MARYLAND 4-H PORTFOLIO PROCESS

The Maryland 4-H Awards and Recognition Committee

Major Out-of-State Trips

National 4-H Congress National 4-H Conference West Virginia Older Members’ Conference Virginia 4-H Congress Camp Miniwanca

Number of Trips per 4-HerA 4-Her will be limited to two major trips during his/her 4-H career and no more than one trip per calendar year and a 4-Her can attend each trip only once. Only Senior 4-Hers age 14-18 as of January 1st of current year are able to apply.

CRITERIA FORMARYLAND 4-H

PORTFOLIO PROCESS FOR MARYLAND 4-H

LEADERSHIP TRIPS IN 2019

Portfolio Components and Scoring

Application Resume Essay Interview

Scoring: Interview 40 Points Resume 40 Points Essay 20 PointsTotal 100 Points

For National 4-H Congress-Each County Has One Slot but Youth Must Acquire a Minimum Total Score of 80%, Two Additional Slots are Reserved for State Public Speaking and Fashion Review Champions, and Depending on funding additional slots might be filled.

Funding

The Maryland 4-H Foundation will provide funding for 75% of the costs for one National 4-H Congress delegate from each unit and for National 4-H Conference, Camp Miniwanca, Virginia 4-H Congress and West Virginia Older Member Conference delegates.

The additional 25% of costs are the responsibility of the delegate which may be covered by the local 4-H unit or other organizations.

A unit could receive additional scholarship(s) for additional delegates selected for major out-of-state trips.

Deadlines

Application, Resume, and Essay for National 4-H Conference is October 15th in the Maryland 4-H Trip Portal

Application, Resume, and Essay for National 4-H Congress, Camp Miniwanca, West Virginia Older Members’ Conference and Virginia 4-H Congress is January 15th in the Maryland 4-H Trip Portal

The Resume

Focus: Leadership Citizenship Life Skills

Length-no more than three pages Single Spaced Margins-no less than 1 inch Font Size-no less than 12 point Font Type-Times New Roman

The Essay

Essay Topic: “Describe your most significant 4-H experiences and how they contributed to your personal growth as shown by attitude, insights, and life skills gained.”

Length-no more than two pages Double Spaced Margins-no less than 1 inch Font Size-no less than 12 point Font Type-Times New Roman

The Interview

Focus Leadership Citizenship Life Skills

Interview Tips Sheet

Interview Dates and Locations

4-H Conference (Fall 2018) Maryland 4-H Center, College Park Maryland 4-H Volunteer & Teen Forum, Ocean City

4-H Congress, VA Congress, WV Congress & Camp Miniwanca (Winter 2019) 1st Saturday in February, Queen Anne’s County Extension Office,

Centreville, (Inclement Weather Date 3rd Saturday in February) 1st Tuesday in February, Maryland 4-H Center, College Park, (Inclement

Weather Date 3rd Tuesday in February) 2nd Saturday in February, Carroll County Ag Center, Westminster,

(Inclement Weather Date 4th Sunday in February)(Youth Choose one of the three locations)

Maryland 4-H Out of State Trips Portal

HELPING YOU JAZZ UP

YOUR 4-H RESUME

Resume

An accumulation of what you have done throughout your 4-H career

Start with most recent and go to the oldest Judging based on Leadership, Citizenship & Life Skills Must be typed Use bulleting, not paragraphs Make no more than three pages Single Spaced Margins no less than 1 inch Font Size no less than 12 point Font Type-Times New Roman

The General Format

Personal Information Objective (Optional) Skills and Accomplishments

Citizenship Leadership Life Skills

Education (Optional) Employment (Optional) Additional Personal Information

A Little More Details

Personal Information Complete Name Address Phone & E-mail County and Club (Optional)

Objective (Optional) To present my skills and accomplishments that I have

acquired in 4-H so that I may be considered for a Maryland 4-H out-of-state trip.

To present my credentials in a way to support my skills and accomplishments acquired through 4-H membership for consideration for a Maryland 4-H out-of-state trip

The Focus-Leadership

Leadership-indicate significant leadership roles and impacts

Samples: Representative of X County as a member of the

Maryland State Teen Council (2015-2017) Served as President of the Country Clovers 4-H club

(2013-2014) Instructed new 4-Her on how to do a demonstration

(2014-2016)

The Focus-Citizenship

Citizenship-indicate significant citizenship efforts and impacts

Samples: Shared crafts and games with residents of X nursing

home (2009-2016) Participated in X river cleanup on Earth Day (2010-

2016) Served food on a monthly basis at the Helping Hands

soup kitchen (2011-2016)

The Focus-Life Skills

Life Skills-focus on knowledge and skills gained through 4-H involvement

Do not just list accomplishments and awards, we want to see life skills reached

4-Her can incorporate accomplishments in with life skills attained.

Samples: Learned communications through participating with judging oral reasons

and doing demonstrations at the club, county and state level. With my skills, I was able to earn a champion on the State level in 2016.

Learned personal responsibility by raising and caring for my animal projects. With my skills, I earned a champion rate of gain award for my hog in 2015.

Learned time management by deciding which project to carry and what activities I would be able to attend in my busy schedule.

More on Life Skills

Managing-Keeping records, wise use of resources, planning/organizing

Thinking-Problem solving, critical thinking, decision making, learning to learn

Living-Disease prevention, personal safety Being-Self responsibility, self discipline, character Working-Teamwork, self motivation, contribution to group effort Giving-Community service, leadership Caring-Sharing, empathy, concern for others Relating-Communication, cooperation, social skills, accepting

differences

A Little More Details

Education (Optional) X High School, Expected graduation, June, 2017 Maintain a 3.9 GPA and am a Honor Roll Member Member of National Honors Society, 2014-2017 Junior Class President, 2015-2016 JV Lacrosse Team, 2013-2014 Member of the High School Marching Band and Performing Orchestra, 2013-

2017 Employment (Optional)

Summer Lifeguard X Community Pool, 2016 Work Part-time on Family Farm, 2008-Present

Additional Personal Information Family: Son of Dick and Jane; one brother Jack Church: Member of the X Church, Youth Group Member Affiliations: Member of the American and Maryland Angus Association Hobbies: I enjoy dancing, horseback riding, and playing trivia games

INTERVIEW ETIQUETTE

Before the Interview

Arrive at least 10 minutes ahead of time Dress Professionally Be Prepared Remain Positive…Don’t Panic

Arrive Early

Always make sure you arrive at least 10 minutes early but don’t arrive hours early

If you don’t know where you are going make a practice run

Have a contact number just incase of an emergency

Dress Professionally

Always dress professionally regardless of what you think the dress code might be

Always dress conservatively with moderate styles Better to be overdressed than underdressed

Be Prepared

Know yourself Research what you are interviewing for Practice questions Study your resume

“Practice Makes Perfect!”

Remain Confident

Remain calm, collected, confident and smile Maintain eye contact Make sure you shake interviewers hands and briefly

introduce yourself before you start interviewing Have a firm handshake Have a positive attitude

During the Interview

Be aware of your actions Communication is KEY It is OK to take a moment to think about your

answers

Be Aware of Your Actions

Listen attentively Keep eye contact Maintain your tone of voice Sit up straight but not rigid Remain still, not squirmy Don’t overuse your hands BE YOURSELF

Communication is KEY

Speak clearly and concisely Use proper grammar and a friendly tone Sound positive and enthusiastic Be careful of your words

Common Interview Questions

Who knows what you might be asked but you surely will be asked questions like: Tell Me About Yourself and What you do in 4-H? Why are You Interested in Going on a Maryland 4-H

Out-of-State Trip?

The interviewers will want to know about your strengths, weaknesses, skills, etc.…emphasize your best qualities

Interview Conclusion

Don’t linger and sink…watch for cues that the interview is winding down

Thank the Interviewers Shake hands firmly

Smile and Remain Positive

Interview Tips in Review

Dress appropriately Arrive at least 10 minutes early Greet the interviewers with a smile Be enthusiastic and positive Speak slowly and clearly If you need to take a moment to think about your answers… it is OK Be confident Maintain eye contact Be yourself Sit up straight Relax Thank the interviewers at the end of your interview

“Interviewing is a learning experience...you might not always get the trip but you surely come

away more prepared for your next interview and you probably

learned something in the process.”

Sources

University of Maryland Career Center, http://www.careercenter.umd.edu