Communicating the 4-H Brand Wkshop

What makes 4-H Youth Development a unique youth serving organization? If we could all answer that question succinctly and intentionally, with pride and power, our clientele and our communities, too, would understand what we do and why. How do we communicate that niche with our audiences, colleagues, funding/program partners and our university?

Communication is an integral part of what we do within Cornell Cooperative Extension, yet there are many who are not clear about the unique function that 4-H has in connecting youth across NYS to our land grant university. How do we help others to know the real benefits of
4-H Youth Development?

Workshop panel of:

• Barb Schirmer, State 4-H Leader. Intentional delivery methods of our program and they wisdom behind them.
• Celeste Carmichael, State4-H Program Specialist. Tools for Communicating who we are and what we do.
• George Preston, CCE State Communications Leader. Building a strong image of CCE.
• Cathy Sheils, crm3@cornell.edu, Associate Director of Admissions/Transfer Coordinator, Communicating the non-formal education advantage to our audiences.
• Stephen Hamilton, Associate Provost for Outreach, Proven methods of talent development and the inherent links to the 4-H Youth Develolpment program.

Summary:

• Be sure to always "thank Dad", our parent organization - Cornell Cooperative Extension
• Use tag lines (simle one liners that are easy for folks to remember)
• Have a cadre of example stories
• Memorize a few facts (participant numbers, leader enrollment etc)
• Know our goals
• Promote internally & externally
• Let our kids and public know that 4-H preps kids for college
• Wear it proud!!!
  

Resources:

• powerpoints from the workshop, including a PPT from Dr. Cathann Kress http://nys4h-staff.cce.cornell.edu/
• Guiding Principles http://nys4h-staff.cce.cornell.edu/index.php

4-H Communication Opportunities

Occoasionally colleagues ask about communication opportunities for 4-H programs. Thought it might be of use to county offices as well.

Our goal: Helping staff, on and off campus, to communicate our impacts and connection to the University in an interesting and compelling way.

Newsletters:

e4hconnect 4-H News Blog -send news to Adam Davis, afd7@cornell.edu. Short news items with a link are most appropriate. In the interest of your time you may wish to send a news item to the list-serve - we scan those items for appropriate news to post to e4hconnect.

CCE News - for unique county/regional & statewide programs. At present, send CCE News blurbs to Lauri Whatley: lhw6@cornell.edu. Copy me if you would - cjc17@cornell.edu.

Small Farm Quarterly (Cornell Small Farms Program organizes this) - we manage the Youth Pages, typically recruiting a county or a program (dairy/horse) to recruit kids to write articles. Suggestions for content and recruitment can be submitted to me cjc17@cornell.edu. Published SFQ goes out to all subscribers of Country Folks.

NYSACCE4-HE News & Views - Also quarterly, this newsletter is distributed via e-mail to 4-H Educators across the state. The intent is professional development, so any article about best practices or successful programming is acceptable. Event promotion does not belong here. Send news items to the editor, Angela Waligora, abw23@cornell.edu.

Press Releases:

Releases with statewide appeal can be sent to Adam Davis (afd7@cornell.edu). Releases should be in a standard format MS word. As time allows, I'm willing to help you prep releases (not always a guarantee), but more than what it says it is important to get it out there. We send our releases to: the youth educator list serve (CCE-STAFF-YOUTH-L@cornell.edu) and to Cornell Press Relations, expecting that county offices will adapt/personalize and get it to local media. If it is of interest to them - the Chronicle will pick it up. If you are looking for local news, I suggest the 2,2,2 rule: send it out 2 weeks in advance, follow up 2 days in advance with an e-mail or call, call 2 hours in advance to be sure you have coverage.

Websites:

State 4-H Office site: http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/
Resource Directory: http://www.cerp.cornell.edu/4h/
Success Stories: http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/givechange/success.htm and http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/4_h_stories/index.php?category_id=61&id=4
Events listing: http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/program/events/TeenEventLinks.php
Cornell Outreach site: http://www.cornell.edu/outreach/