March 2009 Issue

Hello Youth Grangers! As I write this, spring is just around the corner but the snow is still flying around the farm. With the longer days and hopes of warmer weather, many of our state youth programs will be kicking their warmer weather programs into high gear.

Charlene

Before we know it, Grange Month will be upon us. I would challenge subordinate, Pomona and state youth Grange programs to include a youth component to your activities. One Pomona Grange, which meets in April, marks the month with a youth oriented slate of activities. Youth Ambassadors are invited to attend, they field a youth officer team and recognize the value of their youth program to their Pomona’s success. If you have a success story, we’d love to hear it.

This year’s theme is called “Opportunity Knocks,” I challenge you to look everyday for opportunities for your youth program. Whether it be in recruiting your friends and neighbors into your Grange or finding a new youth project or partnering with others find those open doors and walk through them.

While our organization has grown beyond our agricultural roots of the 1860s, National Agriculture Day can provide our organization a unique opportunity of outreach. National Agriculture Day, marked on the first day of spring, is geared to celebrate our nation’s agriculture industry. Some Granges use the celebration as a way to reach school children. It can be through school visits, poster contests or essays just to name a few. For more ideas, the National Ag Day Web site, www,agday.org, has letters to the editor, event ideas and information.

Grange Youth have an opportunity to promote the benefits and values of the Grange Youth programs, through “commercials” they develop utilizing YouTube technology. The goal of the contest is to see what youth can creatively promote the values and benefits of the Grange to non-Grangers. The non-Grange benefits include youth, the community, family.

Guidelines:

• The commercials should only be one to two minutes long.
• For consideration and official entry into the contest, the video files should be submitted to the National Youth Director for review and posting.
• Commercial submission deadline is September 10.
• Entries can be submitted by an individual or a group.
• Submitted commercials will be viewed at the 2009 National Grange Session. Winners will be announced at the Evening of Excellence. Cash prizes will presented. $100 for first, $50 for second, $25 for third.
• Entries will be judged on effectiveness in promoting the Grange, clarity of the message, video quality, and creativity.