices of 4-H History team.

2014 Accomplishments:

- Identify need to strengthen the content of African American programs in the 4-H History collection.
- L. Washington Lyons addresses National 4-H Counil on the importance of 1890 contribution to youth development since their founding in 1890.
- 4-H history team works with 1890 leaders to explore possibilities.
- Draft concept circulated around 1890 community for feasibility.
- Letter drafted for charging 1890 institutions to identify a key contact in their state to be the point of contact on this effort.
- Monthly contact with L. Washington Lyons to get the 1890 Youth Development History Project some "buy in" with the 1890 Administrators.

2015 Plans:

- Monthly contact with 1890 Administrator's Association to build interest.
- Letter drafted encouraging 1890 Administrators to identify project contact in each state.
- Letter approved and sent by USDA Director of NIFA to 1890 Administrators.
- Jim Kahler named as key contact at USDA.
- States begin identifying staff contact in each state to work on the project.
- L. Washington Lyons (1890 Administrators Association) to convene a conference call with state project contacts to brain storm on feasible options, format, content, time line for project.
- Draft versions of the options, formats, content, timeline circulated for project awareness…
- Monthly conference calls for state contacts to share their plans and progress.
- National History Preservation team designs section of National 4-H web site to share content produced by state teams as it becomes available.

Tom Tate

Voices of 4-H History Intergenerational Efforts

2014 Accomplishments:

-2014 marked the centennial celebration of the passage of the Smith-Lever Act by the U.S. Congress that authoriized federal support for Cooperative Extension. 4-H youth in South Carolina interviewed the family of former Congressman Lever.

-During 2014, counties and states across the nation launched the Voices of 4-H History initiative in their state.

-4-H members, volunteers and staff participated in monthly conference calls to learn about the Voices of 4-H History effort to get youth involved in interviewing former 4-H members, staff and volunteers in their respective states, to recall highlights of their 4-H history.

-The National 4-H History Preservation Team helped sponsor the National 4-H Film Festival that included a category called Voices of 4-H History.

-During the multi-day film festival, Voices of 4-H History films were viewed and judged. Three youth produced films were recognized at the Film Fest 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri.

-Those attending the film festival in 2014, received professional development training in film making. This training was highly rated by the youth in attendance, saying they would hope to return again in 2015.

-A tool kit fo launching a Voices of 4-H History project was developed by a dsign team made up of county and state 4-H staff. The tool kit has proven very useful for 4-H volunteers and staff to use in deciding if a Voices of 4-H History is right for their club. The kit contained modules for promoting the project, recruiting and engaging youth, tips sheets for building a plan of work, and a series of questions for use by youth in conducting interviews.

-Youth-produced films in the Voices of 4-H History were viewed by hundreds of visitors at the annual meeting of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

-Voices of 4-H History filmswere featured at the 2014 National 4-H Hall of Fame at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Plans for 2015:

-The Voices of 4-H History proved to be popular across the nation and will continue into future years.

-Monthly conference calls will be continued in 2015, as professional development training.

-Web page for the Voices project needs to be updated in 2015.

-The History Preservation team has committed $1,500 to help support the Voices of 4-H Category in the 2015 Film Festival.

-Exhibiting Voices of 4-H History Films at National 4-H Venues are planned for NAE4-HA and Hall of Fame, as in 2014.

-You are invited to visit the project on the Internet at: http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/voices

Tom Tate, Jim Kahler, Kendra Wells

West Virginia Teen Leader Weekend - Youth Film Maker Training

Update on the WV's Teen Leader Weekend held this past Saturday… I gave a presentation on the basics of creating a film, did a storyboarding activity, had the partcipants practice interviewing each other on camera, had a scheduled interview in which the class came up with good questions about the interviewee's background; they then interviewed the subject on camera. We had a quick discussion, and finished up the class by filming some pretty spots at the state camp and catching some other classes in action.

We got some good content for the project, but more importantly, I think I motivated the teens to want to get more involved with it. The group I had was a group of four smart girls who seemed very interested in filming and creating their own videos. One girl even wants to go to film school in the future and is learning how to use editing software. I thought perhaps she could do some work on a video for the FilmFest.

In conclusion, I think the class went very smoothly and it was a great learning experience as well. Thank’s to Tom Tate of the National 4-H History Preservation leadership team for his help and advice in my preparation for this activity!

Samantha Clarkson
WVU Extension Service Multimedia Intern

Voices of 4-H History Intergenerational Efforts -- Lever Family Interviewed by Voices of 4-H History team in South Carolina.

2014 marked the centennial celebration of the passage of the Smith-Lever Act by the U.S. Congress that authorized federal support for Cooperative Extension. 4-H. Youth in South Carolina were excited to learn about the origins of the youth program that is still going strong, more than 100 years later, when they interviewed the family of former Congressman Lever.

The Voices of 4-H History team in South Carolina, interviewed the family of former South Carolina Congressman Lever, sponsor of the bill that lead to federal support for Cooperative Extension and 4-H.

During 2014, counties and states across the nation launched the Voices of 4-H History initiative in their state. 4-H members, volunteers and staff participated in monthly conference calls to learn about the Voices of 4-H History effort to get youth involved in interviewing former 4-H members, staff and volunteers in their respective states, to recall highlights of their 4-H history. These monthy conference calls will be continued in 2015, as professional development training.

The National 4-H History Preservation Team helped sponsor the National 4-H Film Festival that included a category called Voices of 4-H History. During the multi-day film festival, Voices of 4-H History films were viewed and judged. Three youth produced films were recognized at the Film Fest 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. Those attending the film festival in 2014, received professional development training in film making. This training was highly rated by the youth in attendance, saying they would hope to return again in 2015.

In 2014, a tool kit for launching a Voices of 4-H History project was developed by a design team made up of county and state 4-H staff. The tool kit has proven very useful for 4-H volunteers and staff to use in deciding if a Voices of 4-H History is right for their club. The kit contained modules for promoting the project, recruiting and engaging youth, tips sheets for building a plan of work, and a series of questions for use by youth in conducting interviews.

The youth produced films in the Voices of 4-H History were viewed by hundreds of visitors at the annual meeting of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition, the Voices of 4-H History films were featured at the 2014 National 4-H Hall of Fame at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

The Voices of 4-H History prove popular across the nation and will continue into future years.

Monthly conference calls will continue in 2015. The next conferenc call is scheduled for March 23, 2015.

To explore how to get your community involved in a Voices of 4-H History project in 2015, please email Jim Kahler at jkahler@nifa.usda.gov or Tom Tate at tateace@aol.com

You are invited to visit the project on the Internet at: http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/voices

Tom Tate

"Voices of 4-H History" will be a Major Feature of 2015 National 4-H FilmFest

This year's FilmFest will take place in St. Louis, Missouri on June 14-17, 2015 at the Hilton Fontenac.

For the third year, the National 4-H History Preservation Program is sponsoring the 4-H history category of the competition. For more information on this year's event visit http://4h.missouri.edu/filmfest

To learn more about documenting 4-H history with film, go to the http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com website and "click" on the Voices of 4-H History button in the left-hand menu bar on the homepage or contact: Tom Tate at tateace@aol.com

Tom Tate

"Voices of 4-H History" Opens Doors for Hawaii 4-H

In 2014, two Youth-Adult Partnership teams consisting of two teens and one adult participated in the "Voices of 4-H History" project for Hawaii.

According to Joan Chong, HI Extension Service, the teams from Kona and Maui participated in a basic training that covered interview questions and techniques, project design and management, pre-production, filming, and camera techniques.

Because of training time constraints, the teams were also encouraged to connect with the local Community Access Television (CAT) to assist in editing and piecing the video together, and CAT was happy to help out. They offered classes in basic video production, camera operation, editing, lighting and studio production. Once the participants became certified producers at the CAT studios, the use of the television equipment and facilities were FREE! All the Youth-Adult Partnership teams needed to do was ask for help. When asked about the project, we found that youth particpants not only learned video production but also gained knowledge about 4-H and th effect it has had on others.

Here are a few quots from the youth:

o "I felt that this project allowed me to experience what it felt like to be a part of 4-H many years ago. Through their stories, I can see how 4-H shaped people's lives and how it helped 4-H'ers to 'make the best better!'"

o "The best part of participating in this project was being able to learn more about 4-H and its history. I also learned a new skill of how to edit videos on the computer. I enjoyed meeting new people and learned how much 4-H meant to them."

o "It opened my eyes and gave me a better understanding of 4-H. It was heart-warming to listen to their experiencs. Times were so different, yet very similar in many ways."

o "It provided us with so many learning opportunities. Several of the people we interviewed told us how much it meant to them to have their story told."

One Adult participant shared observations as well: "Participating in this project provided me with the opportunity to have a Youth-Adult partnership; it was a unique experience working side-by-side with the youth. It was not a top-down partnership where I needed to tell them what to do, but a collaboration of working together and equally contributing ideas. Although it was very interesting to hear how 4-H has changed (or not) over the years, it really was dependent on the perspective of the person being interviewed as their experiences and involvement in 4-H varied."

Tom Tate

MARK YOUR CALENDARS.

4-H FilmFest 2015 will be held at the Hilton Frontenac in St. Louis, Missouri on June 14-17, 2015.

Producer Specs: Conference lodging rate is $119/night. Free airport shuttle to/from hotel. Many restaurants nearby, within walking distance. Lunches provided June 15-16.

The ALL access pass is your ticket to all screenings, field trips, Festivities, luncheons and workshops with today's film industry professionals at the only event of it's kind.

Visit: https://twitter.com/FilmFest4H or http://4h.missouri.eldu/filmfest for more information.

Tom Tate

NAE4-HA 2014 Generated New Interest in Voices of 4-H History for 2015 -- 4-H History Map Catches Momentum

Letter to GIS Educators.

Dear 4-H GIS Educator:
It was great to meet ou in Minnesota at NAE4-HA in October.

I hope you caught the youth community mapping fever.

There are many proven to be successful 4-H youth community mapping approaches at: www.youthcommunitymapping.org

We hope to add your success story to the national collection. We hope some of you will send us photo's and voices your youth take during your youth communit activities.

To help get you started, the 4-H Geospatial Leadership Team is working on the 4-H History Map project over the next couple of years.

They need your help in getting data collected from state/county 4-H history sites. The 2014 teams have developed a promotional poster and an online data collection document to make it easy to get some data points collected.

Members of the 2014/2015 NAE4-HA Geospatial Task Force have formed a group to help advance the 4-H History Map Project.

We have attached the promotional poster and the online data collection form for you getting some youth started with recording the 4-H Historical sites or people in your county/state.

The data you collect to be submitted by using a QR code on your smart phone, or at the web site printed on the data collection form.

The youth working on this project have collected 25 sites so far, and are looking for more from those learning about the project at NaE4-HA.

Please let lus know if you will participate in the 4-H History Map project by email to tateace@aol.com

Thank you for your leadership.

Tom Tate
4-H Geospatial Leadership Team
4-H History Preservation Leadership Team

2015 Film Festival to Feature Youth Produced Films on the Voices of 4-H History

Youth Prodluced Multi-Media projects to be Featured at National 4-H Film Festival June 14-17, 2015. Please mark your calendar.

During 2014, pilot test states developed and tested a variety of methods for documenting the memories of 4-H members, staff, volunteers and supporters. Products developd ranged from poster and banner exhibits at fairs, libraries, museums, to videos and films that were exhibited at film festivals and cable and commercial television networks. A process for youth produced media was developed to guide training of teams of youth and adults through the process of recruiting, interviewing, producing and editing media, for use in increasing public awareness of the 100 years of 4-H and Extension history, to help celebrate the passage of the Smith-Lever Act through the Congress of the United States in 1914.

In October of 2014, The National 4-H Film Festival has begun to invite youth produced videos/films to be submitted for viewing and judging during May of 2015. Many of those films will be selected to be posted to the National 4-H History Film Archives, and exhibited widely to improve public awareness of 4-H and Extension programs.

To learn more about getting involved in thi effort, please visit the "Voices of 4-H History" website at: http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/Voices or e-mail info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com

Tom Tate

4-H and PBS in Montana Work on History Project

In 2011, Montana 4-H began the process of celebrating its 2012 Centennial. The Montana team developed a Centennial Guide for the counties, including a 4-H Heritage Family program. Each ounty prepared a Centennial Display documenting their county's 4-H History, and the displays traveled to several statewide events during the yearlong celebration.

Montana 4-H worked with Montana PBS to produce a television documentary: "4-H -- Six Montana Stories." Youth completed applications to be considered to take part in the project; six youth and their families were selected, who were followed through a 4-H year and also captured footage themselves. View the documentary online at:

http://watch.montanapbs.org/video/226061763/

The premier took place at Montana 4-H Congress. In addition, "Heritage Project," an excellent heritage project book was developed providing dozens of great suggestions for successful youth 4-H history projects.

Tom Tate

West Virginia Gets Grant for Voices of 4-H History

West Virginia Voices of 4-H History team reports that they have received a grant and worked in July and August to begin implementation of a youth filming project that will be done in the fall of 2014. The project will take place with several county 4-H teen leader groups being trained to conduct oral history interviews with some "West Virginia volunteers and Extension staff" who were leaders in West Virginia 4-H.

Tom Tate

Teen Filmmakers Exhibit and Learn at 2014 FilmFest 4-H

Teenage filmmakers from nine states exhibited 40 youth-produced films at this year's FilmFest 4-H in St. Louis, August 3-6. Sixty teens and leaders participated in the educational programs at the festival. Activities included viewing and discussing the teen-produced films and participating in a series of workshops conducted by film industry professionals. The topics included design, writing, casting, filming, lighting, sound, stunts, makeup, costuming, animation, control room operation, and remote satellite transmission.

Among the many highlights:

o Emily Hagins, youngest Hollywood film director and writer, shared her Hollywood-based filmmaking insights from an unprecedented youth perspective;

o Film producer and editor, Russ Weston, winner of four Emmy and six Telly awards, conducted workshops for the youth in the remote satellite truck and control room on how remote productions get to our television screens; and

o A visit to the nationally acclaimed "CoolFire Studios" in St. Louis where participants visited with profssional directors, animation artists, sound producers and film producers as they worked in their studios.

Twenlty-nine films were pre-selected by judges to be viewed in five categories: Documentary, Narrative, 4-H Promotional, Animation, and "Voices of 4-H History." The top three in each category were recognized during the program along with a vote for the audience favorite.

According to TomTate, the History Team's representatiive at the festival, "2014 FilmFest 4-H prepared future leaders to communicate more effectively in changing times."

Five films from the "Voices of 4-H History" category were selected for viewing at this year's festival. The three top place finishers in the category were:

o Clay Ferguson (San Leandro, CA), "100 Year Anniversary: 4-H and the lameda County Fair"

o Eric Glaze (Waynesville, OH), "A Centennial of Extension with Dr. D. Howard Doster"

o Kelsey Hibl and Brittany Berger (Dickenson, ND), "Voices of Stark County 4-H"

The National 4-H History Preservation program provides sponsorship to FilmFest 4-H as part of its "Voices o 4-H History" initiative. For more information, visit:

http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/Voices/

Tom Tate

Voices of Virginia 4-H History -- Update
Virginia adult leader Hermon Macklin reported: "Met the Voices of 4-H History challenge with me hunting down folks to interview and the kids doing the interviews and designing the storyboards."

"In spite of all the scheduling obstacles, the Voices of History vedeos are coming together nicely and will be ready to show at our VCE 100 Years Celebration luncheon at 4-H State Congress in June. We plan to submit them to Voices of 4-H History FilmFest category by the deadline. However, we won't make it to the film festival this summer."

Tom Tate

Montana's Multi-Year effort to Clebrate 4-H History.

Back in 2011, Montana 4-H began the process of celebrating their Centennial - in 2012. The Montana team developed a Centennial Guide for the counties. Included in the guide for a 4-H Heritage Family program. Each county prepared a Centennial Display documenting the 4-H History in their counties. These displays traveled to several statewide events during the yearlong celebration.

Montana PBS worked with Montana 4-H to produce a television documentary: 4-H - Six Montana Stories. Youth completed an application to apply to be considered to take part in the project. Six youth and their families were selected. They were followed through a 4-H year and also captured footage themselves. The documentary can be viewed online at: http://watch.montanapbs.org/video/2260061763/

The premier took place at Montana 4-H Congress. "Heritage Project," an excellent heritage project book was developed providing dozens of great suggestions for successful youth 4-H history projects.

More information can be obtained from: Cody Stone, Interim Director, Montana 4-H Center for Youth Development, 210 Taylor Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717. Phone 406-994-3503 or eMail cstone@montana.edu

Tom Tate

UDC Capturing Urban 4-H History

This month 4-H youth in the District of Columbia are starting interviews with former program leaders to capture recollections of 4-H past with the youth of Washington, D.C. The history of 4-H in DC stars in the 1960's in response to needs identified in surveys that resulted in recommendations called 4-H in the 1970's.

Tom Tate

4-H Yough Produced Films to be featured at State 4-H Congress

4-H'ers in Virginia are shooting interviews for their Voices of 4-H History collection. Virginia 4-H State Congress organizers plan to feature four of the films at the VCE 100 Year Celebration Luncheon at 4-H State Congress this summer at Virginia Tech. This project is a perfect match for VCE's 100 year celebration and will more than likely be spotlighted on the VCE wesite as well.

Tom Tate

4-H History Exhibit to be Featured in County Museum

Polk County Missouri 4-H History team is finalizing their project with the county museum in Bolivar, Missouri. The 4-H team is setting up a permanent display of 4-H artifacts from the 30's-60's to be on display in the "old schoolroom exhibit." The youth decided to do this since their club leaders were all school teachers back when and the museum agreed that it was a perfect fit.

When the museum exhibit is completed, the youth will resume their interviewing of former 4-H members.

Tom Tate

On Wednesday, March 5, 2014, Dr. Delbert Foster, South Carolina State University, and L. Washington Lyons, administrator of the 1890 Association, met with staff at the National 4-H Council, to review the rich history of the 1890 land grant Institutions.

One of the outcomes of these discussions was the need to document and share the rich 1890 history using 21st century media. In the coming months, the 4-H History Preservation Team and the 1890 leadership will explore joint activities for getting 4-H Youth involved in helping 1890 4-H alumni to document the Extension and 4-H memories.

Contined discussions with Georgia 1890 4-H leader, Woodie Hughes and others, will design efforts where 4-H youth will produce some multi-media products that will document the Extension and 4-H memories.

Tom Tate

Youth Busy Producing Films for 4-H FilmFest 2014

All across the country, teams of 4-H youth are working to produce films for presentation at 4-H FilmFest 2014 in St. Louis. "Voices of 4-H History" will be one of the categories that youth produced films will be competing in this August. Films submitted by July 1, 2014 will be judged for exhibition during the FilmFest, August 3-6, 2014.

To view the youth produced films from the 2013 FilmFest, go to "Screening Room"at the following web address:

http://4h.missouri.edu/go/events/filmfest/results2013.htm

Tom Tate

Chat Notes from 3/17/14 Voices of 4-H History Conference Call
Speakers: Kendra Wells, Jim Kahler, Tom Tate (all representing Voices of 4-H History team), Joan Chong (Hawaii), Woodie Hughes (Georgia), Karen Al-Faleh (Maryland), Sandy Staples (Maryland), Mermon Maclin (Virginia), Bradd Anderson (Missouri), Steven Worker (California), Ellen Mayes (South Carolina, Jenny Cocanougher (Kentucky).

Next call tentatively set for April 21 at 3:00 p.m. EDST. Information will be emailed.
Kendra Wells: Welcome to the Voices of 4-H History call. We will begin at 3:00 p.m.. EDST.
Tom Tate: To activate audio call 866-295-5950 and enter passcode 68099#

- 1890 4-H to Launch 4-H History effort.

- Welcome Woodie Hughes from Ft. Vally 4-H program in Georgia.
Georgia will move this effort forward in April.
Youth film crew will assist multiple countis with their filming.

- Herman Macklin from Prince George County, Virginia will have their county youth film crew visit other counties to assist with 4-H alumni to do interviews.

- Documents for Launching project can be down loaded from the 4-H History web page.

Karen Al-Faleh confirmed that there were documents to download during the conference call including a power point for orienting a new start up history club.

- Guides for helping Youth Make Films

-Movie Magic - http://store.msuextension.org/Products/4-H-Movie-Magic…..5325.aspx
A useful guide for youth making a film. Cost is $8.00 for the Montana Stat University 4-H Movie Magic Project. It can be ordered online with a credit card.

Montana State 4-H also produced a helpful DVD for new film makers titled "4-H Film Making Workshop." This DVD can be orbdered online from 4-H Mall for $10. Go to www.4-H.org and click on 4-H Mall at the bottom of the screen. Once in Mall, search term DVD.

- Film Editing Software
Steve Worker mentioned the use of movie maker editing software contained on windows + Apple products have been widely used by youth in California.

- Interview Skills and Tips
Practicing interview skills is important and it is suggestd that questions be provided to the interviewee in advance.

- Volunter Leader Forums good places to conduct interviews

Jenny Cocanougher shares a video clip. Here is a link to the Kentucky video clip.
Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAQ26Ahgf5c&feature=youtube

- Local Cable Companies can be very helpful

Joan Chong: Hawaii 4-H is orking with the local cable station. We simply went to visit with them and they were really open to working with our youth. We encourage others to tell your local cable company what you want to do. They have a lot of expertise and facilities to share.

- Sometimes the challenge is deciding who to interview.
Suggestion to start with older folks with 3 or 4 generations of 4-H experience.

State and National 4-H Hall of Fame Award Winners make good candidates for interviews. Check out the 4-H History Preservation website for lists of past national award winners - you might find people from your state! Http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/voices/#TOC-F

Hermon: We plan to interview everybody we can and then pick the bst stuff to include for the video.

- Youth Excited About their Fiolms being part of National 4-H Film Festival.

2014 FilmFest - Will be accepting entries til July 1, 2014. FilmFest showings will occur august 4-6, 2014 in St. Louis.
Http://4h.missouri.edu/go/events/filmfest/

- Callers who would like to hear from you.

Jenny Cocanougher email: jcocanou@uky.edu
Karen Al-Faleh email: kalfaleh@verizon.net (Montgomery County, Maryland)
Ellen Mayers email: mayes2ellelns@yahoo.com
Sandy Staples mail: sandybackintime@aol.com

Next conference call
Kendra Wells: Next call tentatively April 21 at 3:00 p.m. EDST. Information will be emailed.

Tom Tate, Co-chair
Tateace@aol.com

Hawaii Voices of 4-H History Connecting with local public television.

Joan Chong reports that the Hawaii Voices of 4-H History Youth-Adult Partnership teams are connecting with their local community public television to learn more about filming, editing and piecing the videos together. It is a great partnership!

Tom Tate

Voices of 4-H History - using new media to pass 4-H treasures on to future generations -- March Update.

Kentucky
Jenny Cocanougher, Woodford County, Kentucky 4-H reports, "We have the first draft of our 4-H memories video ready"

Vermont
"Our club members will be making a video for the Voices project again this year," said Shella Chairvolotti, Champain Shamrocks 4-H Club, Grand Isle, VT

Ohio
"We are generating interest among the 4-H advisoers, to see how many would like to be interviewed, and going from there," 4-H agent Brittany Pangburn in Athens County, Ohio

Connecticut
In late February, 4-H staff from Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland and West Virginia huddled by conference call to explore options for moving a Voices of 4-H History effort forward in their stats.

Maryland
Several Maryland 4-H clubs report that their planning committees have challenged county club leaders for the month of March.

Clubs will work on their video projects in March. In April the Voices editing team will look over th submitted videos, and discuss the next steps for the Voices of 4-H History project.

Tom Tate

Maryland Update

Several Maryland 4-H clubs report that their planning committees have challenged their club leader's for the month of March

Early in February the Voices of 4-H History Ideas were shared with the several local club leaders. Club leaders expressed an interest, and appeared to be excited about the project. With eight active clubs in the county, the Voices team is planning for a video from each of the eight clubs. The Voices youth team will review, select and edit media together in time for submission to the national film festival in late June of 2014.

Volunteers wrote up the Voices announcement and developed a list of possible interview questions. Volunteer Team leaders have challenged each of the clubs to submit a draft 15-20 minute video presentation for review by the county planning committee, by the end of March.

March 1, Montgomery County hosted a video training for potential partners. In summary, clubs will work on their video projects in March. In April the Voices editing team will look over the submitted videos, and discuss the next steps for the Voices of 4-H History project.

March 17. Voices of 4-H History conference call agenda is the source of much of this update.

We encourage all readers to encourage current and potential Voices of 4-H History partners to participate in future Voices conference calls planned for May and June and July of 2014.

Tom Tate

Extension Agents Learn About 4-H History and 4-H FilmFest 2014

Feb 10-13, 2014, agents from 200 counties, from 50 states learned about 4-H history preservation projects + youth film making opportunities at the 2014 JCEP Conference in Memphis, Tennessee. Materials developed by the 4-H History Preservation team and the 4-H FilmFest leadership team were shared with all county extension agents in attendance. 4-H agents and leaders from Missouri and Maryland provided the lead.

Tom Tate

Multi-County 4-H History Clubs Working Together in Maryland

Monday, February 10th, adult leaders from Prince Georges and Montgomery counties in Maryland met to share their 4-H history club plans for 2014. They had a very productive meeting and completed an action planning sheet for 2014.

Those in attendance were Belinda Queen, James Tibbs, Ki Augusto, Lisa Edwards (Prince Georges County 4-H), Sandy Stamples (Montgomery County) and Ed Hogan (Montgomery County 4-H).

Moving forward, Belinda and James agreed to put together the announcement to share with the youth clubs. They also agreed to make the announcement to the county's 4-H volunteers and club leaders that attend our upcoming leader's meeting that's scheduled for Monday, february 24, 2014. It was decided to encourage a Voices of 4-H History project, and challenge each club to have their 4-H'ers design/produce 15-30 minute videos of their working on the VOH project. A follow-up planning committee meeting is scheduled for early March. The submitted film concepts and films, will be reviewed by the adult/youth planning committee and decide how to prodeed from there. The tam plans submit some films to Film Fest in June, 2014. Several adult leaders know and are recruiting individuals that have expressed interests in working with the youth film products and are willing to critiqu, edit and help with production.

Voices of 4-H History Team Maryland is launched and taking action to capture the history of 4-H families in Maryland. Other counties are encouraged to join the effort..

Tom Tate

Tom Tate, co-chair of the Voices of 4-H History team announced at the Feb. 4, 2014 history preservation leadership team meeting that his team was planning on having a conference call with state contacts shortly to outline and discuss the plans for 2014.

Proposed Time Line for 2014 History Team

January
- Team formation and Kick off (power point overview of options)
- Review History of county 4-H (photos, old documents, etc.)
- View films done by others in 2013
- Identify options for possible projects (brainstorming on possible projects that might be done without decisions or judgments on go/no-go till a future meeting.
- Prepare a plan of action with names of groups to loead effort on action items…
- Schedule meetings for next 6-12 months.

February
- Review minutes of January meetings
- Hear team reports from plan of action item leads (lay out what needs to happen next for each action item).
- Select some interview questions
- Practice some interviews
- Share interview experience with group
- Inventory equipment and familiarization
- Schedule + commitment to actions during February/March

March
- Discuss project selection criteria…
- Discuss project options using selection criteria…
- Rank order the project options
- Select project options and schedule action items (people to be involved, action team leads and members)
- Design story boards for each project option…
- Schedule ianterviews and other actions
- Prepare interview questions
- Begin interviews
- Record/film interviews and or film scripts

April
- View raw recordings/film
- Brain storm about lessons learned during this first round…
- Identify missing pieces
- Teams work independently
- Meet again to share team progress.

May
- View edited/drafts for feedback and suggestions for other teams
- Discuss lessons learned
- Recommend and agree to actions needed
- Edit Teams edit in recommendations (know that 80% of the time will be used to edit final product down to 10 minutes or less.

June
- Edit Teams share latest version of film(s) with rest of team with feedback to edit team. Version that exists June 15 will be the version that goes to FilmFest judges for judging.

July
- Submit film(s) to FilmFest by June 15-20

August
- 4-H FilmFest (August 2-7, 2014)

September
- Discuss FilmFest experience
- Share lessons learned at filmfest with total team…
- Discuss interest in team working on som addition projects in 2014/2015.

Please suggest modifications to this DRAFT.

Tom Tate, co-chair

At the February 4, 2014 leadership team group meeting of the 4-H History Preservation Program, the team moved and passed a motion to provide $1,500. this year for the history film category of the National 4-H FilmFest to be held inSt. Louis in August.

Tom Tate, co-chair

Youth Produced Multi-Media Projects to be Featured at National 4-H Film Festival in 2014

During 2013, seven pilot test states (California, Connecticut, Missouri, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia) developed and tested a variety of methods for documenting the memories of 4-H members, staff, volunteers and supporters. Products developed ranged from poster and banner exhibits at fairs, libraries, and museums, to videos and films that were exhibited at film festivals and cable and commercial television networks. A process for youth produced media was developed to guide training of teams of youth and adults through the process of recruiting, interviewing, producing and editing media, for use in increasing public awareness of the 100 years of 4-H and Extension History, to help celebrate the passage of the Smith-Lever Act through the Congress of the United States in 1914.

In January of 2014, the National 4-H Film Festival will invite youth produced videos/films to be submitted for viewing and judging durng the Summer of 2014. Many of these films will be selected to be posted to the National 4-H History Film archives, and exhibited widely to improve public awareness of 4-H and Extension programs.

To learn more about getting involved in this effort, please visit the "Voices of 4-H History" website at: http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/voices or email: info@4-HHistoryPreservation.com

Tom Tate

Voices of 4-H History Moves Forward in Hawaii.

Hawaii 4-H leader Joan Chong has shared that Hawaii 4-H has two youth-adult partnership teams (one from Maui and the other from Kona) that came together the first weekend of November for a training. "We are working on going to other islands/sites to do more training," Chong said. "The youth are excited to take on this project."

Tom Tate, co-chair

Clover Cinema Club to Produce Voices of 4-H History Films for Virginia

The Clover Cinema Club, based in Prince George, Virginia, has formed a team of 4-H youth filmmakers who will be traveling to the southeast, southwest and northern Virginia to interview former 4-H members, leaders and supporters about their 4-H memories. The young filmmakers will travel to the various regions during the Thanksgiving and Holiday seasons to film interviews. The Clover Cinema Club hopes to complete their formatting and editing early in 2014. Versions of the film are being considered for local, regional and national sharing. Adult 4-H leader Herman Maclin says the youth hope that their films will encourage former and new audiences to get involved in 4-H.

Tom Tate, co-chair

County Grows Local Participation in Voices of 4-H History Effort

Prince George County (Maryland) 4-H Agent, Lisa Edwards, first introduced the idea of discovering and preserving the history of 4-H in her county during the county fair in 2013. Since then, interest has grown with youth and volunteers. There has been a call for starting a 4-H History Club. The idea was introduced in the county's Extension newsletter.

Adult Volunteers and Youth are being formed into a team that will be formalized into a special interest group on 4-H history. Discovery of old records, photos and memorabilia has sparked excitement. Talk of interviewing former members, leaders and volunteers is growing.

Tom Tate, co-chair

Missouri Recruits Additional Counties for History Interviews. During the last week of October, Missouri 4-H agents are inroducing the Voice of 4-H History Process introduced at the Galaxy Conference in September. At a statewide conference in Missouri, Voices of 4-H History pilot counties will share their lessons learned with county Extension staff throughout the state. Velynda Cameron, 4-H lead for three counties, said interest in growing 4-H History Clubs has been requested by county 4-H leaders statewide. Sharing our new Voices of 4-H History process, will enable new county efforts to get started in early 2014.

Tom Tate, Co-chair

Oklahoma Interviews Extension and 4-H Participants During Homecoming Weekend.

During Homecoming 2013, the Ag Communications Unit of Oklahoma State University invited Extension and 4-H Program participants to stop to record a memory of their Extension and 4-H experience. These efforts will help OSU build an audio visual record of their program 100 year history for use in celebration of 100 years of the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 2014. A mini TV studio was set up in Ag Hall October 19 to record stories following the homecoming game. Dozens of recordings were collected and will be combined with still and motion images that visualize the recollections of the interviewees.

The resulting audio and video clips will be made available to variety of local, state and national media outlets.

Brenda Sheik and Jeff Sallee are working to develop the 4-H components.

Jeff Sallee stated "Ag com and I are offering an in service in digital media on equipment and software; county agents can check it out and use with youth. The goal is they will have the equipment training and all they need are kids involvement and stories to document."

Tom Tate

Training Session for Voices of 4-H History Volunteers

Ocean City, Maryland, November 22-24, 2013. The Voices of 4-H History Team will be sharing poster displays and workshops for the 2013 Volunteer and Team Leadership Forum targeted to all faculty, staff, volunteers, and 4-H youth. The conference focuses on the 4-H Core Program Components, developing volunteers, strengthening and expanding the 4-H club program.

Youth and adult leaders in attendance will be able to launch a Voices of 4-H History initiative or club after attending the workshop. Key components will include: viewing good examples of audio/visual products produced by pilot county sites, recruiting youth and adults, selecting good interviewing questions, good sources of editing software and hardware.

Tom Tate

Voices of 4-H History Films recognized at National 4-H Film Festival.

The 2013 National 4-H Film Festival included a new category "Voices of 4-H History". Three "youth produced films" received special recognition in this new category.

Jordon Bolinger from Catawba, South Carolina won 3rd place in the National 4-H FilmFest for her film "4-H Camp Sew". Champlain Shamrocks 4-H Club, from Vermont, received second place for their film, "Voices of Vermont 4-H History". Amanda Jones was recognized for first place for her film, "4-H History Preservation-LaRee Jones".

Thirty-eight "youth produced films" from eight states were shown during the 2013 National FilmFest in Branson, Missouri, August 4-7, 2013. The 4-H FilmFest received very positiv feedback from those in attendance. Plans are already underway for National 4-H FilmFest 2014. We encourage you to encourage young film makers to get involved.

Tom Tate

Maryland 4-H Teen Council Introduced to the Voices of 4-H History

Kendra Wells and Tom Tate introduced the idea of "youth making history". The idea that history is what we see in film. So, those that make the films say about what history gets documented. We used the stills with no sound to show the power of the old images and just text. (The silent screen model.)

Then we had lunch with the members of the Maryland 4-H Teen Council. We circulated from table to table during lunch. Following lunch, the teens most interested, came to our exhibit table to watch the youth produced video from Utah. The bottom line: Today's effort with Maryland's Teen Council resulted in teen's from seven counties wanting to pursue the Voices of 4-H History further.

The youth are now talking about using the 1'x3' Voices banner and the "rack cards" at the shopping mall and at county and state fairs to recruit current and former 4-H'ers to be interviewed. Theyalso went through tdhe pile of old black and white photos we had disc overed in the national archives and University library. They see the power of editing old photos in with the voices of 4-H alumni that they will interview.

We need to follow up with these teen leaders to help them advance their interest. County and state fairs are just around the corner. These will be great recruiting opprtunities.

Tom Tate

Maryland 4-H Teen Council Introduced to the Voices of 4-H History

Kendra Wells and Tom Tate introduced the idea of "youth making history". The idea that history is what we see in film. So, those that make the films say about what history gets documented. We used the stills with no sound to show the power of the old images and just text. (The silent screen model.)

Then we had lunch with the members of the Maryland 4-H Teen Council. We circulated from table to table during lunch. Following lunch, the teens most interested, came to our exhibit table to watch the youth produced video from Utah. The bottom line: Today's effort with Maryland's Teen Council resulted in teen's from seven counties wanting to pursue the Voices of 4-H History further.

The youth are now talking about using the 1'x3' Voices banner and the "rack cards" at the shopping mall and at county and state fairs to recruit current and former 4-H'ers to be interviewed. Theyalso went through tdhe pile of old black and white photos we had disc overed in the national archives and University library. They see the power of editing old photos in with the voices of 4-H alumni that they will interview.

We need to follow up with these teen leaders to help them advance their interest. County and state fairs are just around the corner. These will be great recruiting opprtunities.

Tom Tate

Voices of 4-H History Pilot Sites Share Lessons Learned

On May 7, 23 Voices of 4-H partners met by conference call webinar to share progress and plans for recording youth conducted interviews in 2013.

Kendra Wells, Tom Tate and Jim Kahler provided an orientation and Welcome to the Voices of 4-H History using Web connect to show the visuals and a teleconference bridge to share the audio. The Power Point presentation is available for use in your county/state to share with others.

Linda Horn - Connecticut, asked: Can anyone access photos from nation 4-H archives?

Kendra Wells: Check with your LGU library system to find archived 4-H materials. Kendra Wells: We will also make this PPT presentation available for you to use in your county/state to share with others.

Bradd Anderson (Missouri 4-H): I would just suggest starting with some easy questions, then gradually moving towards the more thought-provoking ones. Establish rapport, then get to the "meat" that you'll actually use once there's a comfort level established.

Linda Horn shared that Connecticut has been meeting two times a month with their youth Tech Team. They are interviewing people using flip cameras and Canon Digital recorders. Using Imovie to edit.

Questions suggested for use as ice breakers and interviews were suggested by many.
Questions such as:
What made you join 4-H? What was your favorite project? Two important things you learned. How did 4-H affect your life? What did 4-H clubs do? What were their 4-H meetings like?

It has become very successful to include people from different generations, geographic locations, and those with different types of experiences. Kids are learning about how things in 4-H have changed.

Connecticut mentioned several challenges - Learning to use a tri-pod! Good idea to practice "mock interviews" with each other before actual interviews.

Jenny Cocanougher of Kentucky shared questions their youth are using to start the interviews. Kentucky youth have been experimenting with conducting interviews as a group with youth taking turns asking questions of two 4-H alums. We are learning that more time is needed than we anticipated. We think we could have set up multiple interview sessions, rather than all at once.

Some suggested at least 1.5 hours to allow time for youth and interviewees to warm up to each other and for capturing all the stories.

Ellen Mayes of South Carolina is trying to reach people throughout the state. For an icebreaker SC shares food that the youth have made. Suggest interviews be conducted for about 20 minutes. Hope to interview a Lever relative (of Smith Lever) to hear her thoughts about her father. SC also uses flip phone cameras. Connected with the state 4-H Teen Council to help expand the project statewide. South Carolina made banners from the banner pdf to be shared as part of the "Start Up Kit" to be shared on Voices of 4-H History web page.

http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/voices

SC printed two banners for $50 at their local print shop for use in publicizing the project at local events.

Bradd Anderson (Missouri 4-H): Be sure to use your states social media to promote your program. We put it up on the FilmFest Facebook page, and it received almost 500 views. It was also shared by users from five different states.

Velynda Cameron of Missouri recommended that YOU have to b excited first as you talk with youth about the project. Think about things that grab their interest - share 4-H memorabilia. She took teens to genealogy society to go through old 4-H scrapbooks, slides, etc. and got excited when they found relatives - grandparents, aunts, uncles.

Teens met someone who demonstrated how to use microfiche and find old articles, including the first front page article about 4-H exhibits!
MO - next meeting they will conduct oral interviews with family members. Goal to get clips from the 40's, 50's, and 60's.
MO - asking the interviewees to bring a piece of 4-H memorabilia with them. As a result of the pre-work the teens are very excited about the project (teens ages 13-15).
Missouri will use still cameras and smart phone video.

Missouri FilmFest - already getting submissions. The 2013 Film Fest has a submission category for Voices of 4-H History.

To learn more about submitting your recordings to FilmFest 2013 enter the following web site address: http://4h.missouri.edu/go/events/filmfest/ or Google FilmFest 4-H.

4-H in Kentucky is experimenting with iPhones for filming. Kentucky will edit videos with Movie Maker software. Several suggested Adobe Premiere. Others mentioned Elements as a popular video editing software. Make sure you save your work frequently if using Movie Maker. Another option for editing is Seris Movie plus 5.

Paul Hill of Utah said, "I'm an iMovie guy. Here's what we did for National 4-H Conference.
Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFaX5yFJ3Jo

This example could be posted as contemporary 4-H History.

Michigan has been working with Tech Wizards. iPhone tripod attachments are available which would be helpful. MSUE is using SLR cameras. Michigan contacts with interviewees have been made and interviews will start in the next couple of months. One youth may become the producer/director and hopefully will submit for FilmFest.

Dean Aakre of North Dakota shared that ND will have a state fair film festival and have added Voices of 4-H History category to that event.

In Maryland - Pat Murphy is actively trying to recruit youth to come on board. Knowing that states are using cell phone cameras will help increase interest.

Will there be another Voices of 4-H History conference call?
--------------------------------------------

Voices of 4-H History Orientation + Lessons Learned conference call June 17, 2013.

The next Voices of 4-H History conference call is scheduled for Monday, June 17 at 3:00 p.m. EDST. Please mark your calendar and RSVP your intentions to participate in this call by email to: Tateace@aol.com

In the mean time, visit the Voices of 4-H History web page.

Tom Tate, Kendra Wells, Jim Kahler, co-chairs

Voices of 4-H History Conference Call on April 18, 2013.

Tom Tate, Jim Kahler, Kendra Wells, Virginia Gobeli (RI), Patricia Murphy (MD), Steven Worker (CA), Joan (HI), Margaret Miltenberger (WV), Sue Benedetti (Chair, National 4-H History Preservation Leadership Team).

CA - Steven Worker gave an overview of the work that California has been doing. With funds from Best Buy (Community Grant that can be applied for through the store), they were able to provide 4-hour training workshops statewide for youth to create Revolution of Responsibility and Voices of 4-H History videos. A main question that the teams had was about the types of questions to ask - Tom provided resources for this and these resources will be made available to others. Some youth may be more interested in creating videos about topics other than 4-H. The film festival is May 25 so Steven will know then abut the response.

RI - Virginia shared that she has a history of Rhode Island 4-H (written) that can be a basis for this project. Virginia may be able to work with a work study student at the University to get the project going in Rhode Island.

WV - Margaret reported that they conducted interviews with several individuals. She has an appointment to learn how to edit the videos. Margaret hopes to complete before the next month and the busy summer season. The biggest challenge is the technical work. See this project as something that they can expand, with funding, into a larger project.

MD - Patricia appreciated receiving a copy of the Voices of 4-H History banner and has turned it in to a bookmark to distribute at community 4-H promotional events. Sue invited Patricia to send an article for the May 4-H History Newsletter and some photos of the bookmark, etc.

HI - Joan has gained information to take back to the rest of the 4-H staff in Hawaii.

Other notes/thoughts:

We are working on a Voices of 4-H History "Start Up Kit." Tom sent an email on April 13 with attachments that might be helpful in getting youth involved in the Voices Project. We will post thes and other resources as a "Start Up Kit" on the Voices of 4-H History website.

We have a 4-H History YouTube Channel for uploading the videos. We also will accept audio and written submissions. Could also use a PPT presentation (Tom has an example), include quotes and photos, highlight and interview with one former leader, staff member, club member.

For assistance with technical aspects of the project, Jim suggests partnering with state 4-H OJJOP projects that are focusing on Tch Wizards, CYFAR projects might be another source, Adobe Youth Voices projects, too.

Suggestd sources for funding -- Community Grants from Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. Steven will be happy to share th text of the proposal submitted by CA to Best Buy.

We welcome feedback from all the sites about additional resources and things that will enhance the experience and ideas for making the web presence better.

Send short news articles (with pictures) about your Voices of 4-H History Project to Sue Bendetti (osueb@yahoo.com).

Dates to remember:

Missouri FilmFest 2013. To learn more - http://4h.missouri.edu/go/events/filmfest/
Youth Produced 4-H History films + videos produced by the July 15 submission deadline will be considered for 2013 FilmFest occuring in August FilmFest. Those submitted after July 15 will be considered for FilmFest 2014.

Voices of 4-H History Webinar - May 7 at 3pm. Email reminder with call and log in information will be sent.

Tom Tate, Kendra Wells & Jim Kahler
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Voices of 4-H History Project Moves Forward;
More States Sign on for Extension Centennial Project!

At the Voices of 4-H History orientation webinar on February 22, pilot states, California, Connecticut and South Carolina shared their projects with 4-H representatives from Kentucky, Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, Ohio, North Dakota and Oklahoma! The new states are looking forward to exploring ways to be a part of the effort to collect 100 4-H stories in celebration of 100 years of Cooperative Extension in 2014. Here's a look at what states are doing and thinking about this exciting project:

o The California 4-H Technology Leadership Team is hosting filmmaking workshops across the state in preparation for the California Filmfest. 4-H clubs and groups can check out video equipment for one month from the state 4-H office to work on their films.

O In South Carolina a 4-H History Club will build on their successful Veteran's Interview project. They are gleaning historical information from South Carolina annual 4-H reports to identify potential people to interview and are partnering with the State Teen Council.

O The Connecticut Tech Team has been practicing interview and video techniques and launched their first interviews in late February. The Tech Team will work with 4-H members in two counties on this project.

O Washington State may look to Tribal Elders for their historical perspective on Extension.

O Kentucky will consider expanding their 4-H Friday's two-minute 4-H alum videos for the Voices project.

O In Ohio, it's possible that the Youth Advisory Committee Media team can work with Ohio Extension Com & Tech office to create Voices submissions.

Are you ready to get on board with the Voices of 4-H History Project? Visit te website: http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/voices or contact Tom Tate (tateace@aol.com), Jim Kahler (jhahler@nifa.usda.gov) or Kendra Wells (kendrawells@gmail.com).

Tom Tate, co-chair

Voices of 4-H History Pilot State Update

Video Training - To learn the basics of video production, 4-H members (age 13-19), 4-H volunteers, and 4-H staff in California have the opportunity to participate in a workshop presentd by the 4-H Technology Leadership Team. There is no cost to participants. These trainings are provided by support from BestBuy through the California 4-H Foundation. One of the goals of the workshop is to prepare youth to interview 4-H volunteers, staff, alumni, and stakeholders for the Voices of 4-H History project. The workshops will be conducted during February and March, 2013. To learn more about the Film Making project in California visit: http://ucanr.edu/film/

Orientation for Potential Pilot Test States - February 22, 2013, the Voices Team will conduct a conference call/seminar to introduce potential Voices pilot test sites to become involved in the 2013 Voices of 4-H History activities.

Tom Tate, Kendra Wells and Jim Kahler

Following the exhibition of the 4-H History Preservation projects at the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents annual convention in Orlando, Florida in late October, and the distribution of 500 rack cards creating awareness of the new web page for the Voices of 4-H History project, the new Voices of 4-H History web page was accessed several hundred times as of December 10, 2012.

The distribution of rack cards seems to be an effective way of drawing potential project participants to look at the web page. Potential project participants from 30 states have been identified. Voices team has been following up with the potential participants from the 30 states to encourage them to consider becoming pilot test sites during 2013.

On December 3, National 4-H Council-sponsored project team to improve outreach with 4-H alumni met in Chevy Chase. Voices of 4-H History team met the 4-H alumni engagement team to raise their awareness of the 4-H History Preservation team and it's 2013-2014 plans for engaging 4-H alumni in being interviewed by current 4-H members, recording the history of their 4-H experiences. Members of the Alumni engagement project team from several states have since expressed interest in exploring ways to work with the Voices of 4-H History team in 2013. The follow-up includes plans for a conference call for new potential pilot test states in February 2013 and beyond.

The Voices team is also planning for visibility of 4-H History projects at the Galaxy IV Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in September, 2013. The proposed concept is around the idea of sharing with Galaxy conference attendees, the plans and progress of the the Voices of 4-H History project as a basis for a comparable model for the development of Voices of Extension project by all Extension program groups for use during the celebration of 100 years of Cooperative Extension in 2014. The proposed workshop and exhibit would include the showing of films developed by pilot states in the first eight months of 2013. The proposal to the Galaxy is due for submission for consideration by the Galaxy planners on January 10, 2013.

Prepared by Tom Tate, co-chair

Voices of 4-H History Introduced at NAE4-HA National Conference

October 22-25, Voices of 4-H History was introduced to those attending the 2012 meeting to the National Association of Extnsion 4-H Agents in Orlando, Florida. Over 1,000 4-H agents, volunteers and program leaders had the opportunity to see a 90-second video of historical images projected in the National 4-H Council's exhibit area. The 90-second video of historical 4-H images was part of a continuous loop that played numerous times during the two days the Exhibit Hall was open.

Representatives of the National 4-H History Preservation Team were available to visit with state and county staff about the Voices of 4-H History project. More than 500 rack cards describing the project were distributed during the conference. Delegates from more than 30 states provided their contact information expressing high interest in the 4-H history project. Many of these contacts had done some history data collections that they are excited about sharing with the national project. The Voices of 4-H History team will follow up with those who requested follow up.

The new website for the Voices of 4-H History was introduced and the web address shared with many at the Orlando meeting. This new web page is designed to serve as a tool for the local teams wanting to start up a Voices of 4-H History project in their local community. The website URL is http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com/voices

Tom Tate, Chair

"Voices of 4-H History" Becomes New Competition Category at Filmfest 4-H"

Young filmmakers from across the country will soon have yet anothr way to add to the scope of 4-H history, through the new "Voices of 4-H History" competition category at FilmFest 4-H, the national 4-H film festival. Through late 2012 and early 2013, these teenage filmmakers will be interviewing 4-H alumni, volunteers, staff and supporters, about their personal 4-H experiences. Those efforts meeting the "Voices of 4-H History" guidelines may enter their film at FilmFest 4-H, which takes place during the week of August 5, 2013 in Branson, Missouri.

The festival connects 4-H filmmakers with screenings, events, and technical workshops lead by actual film industry professionals. These youth celebrate successes alongside peers with similar interests, gathering professional feedback and gaining new strategies for improving their future efforts. Importantly, 4-H'ers take their enthusiasm and new skills back to their own state's 4-H program. "I'll take what I learned back to my county and help organize a local film club," wrote one FilmFest participant from Hazard, Kentucky." "I'll begin work on my own film and help start a local film festival."

Films selected for viewing at FilmFest 2013 will be reviewed and judged from a field of films received during the April 15-July 15 submission period. Guidelines, including criteria for judging and selection, are being developed by the National 4-H History Preservation Team and will be available in November 2012. For more information on FilmFest 4-H, visit the website at http://4h.missouriedu/filmfest or click on link from the history preservation team at http://4-HHistoryPreservation.com

Drafted by Tom Tate and Bradd Anderson

Voices of 4-H History Conference Call.
Attending: Tom Tate, Jim Kahler, Kendra Wells
New Members: Ellen Mays, Velynda Cameron

State Reports:

South Carolina: Ellen Mayes will lad an ffort in South Carolina that makes use of the Library of Congress (LOC) Veterans History Project approach. Tom Tate is in contact with LOC staff to explore cooperative common interests.

Missouri: Velynda Cameron and Bradd Anderson are leads in Missouri 4-H History effort. Velynda is a 4-H educator in southwest Missouri. She brings experience in oral history interviews in her region on topics of one-room school houses. She will be reaching out to community in the coming weeks to grow interest in Voices project. Bradd Anderson is th founder and lead for the 4-H FilmFest that occurs in Branson, Missouri each August, and is open to any state. We are exploring having Voics of 4-H History projects being judged for participation in 4-H Film Fest in August 2013. Tom + Bradd will meet in October to xplore details.

Plans for Orlando - NAE4-HA meeting - October 24-25, 2012.

-- Voices of 4-H History will be discussed two times in the NAE4-HA exhibit hall, National 4-H Council booth (Wednesday Oct 24, 2pm and Thursday Oct 25 at 1pm). States are encouraged to encourage those from their state to attend the 4-H History briefing in Orlando.

--A 90-second video of historical 4-H imags will be shown on the national 4-H Exhibit area in Orlando October 24-25. Hopefully, the video will become available on the 4-H history website in November.

--Judging/valuation criteria for Voices recordings/video.

--Missouri 4-H Film Fest requirements and criteria were sent to pilot states for their review and recommendation. Denny Godfrey of WV will edit the current set of judging and selection criteria to fit the Voices project. He will distribute his edited version to the team in October.

Future Pilot Test Team Conference Call: October 29 - 3pm ET (all pilot states).

Tom Tate, Co-Chair

Voices of 4-H History Conference Call
Attending: James Kahler, Tom Tate, Deb Jones (Alaska), Denny Godfrey (WV), Steve Worker (CA)

State Progress Reports:

California: 4-H in California won a Best Buy grant that will provide video equipment for 6-7 loaner kits (1-2 month loan) that was to be used to demonstrate community impacts. The same video equipment kits could also be used for Voices of 4-H History interviews as well. These interviews are tentatively planned for May 2013. State 4-H Office and 4-H Foundation are involved.

West Virginia: 4-H in West Virginia has a draft plan in development to serve as the model for 4-H History Interviews. The TV production unit at West Virginia University will be helping with the effort. Collegiate 4-H members will serve as interviewers and plan for four edited interviews by the end of October 2012. The goal is to have a 3-5 minute montage developed by December 2012. Deb McDonald, West Virginia 4-H Director, is involved.

Alaska: Deb Jones has shared the idea of Voices of 4-H History with others in Alaska and there is interest in getting 4-H members to interview 4-H volunters and alumni about their stories.

Tom Tate, Co-Chair

Voices of 4-H History Update.

Our 4-H History Preservation Program provides a vast assortment of strategies and tactics that are worthy of consideration.

One approach for getting 4-H alumni to re-engage into 4-H is our new "Voices of 4-H History" project. "Voices of 4-H History" provides the framework for current 4-H members and staff to organize interviews with former 4-H members, staff, volunteers and supporters. This inter-generational approach has the potential to draw tens of thousands of 4-H alumni back into contact with the local and state 4-H programs where they reside.

"Voices of 4-H History" has a multi-state design team made up of 4-H staff and volunteers from Alaska, California, Ohio, West Virginia, Connecticut and Rhode Island. This design team will meet monthly by conference calls to share lessons learned during the 2012 pilot testing of a variety of approaches of youth interviewing 4-H alumni to record audio, video and textual "Voices of 4-H History."

In 2013, the "Voices of 4-H History" team will conduct online trainings to share the variety of models with other states who would like to make use of the "Voices of 4-H History" framework in interviewing, recording and sharing alumni recollections.

The "Voices of 4-H History" team is currently exploring partnership with State 4-H Film Festivals as a venue for sharing and recognizing recorded interviews at events in 2013. These recordings will also be made available through the 4-H History website.

Recordings of "Voices of 4-H History" team produced and recognized in 2013 will be available for increasing visibility of 4-H during the Centennial celebration of the Smith-Lever Act in 2014.

Tom Tate, chair

This progress report covers exploring with Missouri 4-H the potential of History Preservation being a category for FilmFest 2013 - the 4-H Youth Invitational Film Festival.

FilmFest 4-H is the largest single event that brings 4-H youth from across the nation with an interest in videography and filmmaking togelther, face to face.

These tend to be youth who alrady have considerable proficiency in the necessary creative and technical skills, which lends itself to the higher production quality we want in the historical preservation effort.

Participation in the just completed FilmFest 2012 (August 6-8, 2012 in Branson, Missouri) doubled over the 2011 event. Rave reviews from participants and growing awareness of this event lend to anticipation in another large jump in attendance in 2013.

Potentially, there is a good fit, with a program and structure that is proven and in place… FilmFest 4-H is a film festival that seems to fit with the vision of 4-H History Preservation. The FilmFest has a category called "4-H Promotional" that is a competition category. Minor tweaks could be made in that category to fit 4-H History Preservation.

Items that our national history preservation team brings to the table could be supporting the production with prizes, promotion, presence and professional presenters of national stature in film/tv production sector. We will continue to explore this opportunity in the weeks to come.

Tom Tate, chair

A number of contacts are being made out across the country with people potentially interested in the Oral History component of this project. The current plan is to select five pilot states by this fall to do the testing in various formats of oral history interviewing and then based on their experiences, roll the program out nationwide in 2013 in preparation for the 2014 celebration of the Smith - Lever centennial.

Between now and fall, this work team needs to determine what "we" are aiming for from the participating states. Whatever the states choose to do at the state and local levels to document history, above and beyond our needs will be their decision.

Deb Jones, State 4-H Leader in Alaska, is the latest person added to the team as she feels oral histories are something the local commuinities in Alaska can identify with as many of these remote villages are very history orielnted and known for their story-telling. Deb had written to the Leadership Team following the May newsletter and Kendra Wells had a good phone conversation with her prior to the June meeting.

Tom Tate informed the group of the upcoming August Film Fest - 4-H Youth Invitational Film Festival, being held in Branson, Missouri. See: http://4h.missouri.edu/go/events/filmfest/

If not this year, perhaps next year, this might be an excellent opportunity to engage some of these film makers in grooming them for telling the stories of 4-H history on film, including oral interviews.

The leadership team also discussed the importance of gaining access to any available databases of retired Extension USDA employees and National 4-H Council employees with the intent of selecting individuals for national oral history interviews. Unfortunately, many of these people are sadly leaving us (the day of the leadership team meeting was also the day of John Bottum's memorial service, a long time friend and USDA employee). This brought the group fresh awareness that with the passing of each of these national staff members from through the years, a little chunk of 4-H history is being lost forever. Life members of NAE4-HA and perhaps some other key groups should be looked at with the same thought in mind. For those retirees not currently residing in the Washington, DC area, probably most states would be very willing to conduct the audio or video interview for us if we provided them with our specific needs and intent.

Kendra Wells and Tom Tate, Co-Chairs

Continuing follow up with those expressing interest in Preserving 4-H History at National Meeting of Extension 4-H Agents. Several contacts in West Virginia, New Hampshire and Illinois expressed interest in future efforts.

Missouri 4-H is exploring the possibility of doing some oral history recording around the State Fair.

Team did some outreach to National Association of Farm Broadcasters' members who may be interested in helping with the effort.

Several postings of information about the 4-H Oral History Program were added to the 4-H History website. See Hands On History section and Ways You Can Help section for details on oral history. A post was also made on Twitter relating to the Oral History Program and there was a feature in the May issue of the National 4-H History Newsletter.

Tom Tate, Chair

The DRAFT 4-H Oral History project proposal was circulated to selected states in early April. Amendments recommended by the national team and state partners were incorporated into the current draft. Several individuals offering amendments to the proposal were recruited to become part of the Oral History design team.

Extension Director in Vermont, Doug Lantagne, offered the following feedback: "I think this is a worthy project with a lot of merit."

Pilot Test Ideas:
Missouri is discussing testing Oral History interview approaches at the Missouri State Fair in August of 2012 (MaryJo Williams and Brad Anderson). Jim Kahler expressed concerns about facilities for interviewing at county and state fairs. Linda Horn offered an Action Plan for county/state fair interviews. Kendra Wells is exploring these ideas with "4-H All Stars" to see how the 4-H history project might be introduced during their Summer Regional Meeting in Maryland.

Interview Design/Approach:
Standards needed for audio, video and text recording of interviews (Quinn). National Press Club approach to Oral History digital recording and storage may serve as a model (Quinn). Quinn recommends the University of Illinois might have good experience to share in this area. On-line form on the 4-H history preservation website for collecting stories from visitors was recommended by Kurt Reichelt in Vermont. This idea will be tested by Montana 4-H.

Oral History Training Materials:
Obtaining Oral History training materials developed in Missouri from David Burton (Greene County, Missouri). The team is obtaining Oral History guidelines from Michigan State University (LuAnne Kozma). Also, obtained media development manual from Montana State University (Jill Martz + Brett Schomer).

Options for Collecting Interviews:
Vermont recommends a form on the 4-H history preservation website where visitors can share their own stories (Kurt Reichert). This idea is being tested by Montana (2012). The National Press Club model of audio recording in digital format is being explored by Larry Quinn. Missouri has a team of youth and staff attending a summer workshop for learning to design, edit and present good "audio and video" content. (Brad Anderson).

Recruiting Mentors for Youth:
Larry Quinn will be meeting with the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) in April 2012. Larry agreed to introduce the 4-H Oral History project to the NAFB. He requested a handout to share at NAFB. Linda Horn drafted a one-page write up for general use. The card developed by the history team for use at National 4-H Conference might also be useful. We hope Larry Quinn will be able to collect some names from those interested at the NAFB.

Vermont recommends involvement of state folk-life Centers (or their equivalent). Kendra Wells will follow-up. Many state folk-life centers are well versed in collecting oral histories and may be a good source of mentors. (Kurt Reichelt). Vermont also recommends connecting to Smithsonian Folk-life Festival 2012 (Center for Folk-life and Cultural Heritage). Kendra Wells agreed to follow-up.

Storing Video, Audio and Text for Access by Others:
Georgia produced a video containing 4-H History and made it available through their website. Montana has produced a nice model 4-H History website. (Brett Schomer and Jill Martz will keep us posted on progress.)

Vermont suggests we could have a YouTube section dedicated to 4-H History. (Kurt Reichelt). Larry Quinn recommends making contact with the University of Illinois to see how they are making their audio available to users of the Internet. Follow up needed by Quinn and Krug/Moses.

(Tom Tate, Co-Chair)

This 4-H History Development team was launched at the leadership team meeting in March, 2012 under the leadership of Tom Tate and Kendra Wells.

One of the projects being conducted by this team was to conceptualize and draft a proposal that called for the development and implementation of an 4-H Oral History project that would have current 4-H youth members interview previous 4-H members, staff, volunteers and supporters about how 4-H made a difference in their lives. The ideas would be pilot tested in 2012. Implement approaches in 2013. Utlilize interview results during Cooperative Extension Centennial year (2014).

(Tom Tate, Co-Chair)