Working in a beautiful service site certainly has it's rewards that I do not take for granted! I often end up working from a coffee shop, even more seldom from home, as all have their advantage, but it's when the NFRC can get out in the field that really is the most inspiring. Working with children is a gift to see a program that can expand their horizons. I have great hope for the future of this program!!

Video Making on a Budget

 Here is very basic raw footage for the 1-2 minute video that will put together by the University of Idaho videography department team. While they've done exciting video shoots hanging out of helicopters to the more mundane and random basic program brochure made into a video for training staff, my hope is this video has some appeal to inspire parents and 4-H leaders to enroll youth in science related projects. I certainly could have shot more exciting video such as science experiments with major reactions, in fact I'm regretting not doing that (did get some great laboratory videos and images), but hopefully with music, wording with great timing (done by professionals, not me), I know they can create magic.

In my former position as coordinator for Idaho's Wednesday's Child, area foster children were recorded asking for adoptive homes and then featured on the local news. I've seen how the process works for the local news team, and how many hours goes into one five minute video segment. I believe those in the news room, the staff and "talent", do work long hours for the short videos we take might take for granted. We're learning much about the changing face of media with short clipets of information blasted at rapid intervals. As program coordinators within the University and extension offices I believe we need to keep up with the times, even if we're not confident we can do it.

My hope is this video moves us forward and is a good bang for the buck.

 

Enjoying post production photo and video shoot to send to the University video department. My video shooting ability is not what it could be!

Writing a Script

I just spoke with the video department of the U of I last week, sent them over a script I came up with, and talked about the timeline to get a video done and the nitty gritty details. There are so many hand held options these days with phone apps, computer programs, and digital media, we can all create our own video, but how impactful are those videos? My goal was to put out a short video on the program to help the 4-H community better conceptualize what this program has to offer and how it can be an easy fit. What the program requires of 4-H and if it will fit is a current obstacle for the program.

What do you do even if you know nothing about making anything other than a YouTube video? I googled  "how to write a script", and came up  with some doable options. The who, what, why, where still applied just like writing a press release (which most AmeriCorps members have done dozens of times).  One thing not to do is insert quotes into your script. I thought if I had a general idea of what someone might say I could add it into the script. The video department cut that right out, I'm pretty sure they were laughing.

In terms of equipment-- since the video department costs too much to record it themselves, is a digital camera with movie mode that downloads into a computer. The other is a recorder app from your cell phone, though it would be possible to just use the camera, but the voice over reading the script is easier pieced together over the entire film if its a separate file. High resolution photos are easy to find, so you source them, rather than having the video department source them (time is money). I'll be using my supervisors personal equipment, which is more than generous. He has all the toys.

The cost will be $300, maybe less for  a 1-2 minute video. I expect our program to cover some of the cost, I will cover the rest out of my own pocket. YES, I've done this for years in the nonprofit sector- just pay for it myself and write it off on my taxes.  Plus, my kids will be in the video and they think they're famous now.

More to come on this process-- will be recording my voice soon, UGH!!

Meetings

UPDATE: Some meetings from a few weeks ago that I never updated on. The Cda4Kids After School Program Director and I met up for coffee. I had worked closely with him from previous programs, and was excited to see what he thought about NRFC Professional Development series. We determined that the group of teachers he has do not have time set aside for training, and that community volunteers should be going through the professional development series and coming in a  working with students while the lead teachers are present. It wasn't determined who would recruit these volunteers and when this would all take place. While Idaho 4-H is supposed to offer after school program, and the NRFC could be a potential spearhead for the effort, there isn't a current model that has been working for this. 4-H volunteers offered programs in the schools for a time, but it wore out the volunteers when they had already too much on their plate with traditional 4-H offerings. From what I understand while the after school offerings created excitement for 4-H there wasn't enough (or any) Kootenai County 4-H Clubs that could then capture that excitement and include them in a club. The clubs existing now are rural and agricultural based. And while I've volunteered to start a Kootenai County Club, the lag time in order to accomplish this in a one year delay. While the after school network is looking for programs, 4-H classes do not seem to be one of them in the current rural model. If this program had 12 volunteers that were all trained to teach the curriculum I think this might be a go. The experts in the field are only available short term for very occasional classes, and not sustainable. Is the answer in volunteers then? Can CdA4Kids recruit them, train, pass background checks etc? But then, how is this of NFRC fit? After school programing is not 4-H related, it's just not. It is not through the Extension Office, which is who we're supposed to go through. Why? OK, I get why, but perhaps just a small training on what is extension, what is 4-H, from the director themselves will bridge the gap that seems to be missing if we were to be out in schools on a regular basis. For now our involvement in schools is event driven.

This moves on to Gizmo, a powerhouse of excitement in the community for STEM among other things out of their Maker's Space building. They have been asked to offer after school programs, but theirs is a fee based model which doesn't really fit in afterschool programs, and they have their own school programs that are becoming very full with home-school networks and girl scouts and robotics clubs. They do not have the time to be in after school programs on a timeline that will satisfy the schools as well. Their involvement is event driven as well. Putting the pieces together though it seems this NFRC position could really be a catalyst for both parties? Could CdA4Kids recruit community volunteers, NFRC train with professional development and stay available, volunteers teach classes every fall/winter in the after school network (it will recruit for spring 4-H club), have the new Urban Interface 4-H Club meet at Gizmo with fees payble to Gizmo (there's a $20 participation fee for each 4-H member), and the output of record books, presentations, and final projects be completed by families in their own home with a final showing at the County Fair? Seems doable? This systems work is important.

Science is exciting, I know that. Watching children learn and experience science is exciting, that is true. Designing  a community program that works within systems out of our control, it's challenging. Talking about legacy and what I want to accomplish with this program besides the markers for success, goals and objectives, and measurements of numbers served, more than that there has to be a future set up that will lead to success for the next AmeriCorps member. I greatly wanted to sway systems in order to find a fit, but with vacancies in the key positions, and transitions from one vacancy to another the timeline on my push is put back a year. If I was staying in this program for another term I would keep finding channels, but I see now it is time to create. While still leaving the programs objectives in front of key community members, it's time to start recording! Below is a picture of a video area water educator Jim Ekins was shooting for his programs. I was assisting and learning about Riparian Zones. I'm sure I had learned what they were before, but with a Master's in Elementary Education we learn how students learn and how to teach, even in our Elementary Science graduate level class the actual subject matter is not the point. So here we have a riparian zone, now I know.

Next is selling this program encapsulating what this could be, might be, and needs to be. The plan is to capture attention span in this short 2 minute world (if they'll click on the video image at all in an email), to drum up and phish for takers and to keep as legacy for what this year could be. As any AmeriCorps would do, I'll pretend I'm a master videographer, master at the science topic, and then produce, edit, and distribute the video. I've attempted making a video for a non-profit before. It wasn't the best, so lets hope for better results this time around.

Article on Riparian Zone's
Note to self...

Wow, it's been awhile...why don't I sync my posts from facebook and Instagram?! Nonetheless, I've still been active in the community, a little in the science world, and still brainstorming potentials and fit for this program. Water expert, Jim Ekins, along with University of Idaho PhD Natural Resources lecturers, hiked up by snowshoe to measure the snow pack determining predictions for possible water quality for the year. What happens if we have a very warm spring with this amount of pack? What are the temperatures of the layers? What was last years snow pack?

 My first time snow shoeing and I loved it. I will do it again but with  a thermos of Wassel along, as it was 20 degrees but crisply beautiful. Water is important!

 Deep snow pack?

Whoops, ran out of gas (or nearly) at the top. Had I know mountains need gas to get up :)



 The half of it. Dedicated scientist in their own cars.

 Karen, PhD with U of I has no problem to the top.

 Gear

 Just getting started with methods.

 Jiim Ekins, U of I Water Educator,  accounted for about 75% of the effort to find the earth.

 Not even close, a great year of snow pack.

 Great youth from Post Falls honors classes.

 The tests.

 No problem for these youth, writing on waterproof paper recording data from snow pack.

 Deep.

I heard 10 people could get inside this igloo, I didn't' see for myself.