4-H Youth Cultural Immersion Project in Puerto Rico!

The best way to understand a different culture is to immerse yourself in it. Apply to be part of the Cultural Immersion project experience in Puerto Rico.  You will build multicultural skills and understanding, as well as an increased ability to communicate in the increasingly diverse society that we live in.  You will experience both the Old San Juan urban area as well as life in the remote mountain town of Castañer.  We will also be working with 4-H youth from Puerto Rico in joint service projects around the island.

Teens ages 15-18 are eligible for this 7-day service-learning experience.  The cost of the experience is $400 plus airfare (est. $650).  Limited scholarship funds are also available.

Who: Teens ages 15-18 (by the date of the trip)

Where: Puerto Rico (both Old San Juan and mountain village of Castañer)

When: November 26 – December 3, 2019

Application Deadline: August 15th, 2019

Cost: $400 plus airfare – (Approximately $650) – (Includes most meals, program fees, overnight lodging and transportation).

NOTE: All applicants will have an additional interview before trip final selections.  Final Selections will be made on August 25th

To apply for this unique teen opportunity, click here for a link to the application: 2019 Cross Cultural Immersion Application – Puerto Rico and contact Leslie Cooksey if you have further questions!

Ohio 4-H Looking for Host Families for Japanese Youth

Bring the World Home through Ohio 4-H!

Looking for some new fun and educational excitement this summer? How about hosting a boy or girl from Japan in your home for 3½ weeks? (July 24 – Aug. 18) The Ohio 4-H International Program is offering hosting opportunities to 75 families around the state, and Japanese youth on the other side of the world are anxiously waiting to learn who their new family might be! Host families should have their own child aged 10-15 who will serve as the main host sibling. Families will be matched with a Japanese youth of the same gender and approximate age. Special trips and activities are not required. The focus is on everyday family life. Host families provide lodging, meals, and any family activities. Medical insurance is provided. Youth bring money for personal spending (gifts, souvenirs, etc.) For more information, please visit Ohio 4-H International or contact Mary Lynn Thalheimer at thalheimer.1@osu.edu or 614-247-8162.

Youth Opportunity: 4-H Global AgriCULTURE Camp

Experience life in another culture at a global village. Investigate hunger and poverty throughout the world. Volunteer locally to make a difference globally.

The $350 fee includes all supplies and overnight accommodations in OSU north campus student dorms and at the Heifer Global Village in Howell, Michigan. All meals, snacks and insurance are also included. Camp begins at 9 a.m. on June 10 and concludes approximately 5 p.m. on June 14, 2019. Open to all youth entering grades 8, 9 and 10 in fall 2019. Limited to 25 campers. Questions? Contact Dustin Homan at 614-247-8305, homan.64@osu.edu or Sally McClaskey at 614-247-8141, mcclaskey.12@osu.edu. Sponsored in part by the Ohio 4-H Foundation.

Registration opens March 1st, 2019 at https://ohio4h.org/camp.

Global Agriculture Camp Flyer 2019

Teen Opportunities – REMINDER!

Do you want to be a camp counselor? Junior Fair Board Member? Junior Leader? Outstanding 4-Her?  Scholarship or Award Trip winner? Do you find yourself asking “How do I get to do that?” We suspect that as you have gotten older you have started to look for new and exciting things where you can be involved.  4-H has special opportunities for teens only where YOU can play a part!

4-H members ages 14 and up as of January 1st should have received an email with details on the many exciting opportunities that await you as a teenager in the Fairfield County 4-H Program. Some of these activities require completion of special forms while others just involve asking for more information. Regardless of what you are interested in, be sure to call the office if you need more information or would like some help with the necessary forms.

Be sure to complete a response form with items checked that you are interested in, and return the response sheet to the office by December 1, 2018. The response form can be found here. Any additional paperwork required for the items you are interested in will be sent back to you (remember that it is best to send your response sheet in ASAP so that you can have as much time as possible to complete any additional paperwork).

Application forms for those opportunities who require a separate form or application will be available at http://fairfield.osu.edu on December 1st.

4-Hers: Travel with the Ohio 4-H International Program!

Hello, Friends of the Ohio 4-H International Program!

(Donors, staff, volunteers and all those involved with hosting or traveling during the last 6 years)

We are pleased to announce $1,800 scholarships which will be automatically awarded to any youth selected to travel overseas through Ohio 4-H International Programs in 2019! Also, those who have hosted with our program before will receive an additional $100 off per exchangee hosted!

To earn a scholarship:

  • Apply to travel by November 30, 2018 (there is not a separate application for the scholarship)
  • Attend Selection Interviews in Columbus on December 8, 2018 (afternoon)

The 2019 countries, dates and post-scholarship approximate prices are:

  • Japan 1-Month: $3,625     (July 10 – Aug. 8, 2019)
  • Japan 2-Months: $5,175     (June 12 – Aug. 8, 2019)
  • Costa Rica: $1,375     (June 20 – July 19, 2019)
  • Finland: $2,500     (June 26 – July 27, 2019)

Application Deadline: November 30, 2018

Read about the overseas experiences here:

Japan 2019 (1 Month or 2 Months)

Costa Rica 2019

Finland 2019

Read these instructions BEFORE applying: Instructions for the 2019 Youth Traveler Application

Find the application at 2019 Youth Traveler Application

More information is available at “At-A-Glance” and Ohio 4-H International

We hope you can travel abroad with us soon! Note that scholarships are only available to those who have been involved with Ohio 4-H programs in the past.

Information about 2019 Hosting will be available on our website in December and will be emailed to you in January. Consider applying and opening your world!

Sincere thanks to the generous donors who make our Youth Travel Scholarships possible!

  •  The Donald E. and Joan E. Herr Endowment Fund
  • Cecil H. and R. Eloise Robinson Endowment Fund
  • Ohio 4-H International Programs Endowment Fund
  • The Carl F. Ruff Scholarship Fund
  • Dr. Grace Lang
  • Individual Donors to the IFYE Support Fund
  • Individual Donors to the International Program Support Fund
  • The Labo Foundation of Japan
  • The Ohio 4-H Foundation

OPEN YOUR WORLD through OHIO 4-H!

2019 International Travel Opportunities!

Open Your World! Ohio 4-H International Exchange Programs are among the largest and most successful in the country. Ohio families host visitors from around the world, and Ohio youth & adults travel abroad to live with families in a variety of countries. Host Families & Youth Travelers are not required to be current 4-H members ~ in fact, they automatically become members by participating! Join us this year as Ohio 4-H celebrates 69 years of participation in the program!

2019 Host Family Opportunities
Don’t have the time and money to travel? Enjoy the exposure to different cultures which traveling brings? Looking for a low-cost project or experience in which the whole family can participate and grow together? The Ohio 4-H International Program allows families to gain the benefits of international travel right here at home, as they welcome a new son, daughter, brother or sister from another country into their homes. Host families come in many shapes and sizes and are responsible for lodging, meals, and family activities. Exchangees bring personal spending money, as well as medical/accident insurance. Host families are asked to “live their everyday life,” and to simply treat their visitor as a member of the family, with the same responsibilities and privileges as other members. Notes:
*Families hosting a youth must have their own child of the same gender and approximate age.
*Families should not have any native speakers of the language of their visitor, and can only host one visitor at a time.
Deadline: As soon as possible, by 2/28 for 1st-choice placement. Applications accepted until all youth are placed (usually April for females & May for males). However, please inquire whenever you learn about our program! Thank you!

Continue reading 2019 International Travel Opportunities!

Be a Host for the Ohio 4-H International Exchange Program!

Looking for some new fun and educational excitement this summer? How about hosting a boy or girl from Japan in your home for 3½ weeks? (July 23 – Aug. 17, 2018) The Ohio 4-H International Program is offering hosting opportunities to 75 families around the state, and Japanese youth on the other side of the world are anxiously waiting to learn who their new family might be! Host families should have their own child aged 10-15 who will serve as the main host sibling. Families will be matched with a Japanese youth of the same gender and approximate age. Special trips and activities are not required. The focus is on everyday family life. Host families provide lodging, meals, and any family activities. Medical insurance is provided. Youth bring money for personal spending (gifts, souvenirs, etc.) For more information, please visit www.ohio4h.org/youth/international or contact thalheimer.1@osu.edu.

Host Families Sought for 4-H Exchange Program!

Families thoughout Ohio have an opportunity to welcome students from the Japanese exchange program, Labo.

Looking for some new fun and educational excitement this summer? How about hosting a boy or girl from Japan in your home for 3½ weeks? The Ohio 4-H International Program is offering hosting opportunities to 75 families around the state, and Japanese youth on the other side of the world are anxiously waiting to learn who their new family might be! Host families should have their own child aged 10-15 who will serve as the main host sibling. Families will be matched with a Japanese youth of the same gender and approximate age. Special trips and activities are not required. The focus is on everyday family life. Host families provide lodging, meals, and any family activities. Medical insurance is provided. Youth bring money for personal spending (gifts, souvenirs, etc.) For more information, please visit www.ohio4h.org/youth/international or contact thalheimer.1@osu.edu

Read more about recruitment efforts in Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull county here.

American Agri-Women Daughters of American Agriculture Scholarship – due 6/1/2018

American Agri-Women Daughters of American Agriculture Scholarships

• Jean Ibendahl Scholarship (for ages 18-23)
• Sister Thomas More Bertels Scholarship (for ages 24+)

Daughters of American Agriculture Scholarship was created to honor the memory of those courageous and adventuresome pioneer women who played such an important role in the founding of this nation and encourage the present generation to continue their education in agricultural pursuits. These two scholarships are available to any farm, ranch or agribusiness woman or her daughter to pursue accredited courses in agriculture leadership, communications, rural sociology, medicine, or any other courses directly related to agriculture. Applications will be taken beginning March 1 of each year and are due before June 1 of each year. For more information, visit their website at: https://americanagriwomen.org/scholarships/