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  • 4-H Inspiring Community Action | Earth Day Edition

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    Thank you for joining Inspiring Community Action | Earth Day Edition Online Family Learning project!   This is a project intended to help you and your family/friend-group look closely at your world and take action for your local environment.    

    Our hope is that families (youth and adults together) will take full part in this project – completing the three activities demonstrated here, and completing post-activity surveys and/or discussions.   Our plan is for you to have fun together, learn from one another and, inspire others to take action for the earth.  You may space the activities out to be one per week or move along faster if you wish.  No prior experience needed, just follow the directions, do the activity, and share some of your results with friends, family, and each other!

    To complete the project - please do all of the items in each of the topics (check off boxes as you do them, and you will notice the discussion boxes self-check when you do the activity requested).  Each section includes a:

      • "Discussion" -  please answer the Q and then respond to one other person <you don't have to have a long reply - okay to say something like - "cool idea" or "that has happened to me"> - it is a chance to share your ideas and get to know another family or two.
      • "Lesson + Activity" - read or watch the information that is shared, and do the activity.


    Once you complete all of the activities (be sure to log in and complete activities), you can print the certificate.  Those who have completed the activities by April 30 will be put in a random drawing for a $20 cash award to help you with your next project.

    Should you have any questions - please feel free to reach out to Celeste Carmichael, project leader - and club leader for the Millard Fillmore 4-H Club - cjc17@cornell.edu.  

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  • Instructions: Clicking on the section name will show / hide the section.

  • Welcome friends! Before we get started, let's do a quick warm-up to get you to talk with each other within your family or group, and across our full project. Click on the plus sign in the pink circle to upload a picture and answer the question! Keep it simple, and have fun.

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    • community gardenYou may have heard the phrase "Earth Day, Every Day" or "Think Globally, Act Locally".    Earth Day has been celebrated annually for the last  50 + years on April 22.  It is the largest worldwide day for civic engagement...but what does that really mean?  

      In this activity, I'm inviting your family to explore what "civic engagement" or"community action" means, and I'll introduce you to the Civic Ecology Lab at Cornell University, a group of people interested in learning more about how we can each inspire others to take care of the earth.  You are also invited to look closely at the natural world around you...and notice - what is it that you care about?

      • Discussion: What do "Earth Day" + Community Action mean? Forum

        Earth Day is described as the largest annual Community Action Event that happens in the world for the environment...but what is community action?  What experiences have you had with Earth Day?   Talk to a few other people in your family or neighborhood...what experiences have they had?   There is no right or wrong idea here...the intent of the question is to have an informal discussion with others to get us thinking and interested.  Be as creative as you are inspired to be with your response (picture, video, words...all welcome :))

        Share your response to this question in the discussion, and comment on the response from at least one other family.  Note that you must be signed in to Moodle to respond and to see comments.

      • Lesson & Activity


        Steps:
        1. Talk with family, friends, and neighbors...how would you describe "civic action" or "civic ecology"?  Be sure that you have included your response in the discussion above.  
        2. Watch the video 

        3. Get to know the Cornell Civic Ecology Lab (poke around the Civic Ecology Lab Website + review the slides: Meet the Cornell Civic Ecology Lab Members) 
        4. Walk around your home, yard, neighborhood or community - what do you notice about your natural world?  What do you love?  What could you improve?    Take a picture and upload it to our gallery (see below). 


        Optional viewing: A project that I did a few years ago where I had to promote my hometown to others made me realize how much I value the sidewalks and "walkability" of my village.  If you need some help thinking about how do you "see" the things that you value...take a look at the video I created about my hometown.  Again, this was for a class project that I did - I'm not asking you to create a video - but I am asking you to look at your world with fresh eyes.


        Mark this activity as complete, when done

      • Share what you did!

        Share a photo of your successes here in our Photo gallery or via social media using the hashtag #4hfamilyfunonlineEarthDay 

        Mark this activity as complete, when done



    • framing trashOne way to encourage us each to commit to making personal and community changes is to first understand what is important to us.  The answer will be different for everyone.  Maybe there is something you have noticed around your house, neighborhood, or community that needs action.  

      In this activity, you will personalize your Earth Day frame(s), and then "frame" the issues of interest to you.  I've provided a short video to show you some of the local actions I've noticed that have me charged up.  These are just to give you some ideas...remember - no action is too small, and everyone's ideas will be different.  The important part is to figure out what is important to you personally or as a family.

      Add pics to our Photo gallery along the way! 

      • Discussion: What is important to you? Forum

        Take a walk with your family or friends around your yard and neighborhood.  What do you see related to the environment that makes you feel either really proud or inspired to do something to make change?  You may at this point have a long list of positives and negatives...that is okay.  Take stock in what feels important.   Feel free to be as creative as you would like with your response.

        Share your response to this question in the discussion, and comment on the response from at least one other family.  Note that you must be signed in to Moodle to respond and to see comments.

      • Lesson: Frame it!

        Please do the following to complete this activity:

        1. Talk with others - what is important to you in the natural world around you?  Be sure that you have included your response in the discussion above.  
        2. Watch the video
           
        3. Color, paint, or decorate the Earth Day frame as you wish.  If you have printed this off, be sure to cut the center out.  If needed, Download and print, the Earthday frame.
        4. Literally, “frame” an issue or concern by looking at it through your earth day frame. 
        5. Take a picture and upload it to our gallery (see below).
        6. Now that you have framed it, start to think about what you could do to make a difference for the issue that you have chosen.
        Mark this activity as complete, when done

      • Share what you did!

        Share a photo of your successes here in our Photo gallery or via social media using the hashtag #4hfamilyfunonlineEarthDay 

        Mark this activity as complete, when done



    • pic inspiring others

      Research around civic action indicates that we are more likely to take an action when our friends or family encourage us to do that.   Can you think of a time that you took part in a service project because you were invited by someone else?  

      Given what you have discovered about what is important to you, what will you do for Earth Day?   How can you encourage others to join you in an action?I  How will you share success?   As we said in Framing Our Issues...no action is too small.  Maybe it is planting trees, or organizing a litter pick-up, or writing letters to local officials, or...whatever feels important to you!  Consider the ways that you can influence others - be it through your actions, an invitation to be involved, social media, sharing pictures of your success, talking to others etc.   

      Have fun with this one and don't forget to share your photos of your successes here in our Photo Gallery.

      • Discussion: What encourages you to get involved in service activities? Forum

        Think of a time that you said YES! to getting involved in a project, event, or activity that you may have not known a lot about.  What made you want to be involved?  Talk to a family member or a friend and ask them this question?  What did you come up with?  Again, no right or wrong answer...but notice your ideas, and common ideas.  

        Share your response to this question in the discussion, and comment on the response from at least one other family.  Note that you must be signed in to Moodle to respond and to see comments.

      • Lesson: Inspiring Others


        Please do the following to complete this activity:

        1. Talk to a family member or a friend and chat about what makes it easy to say "yes" when a friend asks you to help with something.  
        2. Watch the videos and the optional videos from the Civic Ecology Lab. 


          Optional watch: playlist of ideos from the Cornell Civic Ecology Lab

        3. Consider: What will you do? Remember that no step is too small;  Who you will invite others to join you? Even one other person will help increase your efforts; How will you get the word out?; What will you do to keep those invited informed (will you communicate by phone, text, social media, or ?); How can you share your results?
        4. .Set a date and time to make it your activity happen.
        5. Communicate with regular and upbeat messages that help others feel invited.
        6.  Report back – your plans and success! 

        Mark this activity as complete, when done

      • Share what you did!

        Share a photo of your successes here in our Photo gallery or via social media using the hashtag #4hfamilyfunonlineEarthDay 

        Mark this activity as complete, when done



      • Thank YOU + Completion Certificate Directions:

        Thank you so much for participating in this online learning project with me and with each other!  I hope that this project helped you to think about the world around you - what you love, and what you want to protect.  And I hope that you worked with a few others to do something.  Small actions make a big difference!   Here is how to earn a certificate of Completion (and chance project award):

        1. Be sure to share  photos of your successes here in our Photo gallery or via social media using the hashtag #4hfamilyfunonlineEarthDay 
        2. Complete all of the activities (be sure to log in and complete activities by following directions and checking off boxes), +  print the certificate. 
        3. Those who have completed the activities by April 30 will be put in a random drawing for a $20 cash award to help you with your next project.

        As I shared, I'm a PhD student at Cornell working with the Civic Ecology Lab - and this is a pilot project.  I'm working on online delivery methods and projects that help to get families doing, thinking, and talking about their environmental actions and having fun.  At some point I will reach out to participants with a closing survey or a request to chat about your experience.  In the meantime:

        Observe, plan, talk, and do + repeat: Small actions with others make a big difference!  

         Thank you again!

        Celeste Carmichael