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| Spotlight on Youth - Nov. 24, 2010 |
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4-H National Mentoring program awarded $5M grant
CHEVY CHASE, Md. — The Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has awarded a $5 million grant to National 4-H Council in support of the 4-H National Mentoring program. The grant comes as a part of the OJJDP’s national effort to strengthen, expand and implement youth mentoring activities nationwide to improve the lives of millions of young Americans.
4-H is one of four youth national organizations to receive a grant from OJJDP in their broad effort. The grant will provide funding to facilitate two 4-H mentoring programs in every state, with each program taking place in an area that has an increased risk for youth delinquency.
“Through these organizations, youth are provided programs that help keep them in school, out of trouble, and most importantly, put them in direct contact with caring adults who provide crucial support and guidance,” said Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice.
Across the country, state 4-H programs will select from three of Cooperative Extension’s successful mentoring programs to implement in their local communities: 4-H Mentoring: Youth & Families with Promise, created by Utah State University; 4-H Tech Wizards, created by Oregon State University; and 4-H Life, created by the University of Missouri.
“This is an exciting opportunity to deliver new resources that will build the capacity of 4-H programs nationwide and serve at-risk populations across the nation,” said Donald T. Floyd Jr., National 4-H Council president and CEO. “Through 4-H National Mentoring, land-grant institutions from all 50 states will have the opportunity to replicate evidence-based 4-H programs which will lead to positive outcomes including reduced school drop-out rates and strengthened family relationships.”
4-H mentoring programs have already proven valuable for many youth, and have achieved national recognition. Ryan Brott, a member of Michigan’s Journey 4-H Youth mentoring program, was honored by President Barack Obama at the White House in January for his achievements through 4-H mentoring. Brott and his mentor, Andrew Knight, represented 4-H during the Washington, DC event celebrating National Mentoring Month.
Students named entrepreneurs during FFA Convention
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — This year, ten students were named agri-entrepreneurs during the 83rd National FFA Convention. Three of those students from the Farm World readership area include: Ashley Ceinwen of Kentucky; Courtney Cox of Kentucky; and Jasper Cunningham of Michigan. Ashley Ceinwen Jones of Pineville, Ky., received a National Agri-Entrepreneurship Award and $1,000 during a ceremony at the 83rd National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. on Oct. 23. The award program recognizes young people who start or are planning to start their own businesses.
Ashley Ceinwen Jones created Blackberry Farm, a working farm that raises high quality Border Leicester sheep that are recognized for their flavorful meat and long, lustrous wool.
“After researching the breed and talking to other producers and shearers, I knew that I had more than a breeding animal, I had wool fleeces I could sell for profit,” Jones said. “I knew to get top dollar for my fleeces, I had to treat my sheep differently than a meat breed producer.”
Wool sales became an important factor in reducing the overhead of her business, so Jones got creative in the distribution of her wool. She approached crafters to use her wool for special projects and even sells packages to dance studios to use as padding in ballet shoes. The only large producer of Border Leicesters in the southern United States, Blackberry Farm offers a wide variety of sheep and wool products including breeding and show stock, freezer lambs, raw and processed wool fleeces, wool roving and quilt bats and needle-felting kits and supplies.
Courtney Cox of Taylorsville, Ky., started her business called Two Springs Farm and has had a clear marketing and business plan since she entered high school.
“Two Springs Farm is involved with the production and marketing of various fruits and vegetables, perennial flowers, water plants and gourd crafts,” Cox said.
Cox understands that to be successful, you must pay close attention to the needs of the customer. “The key to my operation has been understanding the needs and wants of my community and working hard to out-market the other producers in my area by listening to my customers,” Cox said. Because of this, her business has continued to develop and expand over the past two years.
Not only did Cox’s creative vision for her business set her apart from the competition, she was careful to see what aspects of her program were completely specialized. After seeing a unique variety of pumpkins on a trip out of state, she realized no one in her area was producing them. She decided to fill that void in her community and as a result, those pumpkins and gourds have become the backbone of Two Springs Farm.
Jasper Cunningham of Ravenna, Mich., created Seed Boy Seed Company to meet the need for local seeds at an affordable price and his business has been “growing” ever since. Cunningham’s company motto is, “where the heart of your garden begins.” The heart of his company began with a risk.
“The start of my business was a huge risk because I had to borrow money, create a plan, and I was only fourteen years old,” Cunningham said. “These risks are daring, but they ensured that Seed Boy was more than a thought.”
Cunningham believes that Seed Boy is an expanding business, always in the creative stage, developing new products and seeking new customers. He didn’t limit his business to any one location or seed specialty. Instead, Seed Boy now sells flower, vegetable, field and grass seeds to name a few. A strong component of his success can be attributed to his involvement with the Raveena Area Downtown Development Authority, where his flowers are displayed all over downtown as part of a beautification effort. Cunningham sees this as free advertisement and an opportunity to gain business.
“To me, not taking a risk is the same as throwing away an opportunity. In my opinion, the words “risk” and “opportunity” are interchangeable, and I use them that way,” Cunningham explains. |
| 11/23/2010 |
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