4-H California FocusPre-Conference Handbook

Welcome to California Focus!

As a California Focus delegate, you will have opportunities to:

• Explore government processes on a deeper level. • Increase your understanding of the functions of the three branches of

government. • Identify your individual rights and responsibilities as a community member.

We are excited to have you take the next step towards being an engaged citizen in your community! By the end of this conference, you will have the tools to implement your own Plan of Action in your community to enact positive change towards a community need that you identify.

4-H Civic Engagement

Connecting, learning, engaging, leading and impacting

4-H Civic Engagement give you the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and motivation to move beyond your individual self-interest and commit to the well-being of a larger group.

By engaging in the learning opportunities in 4-H Civic Engagement projects, you can gain a heightened sense of responsibility and capacity so you can connect as an active member of your community, nation, and world.

Behavioral Expecta ons

As a delegate to California Focus, you represent all the youth and adult volunteer leaders    enrolled in the California 4‐H Youth Development Program. Your conduct affects the image others have of 4‐H in general and of 4‐H members specifically. 

Prior to coming to California Focus, you and your parents signed the California 4‐H Code of Conduct. This is a legal contract and viola ons will mean that you will be sent home at your parent’s expense. Re‐read what you signed before you come to the conference. 

Considera on and common courtesy for other guests of the hotel is the basis for the following guidelines you will want to keep in mind during your stay. 

You are expected to par cipate in all events and ac vi es of the conference. Courtesyrequires that you be on  me for all events and programs and that you remain un l theprogram or event ends.

Maintain a quiet atmosphere in halls, elevators and other public areas. Do not gather inlarge groups in these areas or block passage for others.

Walk (as opposed to run) in the hallways and avoid playing loud television or music. Quiet will be observed in sleeping room areas from 10:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The curfew

hour is clearly stated in your conference program and you are expected to be in your roomand quiet at that  me.

Be respec ul of other guests and hotel staff. Also, show respect for California Focus staffmembers and follow any instruc ons they may give you.

There are to be no girls in boys rooms or boys in girls rooms at any  me. Always travel from place to place with at least one other delegate and preferably in small

groups of at least three delegates. Always make sure your adult chaperone knows whereyou are. This is for your safety.

Please direct any ques ons to Jenna Colburn at jcolburn@ucanr.edu 530‐750‐1336 

4-H California Focus Updated Feb 2018

Dress Guidelines

Good taste and common sense should be used in preparing for California Focus. As a 

delegate you will be serving as a representa ve of the California 4‐H YDP at all  mes. 

Dressing well for professional occasions is a skill that delegates should gain knowledge 

of and value its significance. The purpose of the California Focus dress guidelines is to 

reinforce a fundamental real‐world truth. It is hoped that all adult chaperones and 

county 4‐H staff members encourage this important lesson.  

General Guidelines

All clothing shall be neat, clean, acceptable in repair and appearance and shall be 

worn within the bounds of decency and good taste as appropriate for 4‐H events.       

Ar cles of clothing that display profanity, products or slogans that promote tobacco, 

alcohol, drugs, sex  or in any other way sugges ve or distrac ng are prohibited.        

Excessively  ght clothing is prohibited. Items that expose bare midriffs,

undergarments or that are transparent (see through) are prohibited. Swimwear is to 

be modest accompanied by an appropriate cover‐up for girls and shirt for boys, worn 

to and from the pool area.  

Category A– Casual, Category B– Business Casual, Category  C– Business 

4-H California Focus February 2018

Addi onal dress guidelines for California Focus

A delega on adult chaperone and /or California Focus planning team member may ask any

individual to modify their clothing selec on if standards of decency in appearance are not

met.

Hats and caps should not be worn during any conference ac vi es when inside buildings.

This applies to everyone.

Pajamas, sleepwear or slippers are not appropriate dress for any conference ac vity or

outside of sleeping rooms.

Bare feet are not appropriate for any conference ac vity other than pool  me.

Conven onal shoes are required.

Things to remember when packing

Comfortable walking shoes— we will be doing a lot of walking

The weather will be hot— dress in natural fibers when possible

Laundry facili es are limited and so is  me to do laundry

Things to bring

Camera and accessories for charging and uploading pictures

Notebook/pens

County items for trinket‐trading

Laptops/Notebooks

Personal spending money

Swim suit and proper cover‐up/t‐shirt for pool  me ac vity

4-H California Focus February 2018

2018 California Focus Tentative Schedule Time Event Location Friday, June 22 Dress Code for the Day: B 3:30 – 4:30 pm Conference Registration

• Bring county flag with flagpole Lobby • Receive Cal Focus shirt and nametag • Dinner on your own

6:00 – 6:45 pm Opening Assembly California Room 6:45 – 8:00 pm Legislative District Meetings

• Quail District Granada Room • Gray Whale District Hermosa Room

8:00 – 8:15 pm Snack California Room Chaperone meeting Granada Room 8:15 – 9:15 pm Party Caucus

• Golden Eagles Granada Room • Grizzly Bears Hermosa Room

9:15 – 9:45 pm Trinket Trading California Room 9:45 – 10:00 pm County/Chaperone Huddles 10:00 pm Delegates in their own rooms 10:30 pm Lights Out

Time Event Location Saturday, June 23 Dress Code for the Day: B (unless otherwise noted) 7:30 – 8:15 am Breakfast Buffet California Room 8:15 – 9:00 am General Assembly California Room 9:00 – 10:45 am Party Caucus – Primary Election

• Golden Eagles Granada Room • Grizzly Bears Hermosa Room

10:45 – 11:45 am Educational Workshop A: Mutual Understanding CA 4-H State Ambassadors California Room 11:30 am – 12:00 pm Legislative District Meetings

• Quail District Granada Room • Gray Whale District Hermosa Room

12:00 pm Lunch Buffet California Room 12:45 – 1:30 pm Educational Workshop B: Ethics: How to make ethical decisions California Room CA 4-H State Ambassadors 1:35 – 2:20 pm Legislative District Meetings

• Quail District Granada Room • Gray Whale District Hermosa Room

2:20 – 3:00 pm Networking and Etiquette Skill Development California Room 3:05-4:00pm Educational Workshop C: California Room Civil Discourse: Text talk Revive Civility CA 4-H State Ambassadors 5:45pm Seating for Dinner California Room 6:00-7:30pm Alumni Dinner & Networking (Dress Code B or C) California Room 8:00-9:45pm Minute to Win It and Team Building California Room (Dress Code A) 10:00pm Delegates in their own rooms 10:30pm Lights out

Time Event Location Sunday, June 24 Dress Code for the Day: B (unless otherwise noted) 8:00 – 8:35 am Breakfast Buffet California Room 8:35 – 9:15 am Party Caucus – Primary Election

• Golden Eagles Granada Room • Grizzly Bears Hermosa Room

9:30 – 9:45am General Assembly California Room 9:45-11:15 am Educational Workshop D California Room Community Service to Service Learning CA 4-H State Ambassadors 11:15 – 11:45 am Legislative District Meetings

• Quail District Granada Room • Gray Whale District Hermosa Room

12:00 pm Walk to Capitol Grounds 12:15 – 12:45 pm Lunch near Capitol Grounds East side of Capitol N Street 12:45 – 1:15 pm Senate Exploration Tour Rotunda 1:15– 2:00 pm Public Hearing State Capitol Room TBD 2:00– 2:45 pm Governor Candidate Debate State Capitol Room TBD 2:45pm Depart to Old Sacramento 3:15 – 4: 30 pm Old Sacramento Underground Tours 1011 I Street Sacramento History Museum 5:30 –6:45pm Rally & General Election 429 J Street Pagoda Building 7:30 – 9:00 pm Evening Activity Pool Party Holiday Inn 9:15 pm County/chaperone Huddles Constitutional Officers Meeting Granada Room 10:00 pm Delegates in own rooms 10:30 pm Lights Out

Time Event Location Monday, June 25 Dress Code for the Day: C (unless otherwise noted) 7:00 – 7:45 am Plated Breakfast & General Assembly California Room 7:45 am Depart Hotel for Appellate Court 8:15 – 9:00 am California Supreme Court State Capitol

& Appellate Court 9:15 – 9:30 am Group Photo Rose Garden 10:15 am – 1:45 pm County Delegation Legislative Appointments State Capitol Building Lunch on your own 2:00 – 4:00 pm Capitol Tours State Capitol Building 4:15 pm Travel back to Hotel 4:45 – 6:00 pm Free Time Dress for Dinner 6:00-7:00 pm Governor’s Dinner Dress Code: B California Room 7:00 – 8:00 pm Legislative Action on the Floor California Room 8:00-9:15pm Game night California Room 9:30 pm Delegates in own rooms 10:00 pm Lights Out Time Event Location

Tuesday, June 26 Dress Code for the Day: C 8:00 – 9:00 am Breakfast Buffet California Room Check out of Hotel 9:00 – 9:30 am General Assembly California Room 9:30 – 9:55 am Debriefing & Evaluation California Room 10:00 – 11:30 am Plan of Action Poster Session Granada Room Hermosa Room 11:30 am – 1:30 pm Challenge Luncheon California Room & Conference Recognition 1:30pm Goodbye, Safe Travels!

4-H California Focus Updated February 2018

Highlight your county

By US Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/stout06.gif) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

4-H California Focus Updated February 2018

My Community This information could be helpful to plan your service learning project and your presentation about your county

1. Year my town/city was founded. By whom?

2. Reason my community was founded (e.g., gold, railroads, shipping, agriculture, etc.)?

3. Significant historical landmarks or statues in my community

4. Demographics of my community

5. Arts in my community (e.g., symphony, choir, theater)

6. Community sports teams and leagues

7. If I was hosting someone from out of town, I would show them these 3 things:

a)

b)

c)

8. If there are museums or art galleries in your community, briefly describe what is on display.

4-H California Focus Updated February 2018

Your California Legislators During your time in Sacramento, you will meet with your Assembly Member and Senator. In order to

make this a good experience you should learn some things about your legislators before you meet.

Your Senator

Position District

# Name

Party

Term of office

State Senator

District Office Address, Telephone Number

Committees

What issues is your Senator interested in?

What bill has your Senator introduced in this legislative session and what are the numbers?

What key issues do you want the Senator to address on your behalf? Your Assembly Member

Position District

# Name

Party

Term of office

State Assembly Member

District Office Address, Telephone Number

Committees

Tip:

Visit your legislator’s district office before Cal Focus. This is the office that he/she maintains in your

local area to serve the needs of constituents (you). Local staff may be able to tell you where you can

meet your legislator locally

4-H California Focus Updated February 2018

State Government

Fill in this form to better prepare you for participation in the District Meetings, Party Meetings and visit to the Third District Court of Appeals.

Executive Branch Role of this branch of government

Position Name Party Term of office

Governor

Lieutenant Governor

Secretary of State

Controller

Treasurer

Attorney General

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Insurance Commissioner

Legislative Branch Role of this branch of government

Total number of Assembly members

Position District # Name Party Term of office

State Senator

State Assembly Member

Judicial Branch Role of this branch of government

California Supreme Court Chief Justice

Number of justices in the California Supreme Court

How long is the term of a California Supreme Court justice?

Location of your nearest California Superior (municipal) Court

4-H California Focus Updated May 2018

Meeting With Your Legislators

Schedule appointments for June 25, 2018 between 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Submit confirmed appointments by June 20, 2018 so we can coordinate chaperones and

attendance.

One of the most exciting parts of the California Focus conference is being able to meet with

your legislators. Many Assembly Members and Senators represent several counties. We

recommend that you coordinate with the Cal Focus delegates from all the counties that your

legislator represents. A list of participants by county with contact information will be emailed to

the email provided on your registration.

Tips

• The best way to schedule an appointment with your legislator is by phone.

• Appointments normally are about 20-30 minutes long.

• Legislator’s schedules change often. You should reconfirm your appointment by June 22, 2018 and confirm it in the online form so we can finalize groups.

4-H California Focus Updated May 2018

• Be prepared for the fact that you may have to meet with a legislative aide rather than

your actual legislator. Don’t be offended by this and don’t feel that your time has been

wasted. Legislative aides are key staff members who research issues and make

recommendations to their legislator. You may even get more action on your issue by

speaking to their legislative aide!

It is important for your legislator to be aware of your views, and what 4-H means to you and

the community in which you live. Plan an effective, yet brief way to communicate this.

Suggestions:

• Designate one person as “leader” to introduce the others (individually if time

permits) and keep the visit friendly and within time limits. As soon as the group is

settled, the “leader” should make an introductory statement, identify the group and

purpose of the appointment.

• Prepare a folder or notebook of newspaper clippings, letters, photos and other

documentation of how 4-H is involved in your community.

• Talk about what you and your 4-H club are doing in your area. Many legislators

have little knowledge of what 4-H is currently doing.

• Explain your service learning project for your community.

• Share about your experience in the California Focus conference.

Since you are representing 4-H try to make it a visible part of what you do. If you wish to

present a gift to the legislator, make sure that it has a big green clover on it!

Plan of Action An important part of your California Focus experience is the plan of action you develop and implement in the community where you live.

For information on requirements for your plan of action: http://4h.ucanr.edu/Projects/Citizenship/Citizenship_Resources/PlanAction/

• Use the materials available to you in the Service Learning toolkit to plan your service learning project. http://4h.ucanr.edu/Projects/Citizenship/service_learning/Toolkit/

• Once you have planned your project submit a pre-approval application http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=6418

• Present your Plan of action at California Focus during the poster session on Tuesday of the conference.

• Implement your plan of action in your community • Submit final report through the 4-H Delivers website

Your Plan of Action should meet the test of High Service (significant impact) and High Learning (learn about a community problem and need—includes collaboration with others working on the same issue in your community).