North Dakota State University

The 4-H Communication Arts program: 

• help participants develop communication skills that are useful throughout a lifetime;
• provide participants an opportunity to practice their skills before a group;
• provide participants an opportunity to gather and organize information, equipment and props for public presentation;
• develop participants' confidence in making public presentations; and
• evaluate and enhance communication skills.

The Communication Arts program is open to any youth involved in Extension youth programs. It includes two age divisions: the preteen division (youth 8 to 12 years-old before Sept. 1) and the teen division (youth ages 13 to 18 before Sept. 1), the start of the current 4-H year.

Levels of Involvement
Club: All 4-H members are encouraged to give a public presentation at the club level.

County: Any youth can participate in the county or multi-county 4-H Communication Arts contest.

District: Ten district events are held. Each district consists of the group of counties in the multi-county program units (MPUs). 

Additional information on the 4-H Communication Arts program is available through your local extension office.

Every day you make choices.  It might be what you are going to eat, what you are going to wear, or what to buy. Consumer Choices teaches you how to make decisions based on information that you have learned and studied and on facts that you have collected. It can also help you learn to defend your decisions.

The 4-H Consumer Choices Contest can help you practice making decisions by matching your knowledge, skills and abilities against those of others. You will learn to rank articles or products over others based on standards and quality. 

Contact your local extension office for information on local contests.

A film showcase for youth

Participants create and submit a one- to 10-minute video to be evaluated. The top three videos in each category will be shown at the North Dakota 4-H Film Festival. Judges will select winners for each category prior to the festival, and audience members will vote for the People’s Choice Award after the videos have been shown at the festival.

 When
2 p.m. Sunday, July 22, 2012 

Where
Norsk Room, State Fair Center, North Dakota State Fairgrounds, Minot 

Who can participate?
This event is for production teams of youth who are in fourth to 12th grade in the 2011-2012 school year. At least one member of each team must be a 4-H member (learn how to join 4-H at www.ndsu.edu/4h.) 

Production team
Each production must contain one to four members, at least one of which must be a 4-H member. All awards will be shared among production team members. 

Category descriptions

• Narrative: This type of film is a story.  Narratives can be created in many different ways.  For example, it can be a linear story, moving from beginning to end, or a fragmented story that jumps around in time.  Most classic narratives have happy endings, but a filmmaker may wish to end it an entirely different way.
• Animation: This type of film can be one of the easiest type to make.   Animated films can be created without a movie camera - just use a digital camera and take lots of photos! You can check out an example of this kind of film at http://4h.missouri.edu/go/events/filmfest/index-films-nar-3.htm   
• Documentary: This type of film provides a look at some aspect of real life, often to provide instruction, maintain a historic record, or reveal a different perspective.  The scenes are not scripted and the people are not actors.  The story and any drama in a documentary emerge from the actual events.  
• Promote 4-H! – This type of film can promote your 4-H club, 4-H in your county or 4-H in general.

How to register
Each production team must complete the necessary paperwork and mail it in by the deadline to participate. Teams must register by June 15, 2012, by submitting a Team Registration form to: 

North Dakota 4-H Film Festival
 Linda Hauge
 NDSU Dept. 7280
 P.O. Box 6050
 Fargo, ND 58108-6050

After registering
Your production team will need to complete and mail in the following:

• Team Roster
• Team Reflection
• Team Checklist
• Submission Guidelines
• Media Release Forms

The Team Roster, Team Reflection and Media Release forms will need to be returned when submitting your entry to the North Dakota 4-H Film Festival in DVD format. (Do not use a DVD-RW)

Project Expo provides youth with an experience in planning, preparing and displaying an article or an educational exhibit. It is an opportunity for self-expression both verbally and visually. Project Expo also provides the opportunity to share with others what has been learned in the specific project.

Who May Enter
Any youth enrolled in 4-H, ages 8-12 on September 1 (Pre-teen) and ages 13-18 on September 1^st (Teen).

What the Member Does
Select and research a topic or project directly related to a 4-H project in which you are currently enrolled. Prepare an exhibit for display from this project.

Some examples are:

• Picture Perfect - Photography
• Sew What's New - Clothing
• Horse Sense - Horse
• Get a Blast Out of Rockets - Aerospace
• Get a Rise out of Bread - Foods and Nutrition
• Pyramid Power - Foods and Nutrition

Awards Schedule
County: Each county may conduct a Project Expo and select a total of six members to participate at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot. It is preferred (but not required) that the Pre-teen and Teen Divisions be equally represented. County awards are determined locally. 

State: All entries at the State Fair will be awarded a ribbon. Outstanding overall presentations in each division will be recognized with an Award of Excellence.