IEPYE May 2000
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IEPYE May 2000
Exciting Times for Youth Programming in Illinois
By: Judy Taylor, President
It’s really an exciting time to be a part of the 4-H/ youth development field in Illinois Extension. The appropriation of additional funds by the Illinois General Assembly for unit youth development educators will provide Illinois with great opportunities to improve and expand our programming and more effectively meet the needs of Illinois youth.
Even before the announcement of these new monies, IEPYE had included in this year’s goals to assist with recruiting candidates for positions that support youth programs (see goals in Feb. 7 IEPYE newsletter). At our last board meeting a committee of our past president, Darla Binkley; president elect, Cathy Huber; professional development chair, Mary Kay Munson; southern region director, Pam Jacobs; and president, Judy Taylor met to determine what we could do to move forward with this goal. With input from this group and Sheri Seibold, we determined that the first step was to send a letter to the Associate Dean of Extension and Outreach, Dennis Campion offering assistance in recruiting a pool of candidates for these new positions. A letter was sent to Dr. Campion and he responded very positively. Below are the offers we made in our letter and Dr Campion’s suggestions regarding each of those.
“IEPYE executive board and membership would like to offer assistance in recruiting a pool of potential candidates.
Some possible ways we would be willing to help include:
- Assist with submitting an advertisement for positions in News and Views, the official publication of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents
- Forward announcements of positions by way of Association list serves, such as, the list serves of all state presidents and president-elects. It would be helpful to have all position announcements available on an Extension web site where we could refer interested people.
- Prepare marketing materials that highlight the benefits of positions in Illinois and “why you’d want to locate in XX county/region.” This marketing would include information about unique youth programming in the area and local resources, recreation, shopping, etc. in each area or region.
- Identify individuals who could serve as recruiters, possibly one from each region.
- Help with manning a commercial display at NAE4HA national meeting November 5-9, 2000, Denver, CO.
- Work with existing mentoring and orientation to help acclimate new staff to Illinois’ system.
- Since IEPYE’s membership includes unit leaders, youth professionals and para-professions we could assist units with adjustments as they add a new position.”
Exerts from Dr. Campion’s response:
We are very appreciative of the interest IEPYE members have taken in contributing to the success of the search and hiring process.
In terms of your specific offers of support, we suggest the following close cooperation between IEPYE and Extension Administration:
- The ACES Personnel Office will be in charge of advertising outside of the state. IEPYE is asked to work closely with Bill McNamara and provide him with necessary information for opportunities to advertise and market.
- In terms of forwarding the announcement of positions by way of various Association list servers and mailing lists, you are encouraged to use whatever means of communication at your disposal to alert youth educators to the professional opportunities in Illinois. A web site will be created shortly with information on the new positions. This will allow you to refer interested educators to one central site for further information.
- You are requested to prepare brief material on youth development education in Illinois. This material will be used in conjunction with the recruiting brochure developed in the Northeast Region and be made available to candidates. The material can also be put on the web site. [This material has since been developed at Youth Development/Prevention team May 17.]
- In terms of other recruiting opportunities, all members of IEPYE are strongly encouraged to use every opportunity to participate actively in recruiting and identifying candidates for these positions. Members will be supplied with the recruiting brochure developed in the Northeast Region and other materials that may be helpful.
Again, for all the members of the Administrative Team I want to express our appreciation for the constructive suggestions. Your offer of assistance reflects a wonderful sense of determination to take full advantage of the new opportunities to strengthen youth work in Illinois. I am looking forward to further close cooperation with the members of IEPYE!
So, as recruiting materials become available, I encourage each of you to demonstrate leadership in Extension youth development and use every opportunity to participate actively in recruiting and identifying candidates. Two of the objectives listed under the mission statement of IEPYE state that we work to “improve the general status of the Extension youth program and increase interest in Extension youth work as a career.” IEPYE members have a responsibility and a tremendous opportunity to play an active role in supporting these objectives.
Besides the letter sent to Extension’s director, I am preparing letters to send to Citizens for Extension; the Dean of the College of ACES, Dr. David L. Chicoine; and the University of Illinois Chancellor, Michael Aiken to thank them for their support in securing additional funds for youth programming in Illinois Extension.
The other topic we discussed during the recent board meeting and will continue to hear about from the national level is the possible reorganization of the NAE4-HA Board. Watch for details as those become available.
I hope all of you are making plans to attend NAE4HA in Denver, November 5-9. On-line registrations should be available as of June 1 at: Once at this web site click on “2000 NAE4HA Conference.” Registration is due July 1 for Early Bird Discounts.
IEPYE Award Winners Announced
By: Bill Million, Chairman
Member Recognition Committee
The Member Recognition Committee is pleased to announce the following award winners from this year’s competition. The committee received a total of 20 entries this year from the membership. The following members will be given special recognition at the Fall Membership Meeting in October.
State Outstanding Program – Individual
Diane Baker
25 Years of Service
Susan M. Guinnip
Sandra L. Lignell
Distinguished Service Award
Diane Baker
Cathy Huber
Achievement in Service
Deanna Roby
Communicator Awards
Educational Piece – Individual
Diane Baker
Educational Piece – Team
Cheryl Geitner, Tina Veal, Sarah Anderson, Dianne White, Darla Binkley
Published Photo
Sally Hamlin
Promotional Piece – Individual
Sally Hamlin
Promotional Piece – Team
Fran Streitmatter
Pat McGlaughlin
Personal Column
Fran Streitmatter
Periodical Publication
Pat Hildebrand
CONGRATULATIONS to all of our award winners!
Let’s Get Organized!
Preparing for Your Performance Appraisal
By: Susan Guinnip, member
When I first started in Extension work, someone suggested that I keep a file folder of “things” that I interpreted as thank you’s, congratulations, promotions, etc. I have done that for 25 years. In more recent years, though, I have realized that there are many other things that I should be keeping or recording for future reference.
None of us know where we will be a year from now and try as we may, most of us cannot remember the committees we served on 5 years ago. Regardless of whether or not you go through another Performance Appraisal, these ideas may be of help. In this article are different types of suggestions that I have gleaned from various sources.
- Collect important thank you’s, congratulations, etc. They help remind you of what you have done and make you feel good.
- Keep a running list of committees, responsibilities, etc. with dates and/or terms. One colleague writes this information down on the outside of the file folder in which, she saves important papers.
- Keep a monthly report of programs and activities, broken down in the categories listed on the performance appraisal form. You can then look back at each month's report to complete the evaluation.
- Another friend keeps track of his promotions. He can tell you the salary he made when he first started in Extension and the raise he received in 1983. This may not be information that you need every year for a Performance Appraisal, but it could be important to know, if new employees are making about the same you are making after several years of experience.
- Hold on to newsletters and promotional pieces, especially those that were unique in one way or another.
- Keep other documentation that will facilitate the performance process. For example,
-Minutes of important meetings
-Newsletters
-Handouts provided for important meetings or programs
-Pictures that tell a good story about specific programs
-Copies of news articles and promotional pieces
-Copies of educational materials distributed
-Selected correspondence
-Summary of program evaluations
-Reports that show changes in participants' behavior
-Other materials that you feel are relevant
I try to look at my Performance Appraisal as an opportunity to show my strengths and to seek guidance and direction for future programs. By using these tips and ideas, you can make your performance appraisal time less stressful.
PRK Taxonomy Can Help
By: Cheryl Geitner, Professional Improvement Committee member
Have you ever tried to explain to committees, councils or county boards what you do? Did you think, “There is just no way to explain what I do?” Well, it’s possible the Professional Research and Knowledge (PRK) Taxonomy for 4-H Youth Development can help.
One of the things that PRK can do for you is help you articulate your role and responsibilities within the University framework and the youth services community.
Sounds good doesn’t it? Unfortunately, at the county level, we are caught up in discussing and determining the future of our youth programming and sometimes we forget to look at the big picture of all that we do. Should we discuss the PRK taxonomy with our volunteers? You bet.
This was an opportunity afforded me a few years ago as our council was going through an in-depth study of what Extension was and all the possibilities that go along with it, especially our connection with the University of Illinois.
Here are some of the things I discussed with them in the following domains.
Youth and Adult Development
- Our programs are aimed at the appropriate developmental stage of the youth we are teaching.
- We are able to teach others about the developmental stages of youth.
Learning Strategies for Youth Development
- We use the experiential learning model to encourage all learning styles to participate and become engaged in our programming and can teach it to others.
- How is it that youth learn best? What are the learning environments that we can provide?
Organizational Systems for Youth Development
- What are the ways that we go about accomplishing our mission of teaching youth life skills?
- What are the kinds of administrative tasks are required of someone in youth development and what are the many varied methods we use to reach out to others?
Partnerships for Youth Development
- We are dealing with complex issues and more than likely we will need to work with other groups to work on these issues that are identified. As council or committee members, they could provide the linkages necessary to expand our efforts.
Volunteerism for Youth Development
- The strength of our program lies in the volunteer base we provide.
- Building the capacity of volunteers to carry out our mission through their knowledge of youth development.
By going through the five domains it was obvious that I was not just going in some haphazard direction but with research behind what I did in my everyday work.
News From the Regions . . . .
Northwest Region
By: Sarah Anderson, Director
The Northwest Region met on May 17, 2000 in Moline at the Fireworks Cafe. The group enjoyed lunch. A brief meeting was held on current issues, additions of youth staff, and plans for next year. Creativity and painting skills were expanded with the painting of ceramics to adjourn to afternoon's activities.
East Central Region
By: Jessie Crews, Director
The East Central region met April 6 at the home of Ann Rund with 16 members present. A business meeting was held in the morning followed by a delicious lunch served by Ann. Following lunch, members toured a photography studio in Champaign.
The next EC meeting will be held Thursday, June 8 at the Sullivan Country Club for a golf scramble. Participants should be ready to tee off at 10:00
AM. Anyone wanting to join us for lunch and a short business meeting can be present at 1:00 PM. ANYONE IS WELCOME TO JOIN US! To RSVP, please call Cathy Huber at the Macon County Office by Monday, June 5. We look forward to a fun day on the 8th!
Meet the 2000-01 Officer Candidates
President-Elect
Diane Baker
Diane Baker is the 2000 candidate for IEPYE President Elect. Diane currently works in Rock Island County as Youth Development Educator in
Educational Program Design. Diane has been with University of Illinois Extension for 12 years and during that time has also worked as a center-based Youth Development Educator and as a county Youth Adviser.
Diane has been as active member of IEPYE and NAE4-HA for all of her 12-year career. During that time Diane has served as Regional Director and on the
Programs committee of IEPYE. Diane has also been active in NAE4-HA, attending all national conferences and serving as Programs Committee NorthCentral Contact and Workforce Preparedness Task Force Chair. Additionally, Diane served as the north-central NAE4-HA representative to the Galaxy Steering Committee from 1992 - 1997 and chaired the Educational Programs Committee for that first-ever joint national meeting of our Extension professional associations.
"I am a strong believer in our professional association. Through my involvement in IEPYE and NAE4-HA I have learned many new things about our Extension system nationwide and have also developed an invaluable network of colleagues from across the nation. I look forward to the opportunity of
serving as the IEPYE President-Elect."
Vice President
Bill Million
Identifying opportunities to involve people has always been a personal and professional goal of mine. Through out my 20-year career in extension I have always tried to identify ways to get people involved and show why they are needed. Through the various committees I have been involved with, I have worked at involving people. By involving people, we help them grow and develop skills to assume greater challenges. Our professional association is no different. By involving more members, we all benefit by becoming an association that can provide the nurturing environment in which its members can grow as professionals.
University of Illinois Extension is currently expanding its youth development programming efforts. If elected to serve as your Vice President, I would accept the challenge and opportunity of expanding our membership. As we realize an increase in the number of youth professionals, it will be important to capture and utilize the talents of all of our members. By joining forces we can position our professional association to accept the challenges of meeting the needs of the future.
Secretary
Joann Benz
Joann will soon be a Youth Development Educator in Logan County. She has been employed with University of Illinois Extension and has been an IEPYE member since October 1992. During that time, she has as chair of the Recognition Committee and the News and Views Committee, served as IEPYE Regional Director for the West Central Region, and served as the IEPYE News and Views editor. Joann has also received the Early Career Service Award and State Outstanding Program Award. In addition, Joann co-authored an article with Judy Taylor on Cooperative Learning that was published in the National Association Newsletter.
IEPYE is a great opportunity to expand and enhance one’s leadership skills while having the opportunity to develop lifelong friendships. IEPYE has given me many valuable experiences and has allowed me to network with professionals who share the same interest-YOUTH.
Joann is an excellent candidate for IEPYE Secretary. The recording of accurate minutes makes this an important position, Joann comes to this position with several years experience as secretary for a number of other organizations and committees.
Lori Quinn
Lori Quinn is the Extension Unit Educator, Youth Development in the Marion County Unit. She has served in this capacity for 14 months but has eight years previous Extension experience in Effingham, Clay, and Fayette counties.
Lori is running for secretary of IEPYE because she feels the organization can play a vital role in assisting youth development staff in perfecting their roles and achieving personal and professional goals. She believes that all youth development employees benefit from IEPYE and with the influx of new employees, the association will have added responsibilities and challenges in meeting the needs of its membership.
Currently, Lori is Chair-elect of the Member Recognition Committee. She also serves as the Jr. Regional Director for the Southern Region membership. Past IEPYE experience consist of Jr. and Sr. Regional Director positions.
A Little Humor for You
Submitted by: Deanna Roby, Newsletter Editor
I received this poem from a coworker when I first joined Extension 7 years ago. I read it every once in a while to put things in perspective. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
The County Fair
By Glenn Brunkow
Everyone enjoys the local county 4H fair
A blessed event that happens once a year
Everyone, that is, except the county agent
To whom the thought of it causes great fear.
Their eyes are blank their skin is white