The News Spreader December 2014
From Quebec 4-H
LEADERSHIP FOR TOMORROW THROUGH LEARNING TODAY
The News Spreader QUEBEC 4-H 21,111 Lakeshore Road Macdonald College Harrison House 3-04 Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9 Phone: 514-398-8738 Fax: 514-398-8652 www.quebec4-h.com PRESIDENT Sarah Enright senright14@ubishops.ca
VICE-PRESIDENT Matthew Burns matthew.burns99@hotmail.com
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lorelei Muller
On the cover: 1
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1– Alexandra Tucker is presented an Award for best presentation at AGM by Todd Klink of FCC 2– Members of the Hatley 4-H Club show off their green on November 5th. 3– MAC JAC 4-H’ers goofing around on Show your 4-H Colours day. 4– Richmond 4-H members sporting their green 5– Shelby Drew presents her speech at CYSA.
In this Issue Welcome to the 2014-2015 Executive Committee……………………..…3 Club News………………………………………………………………...4 Quebec 4-H’ers at the Royal………………………………………………5 Quebec 4-H AGM…………………………………………………………6 Annual Report Infographic………………………………………………..7 Upcoming events and Opportunities………………………………………8 A Visit to the Dairy and Swine Research and Development Center……..10 4-H Celebrated in Award-winning Painting……………………………...11 4-H National Members Forum……………………………………………12 Online Auction……………………………………………………………13 Featured Member: Andrea Soesbergen…………………………………...14 Junior Junction……………………………………………………………15 Volunteer Celebrations/Coming up next…………………………………16
executivedirector@quebec4-h.com
AGRICULTURAL LIAISON Chelsea Daniel agliaison@quebec4-h.com
OFFICE & COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT Norma Tolhurst office@quebec4-h.com
Quebec 4-H Motto: Leadership tomorrow through learning today. Canadian 4-H Motto: Learn to do by doing. I Pledge My Head to clearer thinking My Heart to greater loyalty My Hands to larger service My Health to better living For my club, my community and my country.
Office Holiday Closure The Quebec 4-H Provincial Office will be closed for the holidays beginning at 4:00pm on December 19, 2014 and re-opening on January 5, 2015. We look forward to an exciting 4-H year in 2015! Happy Holidays!
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Quebec 4-H News Spreader
December 2014
Office News
to the 2014-2015 Executive Committee
Left to Right: Mathieu Rouleau (Past president), Matthew Burns (Vice-President), Sarah Enright (President), Andrew Hickey (Chair of the Financial Committee), Lorelei Muller (Executive Director) Abs. Julie MacFarlane (Chair of the Program and Regulations Committee)
President
Vice- President
Sarah Enright
Matthew Burns
Returning for a second year, Sarah is 20 years old and currently studying at Bishops University in Elementary Education. Originally a member of the Richmond 4-H Club, Sarah has also participated in the MAC JAC and Huntingdon clubs. This past year she also initiated a revival of the Lennoxville 4-H Club and was awarded the Outstanding leadership award at this year’s AGM.
A 12 year member of the Sawyerville 4-H Club, Matthew is 20 years old and currently in his second year of the Farm Management and Technology program at Macdonald College. In the past year he sat on the board of directors as the representative for his home club. This past year he also sat on the Financial Committee and serves as well on the Programs and Regulations Committee.
Past-President
2014-2015 Board of Directors President Vice-President Past-President Chair of Financial Chair or Programs and Regulations Brome Hatley Howick Huntingdon Lachute
Sarah Enright Matthew Burns Mathieu Rouleau Andrew Hickey Julie MacFarlane
MAC JAC Ormstown Richmond Sawyerville
Kira Nelson
December 2014
Annie Grubb Shelby Drew Bobby Tolhurst Christina Gabriel Danika Neill Carrie Simpson Emily Enright Krista Whalen
Mathieu Rouleau Mathieu has served as president for the Quebec 4-H Association from 2011– 2013 and has remained a valuable member of the executive and Board of Directors. Originally from the Howick 4H club, he is now 22 years old, participates with the MAC JAC Club and is attending McGill University in Ag Economics.
Chair of the Financial Committee Andrew Hickey Coming back for a second term, Andrew is now 22 years old and while he is originally from the Shawville 4-H Club, he also participates actively on Campus with MAC JAC. He is currently studying Business Administration at John Abbot College.
Chair of Programs and Regulations Julie Macfarlane A member of the Howick 4-H club, and serving as club president in 2014, Julie is 19 years old and in her first year of AgroEnvironmental Sciences at McGill University. For the past 2 years she has been active on the Pro Reg Committee. Active in the Dairy Project, Julie also placed as 3rd overall judge for Quebec in 2014.
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Club News Ormstown 4-H News:
Wrapping up Fall with ribbons and beginning a 4-H Winter Ella Bryson At the end of September, Ormstown 4-H held its annual tractor rodeo at the Simpson Farm. The day began with some tips on tractor safety. The groups were then divided into junior, intermediate and senior members who then braved one of the two different obstacle courses. The event was followed up by pizza and ice cream enjoyed by all! This past November, Ormstown has had one meeting held at the Village Church in Ormstown. We had the meeting to pick new members on the executive panel and organize upcoming events. The end of November, we also held our annual craft day where we made various Christmas crafts, as well as held an executive meeting for our year-end banquet planning! The year is wrapping up but not for us 4-H’ers. We are all looking forward to the 4-H winter events, so stay tuned!!
Howick 4-H Achievement Day & Banquet Kevin MacFarlane On August 31, 2014, the Howick 4-H Club gathered together for their annual Achievement Day held on the lawn of Terrace Bank Farms. Close to all our members attended. The shop was used to hold all the garden produce, flowers and other projects from the garden club. The handicraft club also filled most of the other half of the remaining shop space with their art that was created throughout the year. We had a pee wee class of vegetable creatures and all members could enter decorated clay poultry. The judges for these classes had their work cut out for them. The barn was also nicely filled with the summers’ projects from the last 3 years for both Ayrshire and Holstein cattle. In the morning, we were divided into 3 groups and we began to judge a group of 4 cows, apples on plates, and we had to match seeds to a long list of names. Then the official reasons were given by the official judge. After that, we shared the lunch which was supplied by the families. Cheese and chocolate milk was donated by Agropur. The desserts were delicious! Our afternoon became drizzly and rainY, but spectators could stay dry under the tents that were set up. Our cattle judge, Chantal Charette kept a smile on her face even through the rain. After each class, she could be seen talking to the kids, giving them pointers and suggestions. She was really happy to be invited. We enjoyed watching our pee wee kids showing and they were excited to get a ribbon and Smarties. Our wet afternoon wrapped up with the excitement of the group cattle projects, where many spectators were asked to hold a halter to help. Pictures of each member’s group were taken. Our club president, Julie MacFarlane gave final thankyou for everyone’s help. Another successful Achievement Day had been held. On October 4, 2014 the Howick 4-H club held their annual awards banquet. We enjoyed a delicious catered meal. A report of Summer Junior Camp was given by our members who had attended. Leaders then began to present class winners from our achievement day and summer shows. Trophies and prizes, donated by our local businesses, were given out. Our president, Julie MacFarlane, thanked everyone for another very successful year, special mention to our leaders, directors and especially to our parents. Our evening wrapped up with music and dancing while the parents and grandparents had a good visit.
Quebec 4-H Member Wins Big at European Young Breeders School Ormstown 4-H Member, Emmanuel Brisson, along with 5 other Canadian participants travelled to Belgium earlier this fall to compete in the European Young Breeders School. Brisson came home victorious, placing first in Showmanship and finishing overall aggregate winner out of a total of approximately 130 competitors from around the world. It was the first time he had attended the event and was all made possible with the help of Holstein Quebec and Holstein Canada.
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Club News
Quebec 4-H’ers at:
South-West Dairy Team Ashleigh Cavers 8 4-H members were chosen from 3 clubs to represent South West Quebec at the TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic on November 7-10 The team was Brandon Maither, Emmanuel Brisson, Veronique Brisson, Ariane France, Alana McKinven, Emmy Desrosiers, Ashleigh Cavers, AJRQ member Judith Ménard, and chaperone Lizzie Ellis. We arrived on Friday afternoon and our calves arrived that evening, once there we got our pack ready and our calves settled in. On Sunday evening we had our first show at 6pm, it was the showmanship class to make the finals on Monday morning and after the showmanship show we started the conformation class. There were 357 participants at this year's TD Canadian 4-H Dairy Classic and results of both shows are as follows: SHOWMANSHIP: Intermediate: Alana McKinven placed first out of 116 and won Honorable Mention Showman. Senior: Emmanuel Brisson and Judith Ménard made the cut and came in tenth and twenty-second respectively out of 134 participants. CALVES THAT MADE TOP TWENTY: Ariane's calf, INTERMEDIATE HOLSTEIN, LYLEHAVEN FEVER LEESSY-ET was seventh out of 87, Judith's calf, INTERMEDIATE HOLSTEIN, CANIEL SPAGETTI CHIPPER was 20th out of 87. Alana's calf,SENIOR HOLSTEIN, EASTWEST LJ DESTRY MCINTOSH ET, was fourth out of 95. Véronique's calf, SENIOR HOLSTEIN, BRISMER ATWOOD FRANGELINA, was tenth out of 95. Emmanuel's calf, HOLSTEIN SUMMER YEARLING,BRISMER BLADE FRANZY, was tenth out of 54. TOP EXHIBIT: We finished in Group D but were in a four way tie at 86.6 points. PREMIER COUNTY: Placed fifth out of 51 counties and provinces, first time in history we believe. BEST GROUP OF THREE: Placed sixth out of 15 groups, this also was a first for South West Quebec. We would like to thank everyone who made this possible; especially Lizzie Ellis, Betty Mercier and Mike Wattie for trucking our calves.
Quebec 4-H also had a team of members representing Quebec South-East and 3 members participating in Quebec North-West in the Dairy division. 3 members from the Brome and Shawville 4-H clubs also participated in the beef division and 4 members participated in the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture Competition.
Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture Shelby Drew The 30th annual Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture contest was held November 8th 2014 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair grounds in Toronto. This year was extremely exciting not only because CYSA was celebrating 30 years but also because 4 extremely talented and passionate young Quebeckers ventured out to represent the province as well as 4-H; Christina Knox entered as a junior and Andrea Soesbergen, Shinae Hartley and Shelby Drew as seniors. Friday night, competitors were invited to a pizza supper and get to together at the Hampton Inn and Suites Hotel. Everyone who attend got to socialize and meet amazing new friends from all over Canada who share the same untamable passion for agriculture. Saturday morning, the competition started bright and early, shuttle vans transported everyone to the fair grounds (it took a couple of trips). The junior competition ran at the same time as the first preliminary round of the seniors. After the speeches ended for the morning (around 12:10) lunch was served. The competitors were invited with their family/friends for lunch, and we listened to speeches by sponsors, Ted Young the CYSA chair, and even past winners. (Continued p. 13) December 2014
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Provincial News
Quebec 4-H
AGM Annual
General
On Saturday, November 22nd, members and leaders from different clubs across the province came together with Quebec 4-H Provincial Staff for this year’s edition of the Annual General Meeting. A formal meeting was held in the morning which included elections, the announcement of the new executive, a motion to express concern over Bill 10 and a look forward at the year’s activities. At this time, no clubs came forward to host 2016 activities, which include Innovative Ag Tour and Provincial Rally, so any further interest from clubs should be communicated with the provincial office. At the adjournment of the meeting, members took a break for lunch, and had the opportunity to catch up with their friends from other clubs, as well as chat with Scott Westlake, 4-H Canada Funds Development Manager. Following lunch, the group was divided for those who had committee and board meetings. The remainder of the participants took on an activity which staff had first experienced at the National Leadership Conference. Open Space Technology, allows everyone to have a voice and for new ideas to emerge. Groups
Most Improved Club: Brome Outstanding Community Involvement: Richmond Outstanding Leadership Award: Sarah Enright Best Presentation at AGM: Lexie Tucker
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Meeting
discussed 3 topics : Balancing 4-H with Busy lives, New activities for Senior members, and a review of the past year’s Online Auction. After the discussion, members also participated in leadership building activities. At the end of the committee meetings, everyone congregated back into the ballroom for a well deserved snack, followed by report presentations. A member from each club presented to the group their club activities for the past year and their plans for the future. Presentations were also given by members who participated in provincial and national opportunities. The day’s activities were followed by a banquet. We were very fortunate to hear from Todd Klink, VP of Partners and Channels at FCC. His insightful presentation highlighted the increasing opportunities available to youth seeking a career in Agriculture. Following the presentation, special recognition awards were also presented to Quebec 4-H Leaders who in 2014 are celebrating 10 years of volunteering with the association. The evening was wrapped up with some dancing.
Top Judges 2014 Carrie Simpson Bobby Tolhurst Julie MacFarlane Stphanie B-Naud Ariane France Kevin MacFarlane Cameron Burns Brandon Maither Matthew Burns Brett Mackechnie Quebec 4-H News Spreader
This event was made possible thanks to the generous contributions of the following sponsors:
SAVE THE DATE Next year’s AGM will be November 21st, 2015 December 2014
See the full version of our 2014Annual Report online at :www.quebec4-h.com/resources December 2014
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Upcoming Events‌. Winter Junior Camp
Amazing Animals January 23-25
Ages 9-12
Base des Pleines Air le Bosquets Otterburn Park, Quebec Deadline to submit registration: January 5th
Maximum 30 participants ! First come, first served!
PROVINCIAL
Square Dance
COMPETITION Hosted by MAC/JAC 4-H Club Sunday February 22, 2015. Centennial Center, Macdonald Campus Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue
Clubs interested in participating must register with the provincial office, more details to come.
US National 4-H Conference April 11-16, 2015 (Washington) Allows Canadian 4-H members age 16-25 to gain a better understanding of 4-H in the US and participate in youth-led activities! Fee $400 Deadline: December 15th
Citizenship Congress (formerly 'CitSem') April 29 - May 3, 2015 (Ottawa) Delegates participate in various activities focusing on civic engagement & politics. Develop debating skills, public speaking skills, gain a new pride for Canada. Fee $300
Visit our website for all the details! www.quebec4-h.com
Deadline: December 15th Chaperones Wanted Winter Junior Camp
Male and Female Chaperones over the age of 16. Camp located in Otterburn Park, QC See camp info for more details.
NO FEE FOR CHAPERONES As clubs elect new executive members and leaders for the upcoming year, they are asked to advise office@quebec4-h.com so we can update our records and contact lists.
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...and Opportunities! Innovative Ag Tour March 6-8 Hosted my Lachute 4-H, 2015. Visits may include a visit to a deer farm, an alpaca farm and a new dairy installation using milking robots. Watch for more details coming soon! Macdonald Judging Competition January 31st, 2015 Centennial Canter of Macdonald Campus Registration due by January 10 Forms were sent home with club members attending AGM, for any more information, contact
macjudgeclub@gmail.com Youth of Distinction This award is presented to a youth aged 18 to 25 who are involved with the Jersey breed in Canada. Eligible candidates with strong leadership and involvement in agriculture, the community, and the Jersey breed are encouraged to apply. Deadline: January 31st www.jerseycanada.com
STEP-UP Mentoring Program On-farm mentor-ship program for those interested in learning Farm Business Management Skills in a hands-on setting.
www.fmc-gac.com/step-up YES Art Expo Are you creative or consider yourself an artist? Wishing to display and sell your work to a large audience for free? The expo takes place March 19-21 at the Theatre St-James in Old Montreal. Deadline: January 3rd www.yesmontreal.ca/en/artists Terry Fox Humanitarian Awards Open to graduating secondary level students. For students in Quebec, you must be entering your 2nd year of CEGEP. Must demonstrate involvement in humanitarian work. Deadline: February 1st terryfoxawards.ca/applicant-information Youth Ag Summit On August 24-28, 2015, young leaders from around the world will gather at the Global Youth Ag-Summit in Canberra, Australia, to discuss ideas, develop a vision and take action. For 1825 yr olds who care about our planet, agricultural sustainability & food security. Deadline: January 30th www.youthagsummit.com
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Provincial News 4-H Canada National Science Contest
You're invited to explore the following question: “If you could invent something that would change the world of agriculture, what would it be?” Members are encouraged to submit creative ideas & explain how it improves the world of agriculture. Members can participate as a Club, group, or as an individual. Contest closes January 16, 2015 visit: enter.4-h-canada.ca/ for all the details!
Pop Tab Collection After a weigh in at AGM the running total is 28 lbs of pop tab aluminium to be donate to the Ronald McDonald House! The office is still collecting more tabs until early December, so keep sending in tabs until then! This will likely be a yearly collection made during AGM so you're encouraged to save up tabs throughout 2015!
A Visit to the Dairy and Swine Research and Development Center Andrea Soesbergen
On October 4th, Shinae Hartley from MAC JAC 4-H and myself, along with two of our friends, travelled to Sherbrooke for the open house of the Dairy and Swine Research and Development Center. Originally the event was part of a Discovery Day, where we were also supposed to go rock climbing as well. Unfortunately, due to lack of participant registration, the event was cancelled. The open house for the center was still on, however, and so we dairy and swine research enthusiasts decided to make the trip to Sherbrooke anyways! When we arrived we soon found that there were many different places to visit, so it was difficult to choose where to begin! We decided to start with the swine booth. Due to biosecurity reasons, the public was not allowed to visit the swine farm. Instead, they had a booth set up showing pictures of the farm, information on current research being conducted and a small pen of friendly piglets that we were allowed to see. After visiting the pigs, we went to a building where they housed antique agricultural tools. The man working this booth was extremely happy to tell us interesting facts about each piece of machinery! Next we took a short bus ride to go visit the dairy farm. Here we were taken on a tour of the facilities. It looked similar to a normal dairy farm, however, there were small differences, as this was a research barn. We were shown the equipment they use for feeding and collecting samples of milk and manure among other things. We also saw a cow with a fistula, which is a plug that opens up into the cow’s rumen, so they can study the cow’s partially digested food. Finally, we left the dairy barn to go to the research center, which for me was the highlight of the day. We went through a circuit where different scientists presented us with the research they were conducting on dairy and swine related topics. We learned about research being done on alternatives to antibiotics in the animal industry, precision feeding for piglets, vitamin B12 absorption from milk and the importance of regulating stress in pigs in the hours before slaughter, just to name a few. Our day was such an exciting day where we learned so much about the agricultural industry! We were sad that the Discovery Day was cancelled, but were thrilled to have had the chance to attend the open house anyways. It was a wonderful experience!
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Provincial News 4-H Celebrated in Award-winning Painting Norma Tolhurst, Office and Communications Assistant
As a former member of the Richmond 4-H Club, Amanda Bushey has always had a passion for animals. When she joined the club at the age of 14, she gained an interest for beef animals and the ag industry, as she showed for her uncle well into her late teens. While to this day she continues to work on the farm, her true passion is for capturing the animals though her art. Having achieved a degree in fine Arts from Bishops University, Amanda pursued her passions and is now working very hard to turn her passions into her living, creating pieces to sell at local craft shows, and working on custom commissions for a number of clients. “If you do it right and have enough motivation, you can make it as an artist.” Given her background in agriculture, Amanda has captured the natural beauty of many of the animals she had the opportunity to grow up with. While she especially enjoys painting horses, she has captured many different animals, and paints in a variety of mediums including pastels and ink. In 2014 for the Art-Agricole contest put on by La Terre de chez nous, Amanda spent countless hours on a painting depicting her brother at the Richmond 4-H Club Achievement Day. “ I chose to have him looking at the dairy cows because it shows that 4-H’ers gain an appreciation for all animals, not just their own.” The painting was entitled “Learn to do by Doing”, capturing the spirit of the 4-H motto. Amanda was inspired by her daughter to choose 4-H as the subject for her painting: “Seeing her and how much she loves the animals, gives me hope that she will follow in our footsteps.” Despite a few difficulties in the initial stages of the contest, which ran though Facebook and other social media platforms, Amanda’s painting, among 24 other entries, went on to win the competition and the $500 cash prize by receiving over 400 likes and votes. Amanda and her husband Matt at her graduation from Bishops University.
For more information about Amanda’s paintings, visit her Facebook page: Abdesignsulove
Quebec 4-H and Show Your 4-H Colours Day recognized at the National Assembly On November 4th, Stephane Billette, Liberal MNA for the Huntingdon riding , sporting a green striped tie, made a statement to the National Assembly to recognize 4-H’ers across the province as well as “Show Your 4-H Colours Day” which was held this year on November 5th. To view the video clip of his statement, please visit our Facebook page.
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National News National 4-H Members Forum:
Green Lives, Positive Minds! Jessica Rouleau, Quebec delegate 21000 feet! Atop all of your heads on November 5th, 2014 I flew to Toronto by a 56 minute flight and participated in a Members Forum, which was once called the National 4-H Conference. There I got to meet 80 other 4-H’ers with varied ideas and plans for the world’s well being. Chosen to represent Quebec all by myself in Toronto, I got to meet members aged 16-21 all across Canada with similar ideas about 4-H and our environment. With a very busy schedule throughout the weekend, we visited many different sites that demonstrated their own tips for sustainability and other sites for pure fun, it was all a blast! Learning new facts about places which I had heard of like: the Earth Rangers Sustainability and Technology building, Evergreen Brickworks, or hearing great ways from speakers about their own ways of staying healthy while being environmentally friendly was very knowledgeable. We got to learn about using solar energy and wind energy since they must buy from main natural resources it was interesting how other provinces must deal with that, since in Quebec we have Hydro Quebec! Conserving old buildings and finalizing them as historical landmarks which protects them from anyone wishing to destroy them, was really cool because at Evergreen Brickworks, they became bankrupt so the buildings weren’t used and people could just walk in the back and they would have parties and there was a lot of graffiti on the walls which enhanced the creativeness of the building! We first visited the Earth Rangers Sustainability and Technology building where they welcome animals from the wild who are injured and help them to recover than display to the public the animals. At the E.R.S.T. building they have a garden on their roof to conserve the heat which is a great idea for the population to increase our quality for our air and growing food also decreasing your payments. We also got to visit Ripley’s Aquarium which was a lot of fun seeing many types of fish and sea creatures! Going out for a whole day was quite eventful because we got to visit the Royal, friends of 4-H which consisted of sponsors we are very thankful for and choosing an activity of our choice which was for me the CN Tower! Reaching up to 447 meters in the Sky Pod and standing on the glass floor was pretty amazing! Throughout the weekend we were served delicious mealsand stayed at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel with great accommodations! The best few days ever spent with many new friends that I made, that I will hopefully meet up with again someday is great networking!
Find Your 4-H Wings Between Nov. 12 to Jan. 15, clubs may register through 4-H Canada. In early February, registered clubs will receive Bird Bundle Kits with individual journals and activity books, lesson plans for leaders, a Birds of Canada identification book, and a pair of binoculars to help them learn about birds and biodiversity. To sign up: register.4-h-canada.ca
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To everyone who everyone who participated in our
Online Auction
Launched on September 2nd, and running through until October 29th, the second edition of our Online Auction, was once again a success raising $1526 after auction expenses were covered. All funds raised will help to support 4-H across the province, with some funds trickling down to the local clubs who donated items. Thank you to all who participated , or contributed to making this fundraiser a success. Quebec 4-H is also grateful to the following individuals and enterprises for their support in contributing items to this fundraiser.
Ayer’s Cliff Fair
Les Equipments BHR
Bedford Fair
Lexie Tucker
CIAQ
Lois Miller
Carrie Nixon
Lorelei Muller
Coop des Frontieres
Monica Muller
Dean and Sue Young
Macdonald Campus
Howick 4-H Craft Club
NOVA Career Center
Huntingdon 4-H
Ormstown Fair
Huntingdon Adult Education Community Center
Quebec Farmer’s Association
Jenna Soesbergen
Quinn Farm
La Terre de chez nous
Richmond 4-H
Lachute Fair
Richmond Fair
Lamontagne
Shawville Fair
LEK inc.
Zoo Ecomuseum
CYSA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 The afternoon kicked off by announcing the top 3 senior speakers from the morning to move on to the final round. The afternoon speeches began with fresh new judges. The passion flowed from every individual delivering a speech. Andrea, Shinae and Shelby were all speaking in the afternoon. When the speeches finished the judges deliberated and chose 3 finalists to move on and jo in the final round where they would present their speeches to a new panel of judges to be evaluated again. Andrea and Shelby were both chosen to move on to finals. The 6 finalists included, Rachel Lee from Langley ,BC, Kathryn Ringelberg from Troy ,ON, Ashley Kampton from Almonte, ON, Shelby Drew from Hatley, QC, Andrea Soesbergen from Dundee Qc, and Raveena Raveendran from Woodbridge, ON. The 6 speeches were delivered to the judges and the winners were announced following that. Ashley Kampton won with her incredible speech about the importance of social-media for Agriculture, first-runner up was Rachel Lee and secondrunner up was Quebec’s very own Andrea Soesbergen with her speech about why she wanted to pursue a career in Agriculture. After an eventful day, the shuttle took the last van full of contestants back to the hotel at a 9pm. The CYSA competition is an experience that everyone who is considering, should try!. Not only do you get to meet amazing new friends, but you also get to experience the Royal! Thank you to the CYSA board for hosting this event, it was enjoyable for all who attended and competed. December 2014
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Featured Member Andrea Soesbergen, Huntingdon 4-H Norma Tolhurst, Office and Communications Assistant If there was an opportunity in 4-H, chances are Andrea has been a part of it. And now she will be on her biggest adventure to date as the Quebec delegate to the 4-H Canada Youth Advisory Committee.
For over a decade now, Andrea Soesbergen has been a member of the Huntingdon 4-H club, participating in a number of projects including Dairy, Public Speaking and square dancing. While 11 years may seem like a long time to be involved with 4-H, Andrea’s involvement spans even longer as she attended meetings with her siblings for as long as she can remember and showed a calf in the Peewee classes for many years before she was officially a member. Like many, Andrea’s interest in 4-H grew to become far more than just completing projects and showing at fairs, 4H became about the friendships and the life-changing opportunities she was able to experience, and she truly has taken advantage of every opportunity available to her. On the club level, she has participated in inter-provincial exchanges, meeting other 4-H’ers across the province and seeing other parts of the country. In 2011, she participated in the Citizenship Seminar in Ottawa and in 2012, in the National 4-H Conference that was held that year for the first time in Montreal. Her involvement at the club and provincial levels has also not gone unnoticed. Since being elected as Chair of the financial committee in 2012, Andrea has
Cool fact about Andrea: “One of my life goals is to learn to play the bagpipes”
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been working hard behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of our organization, one of her biggest endeavours being responsible for our first annual online auction, which was a huge success. The following year, Andrea was elected as Vice-president for the Provincial Association as well as the the Quebec 4-H representative to the Table de Concertation, which embodies the 3 organizations that promote rural youth, including Quebec 4-H, l’Asso-
It all starts somewhere: “[4-H] has
fostered many skills in me, such as responsibility, integrity, public speaking and hard work, to name a few.” -Andrea
Her Favorite 4-H Memory “Travelling to Alberta and BC on 4-H exchanges, meeting so many wonderful people and gaining incredible new experiences abroad !” speech about why she wants to pursue a career in Agriculture presented insightful looks into the industry as well as her involvement in 4-H. For many years now, Andrea has also proven herself a very talented singer, and for many of our occasions has graced us with her vocal talents in the singing of O Canada. Andrea is currently finishing a year off from school and is looking forward to returning in January to McGill to pursue a career as an Agronome. Now all grown up, and with many experiences under her belt, we are very pleased to welcome Andrea as the Quebec 4-H YAC delegate for 20152017. This opportunity will give her the chance to provide a youth voice for 4-H at the national level, and truly have a
ciation des Jeunes Ruraux du Quebec and La Federation de la relève agricole. Her participation in meetings and conference calls has been vital to these groups working more closely together. Andrea has over the years, truly developed into a very positive advocate for Agriculture. Having been involved with the public speaking project, she has expressed her passion for the industry to many during our Provincial Rallies, as well as at the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture competition at the Royal Winter Fair. While she has A very excited Andrea after being had the opportunity to participate now named 2nd Runner-up at the Canadian for 3 years , this past edition was the Young Speakers for Agriculture compefirst time she made it to the finals and tition at the Royal Winter Fair in 2014. finished as second runner up. Her Quebec 4-H News Spreader
December 2014
Hey Junior 4-H’ers! It’s an exciting time of year once again because Winter Junior Camp is just around the corner! We’ve already started receiving your forms at the office, and if you haven't already done so, be sure to get them in as soon as possible as there are only 30 spots available! For more details, be sure to check out the Events and Opportunities Sections in the middle of this News Spreader. In the meantime, we have a really cool crossword puzzle, that will help you learn all about animals , which is the theme for this year’s camp! Send your completed puzzle in with your registration form, or
bring it with you to camp for the chance to win a prize!
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Thank you for your continued effort to make 4-H a great experience for today’s youth!
Janice Barr Joanne Brown Marlene Burns Holly Mason Alain Rouleau
Left to Right: Alain Rouleau, Phyllis Rouleau, Jacob Rouleau, Erin Scoble, Mathieu Désy (CIAQ), Janice Barr, George Neal
Show Your 4-H Colours Day!
Cassandra Evans
Members of the Richmond 4-H club showed up at their schools on November 5th, wearing their 4-H colours with pride. It was great to see the effort that our members displayed to show their 4-H spirit. Both high school and elementary school members showed their appreciation by wearing green. Green symbolizes life, growth and creativity and green was definitely the colour of the day. Richmond 4-H members did just that. It is important to be proud of clubs like 4-H and showing your colours is a great way to express it. Way to go Richmond!
Coming up next… 2015 New year, new opportunities! While every new year is an exciting new beginning , 2015 will be filled with some extra special things happening with 4-H! Be sure to watch your mailboxes for this coming year’s edition of the Opportunities Guide! Watch for news from 4-H Canada about brand strengthening cross the country!