2024 4-H Military Partnership Conference
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Thank you for joining this year's conference and investing in the 4-H Military Partnership. To support your continued learning and sharing, the slide decks and other resources from the conference are provided below. Should you need additional information please reach out to us via email.

Conference Overview

General Sessions

Opening Event

General Assembly Tuesday Morning

4-H Military Partnership: Past Present & Future, Dr. Casey Mull, PLWG Representative, 4-H Military Partnership

General Assembly Tuesday Lunch

DoD STEM, Mr. Louie Lopez, Director
Military OneSource,  Kelly Smith, Program Manager

General Assembly Tuesday Evening

Building the 4-H Military Partnership Team,  Erica Pullen-Thomas, Air Force 4-H Youth Program Specialist, Jessica Partida, Navy 4-H Youth Program Specialist, Jenny Jordan, Navy 4-H Youth Program Specialist, Vanessa Tranel, DoD 4-H Youth Program Specialist

General Assembly Wednesday Morning

4-H Military Outreach & Support Project, Vitaliy Kroychik, Grants Specialist 

General Assembly Wednesday Afternoon

But I Already Have too Much to Do, Jones Loflin
Handout

General Assembly Wednesday Evening

Visual Learning in the Real World

General Assembly Thursday Morning

Civilian Military Programs, John Paul CookWhat Does Your $10 Buy, Tay Moore, Louisiana 4-H Alum

Poster Presentations

To view posters, select the poster title. Presenter information (e-mails) are connected at their names)

Breakout Sessions

To contact presenters, select their name(s) and you will have an email accessible window. Additional materials including slide decks and handouts are below the description.
4-H & National Guard Families Go Hand in Hand with
Kim Schrader, State 4-H Military Liaison & Toni Humble, County 4-H Educator, Kentucky
Learn from the county agent and specialist the keys to success in this unique partnership between the National Guard and 4-H Youth Development. In Kentucky our partnership has filled the need for our guard members, their families, and our 4-H'ers. We will share our story as w discuss best practices for making the collaboration a success.
A Risk Worth Taking w/Karen Hammock, Liz Deniston, Mike Wallace, & Gary Varrella, Washington 4-H Military Partnership
This interactive workshop will help you develop communication skills to motivate teen engagement.  Washington State University Extension staff and the Washington State 4-H Youth Program faculty share pieces of the “Facilitate the Awesome: Teen Adviser Module,” including Asset-based Project Design for Teens, and Managing Risk through Questioning Techniques.  Come learn research-informed strategies to help teens develop positive self-efficacy and critical thinking skills.  Come learn how to be a more effective communicator with the teens in your programs.  “Facilitate the Awesome” is evidence tested, nationally awarded curriculum. In this hybrid workshop you will be engaged in person, and via  live video by the curriculum authors.    ​
Best Practices in the 4-H Military Partnership w/David Brittain, National Program Manager, CYFAR 4-H Military Partnerships & Vanessa Tranel, DoD 4-H Program Specialist
The 4-H Military Partnership is filled with possibilities. If you're new to the partnership or looking for a few new ideas, best practices for the Partnership provides space to ask questions, time to share, and most of all best practices to make your work a success. Learn from long-time Extension staff who hav worked in several phases of the partnership as you explore making your best better with our military audiences.
Extending the 4-H STEM Challenge with Kim Pond, Massachusetts 4-H Military Liaison
Have you seen the 4-H STEM Challenge Kits come into your center/program and you do them and then they sit on the shelf?  Do you have earlier versions from 2008-2017 when they were called National Youth Science Day kits? How can you leverage them for more programming. This session will work to show you several ways they can be used. We will review the topics covered from 2008 to the present, how to upgrade/materials with handout and add on then take time in small groups to work on a take home plan.
Tag You're In with Amy Parrott, State 4-H Military Liaison
Most people think of games as a way to kill time until the next activity or as the last thing on the agenda. We will facilitate basic activities that require little to no supplies and will get your members engaged, excited and enthusiastic about 4-H meetings. We will introduce variations and subtle changes to basic activities that change them from competitive to cooperative. Our goal is to show how games and activities can teach concepts of belonging, team building, problem solving, communication, and goal setting.  The best take-away from this workshop will be several resources that require little to NO supplies and can be applied immediately with the young people in which they work - or can even be used with staff to build morale!
Working with PAO, Crafting Your Message with Casey Mull, Deputy Chief of Public Affairs 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base
Military Public Affairs offices have 3 primary goals: command information, media relations, and community engagement.  Come learn more about how to collaborate with military public affairs offices from a military public affairs officer and how these offices can support your work. We'll explore crafting a message that gets results and partnerships with possibilities.
Working with School Liaisons with Horace Franklin, Navy CYP School Liaison Program Manager
School liaisons support, advise, and build partnerships with civilian and military communities to help address common education challenges for military-connected children and their families. School liaisons offer an array of services and resources to support children, parents, installation leadership, schools and the surrounding community. Located with each installation, school liaisons are another potential 4-H partnership. During the session, you'll learn more about the program and brainstorm ways that you can expand your partnership with your school liaison.

Roundtable Discussions


Creating Aerospace/Rocketry STEM Day  with Kim Pond, Massachusetts 4-H Military Liaison
Discover a few ways MA 4-H has utilized past National Youth Science day kits and 4-H curriculum to present full day STEM/STEAM events around aerospace/rocketry with our National Guard on base and at armories in the state.   Sample outlines with resources used will be shared along with a list of added programming ideas from the youth center, military equipment, speakers and even coordinating with fresh market days.
4-H on Base Fair with Vanessa Tranel, DoD 4-H Program Specialist

Wild Engagement with Goose Chase with Katelyn King, Michigan 4H Military Liaison
Inspired by scavenger hunts, Goosechase is an online platform that helps you run real-world interactive experiences for your communities. Michigan 4-H has used this program in many settings, including the NAE4-HYS National Award Winning “Month of the Military Child Virtual Challenge”, staff training and networking, and at fairs. Discuss with us ideas of how to engage different audiences remotely or in person with this program and see the innovative ways that this could support military-connected family programming. 
Request Access to 4-H Military Partnership GooseChase Account.

Military 4-H Fairs and Mini Fairs with Vanessa Tranel, DoD 4-H Program Specialist
Colorado 4-H military-connected youth participate in project fairs on and off the installation. Youth complete 4-H projects for exhibit and follow the same guidelines of other 4-H Programs. The fair programs has engaged youth in a variety of activities and provided an experience that they might not otherwise be able to have.

Youth Voice & Understanding through Creative & Cultural Arts with Pat McGlaughlin, Illinois 4-H Military Specialist
Illinois 4-H has placed a high priority on incorporating the arts and tapping into the creative side of our youth. This creates an opportunity for all youth to 1) develop a greater understanding and appreciation of cultural differences; 2) gain an enhanced awareness that their voice matters and they have the right to express themselves; and 3) identify effective ways to express themselves through the arts when their words may not be heard.

Ways to Better Engage Military-Connected Youth in 4-H Programming with Marc Cournoyer
At times it can feel like we are running two programs, 4-H and military-connected youth. Share ideas and ways we can connect with both programs together and engage military-connected families throughout the 4-H program.
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Tracking Military Youth & Post-secondary Pathways with Favour Ojike, graduate research assistant with Purdue University Extension
The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) provides an opportunity to determine some long-term outcomes of positive youth development programming, such as college enrollment, persistence, and completion. We determined college enrollment for Indiana 4-H alumni, including military-connected youths. Join us to learn what we did, what we found, and how the NSC can be used to inform programs for military-connected youths.

Unlocking Financial Avenues with David Wright, Texas 4-H Military Liaison
Navigation of the funding landscape, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will delve into the multifaceted realm of funding sources, the art of partnership forging, and sustainable support for community initiatives, ensuring programs are tailored to the people and their needs
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Drone Project with Jereme Johnson, Escambia County 4-H
Military youth in Escambia County, Florida have gained knowledge of the drone industry, career and technical education skills, and developed a bridge for the digital divide in an equal opportunity learning environment. Learn more about the opportunity and see what we do.