ISA Planning Committee
Each year, we select up to 9 youth and 2 adults to serve as the Planning Committee for the next year’s Illini Summer Academy. Youth must have attended a past ISA program. It is preferred that the adults have attended also. Adults for the planning committee must be at least 21 years of age and must have completed the University of Illinois Extension Volunteer screening process.
The youth and adults selected for the committee form a partnership during the year. Except where age may make a difference in risk management or liability issues, both youth and adults are expected to participate in discussions, planning, meeting requirements, physical work, team-building activities, and voting on an equal basis.
The information below explains the expectations of planning committee members during the year. If expectations are not fulfilled, the youth or adult may be dismissed from the committee.
Expectations of Planning Committee Members
The Illini Summer Academies Planning Committee will plan and carry out the general sessions for this event with the help of State 4-H Staff and the Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team.
Committee members must be willing to attend a majorityof scheduled teleconferences and BOTH face-to-face meetings. Teleconferences can be done from a local Extension Office OR from any touch-tone phone. Teleconferences will begin at 7:00 p.m. and should end by 9:00 p.m. at the latest. Dates for all meetings are provided to selected members at the beginning of the year.
Full committee Telenets are usually held in September or October; November or December; January and March.There will also be various sub-committee Telenets scheduled during the year. Participation inthese Telenet sessions is highly recommended, but not mandatory.
Face-to-Face Meetings of the full-committee are mandatory. The first meeting is generally held in October or November and involves a full weekend retreat – Friday night through Sunday afternoon. The spring face-to-face meeting is a 1-day meeting that generally does not involve an overnight stay. It is usually held on a Saturday in late April or May. A tentative date is provided with the committee agreement and then the final date is confirmed in January once committee members have schedules for proms, senior trips, etc. We may not be able to avoid all conflicts, but we try!
Failure to attend BOTHface-to-face meetings and a majority ofteleconference meetings results in forfeiture of committee membership. Although reminders of meetings are e-mailed, committee members are expected to put these dates on their calendars as soon as they are initially received (August). Late reminders are NOT be an excuse for missing meetings.
In addition to the meetings listed, committee members must arrive at the assigned time one day prior to ISA and stay a few hours following the Closing Ceremony on the last day. Dates for the 2013 Illini Summer Academies are still being determined, but will probably be June 23-26, 2013, with the committee arriving on Saturday, June 22nd.
Committee members are expected to obey all rules of the event and serve as role models for others. Committee members are to be seen as leading by example.
The State 4-H Office pays the ISA registration fee for the Academy of the committee member’s choice,up to a maximum cost of $225. (If member’s wish to attend one of the more expensive academies, the additional cost is at their own expense.) Members are reimbursed for mileage to face-to-face meetings, meals at face-to-face meetings & lodging for any overnight meetings.