Forming Observations
By Tabitha King
Internships are funny things. There is always the chance that being an intern means becoming the office’s official new “coffee getter.” Lucky for me, my Rural and Community Health internship has been anything but mundane. I am not stuck in an office, and have the opportunity to visit rural communities such as Dimmit, Olton and Tulia that I may otherwise never see. The internship has many aims including the aforementioned site visits, volunteering, setting up a panel discussion and creating a community observation tool. The observation tool is arguably the most challenging part. It will be used by attendees during a breakout session at the 22nd annual Southern Plains Conference.
The idea is for attendees to walk around Nazareth, Texas and answer questions about how they view health in the community. The hope is after the conference they can use this same tool in their own town. Questions range from the environmental to the physical health of the community and its members. The main challenge for me has been forming a cohesive and complete observation tool on one front and back piece of paper. The idea of rural healthcare is extensive and each time I visit a new hospital or interview someone actively involved in rural healthcare I learn one more piece of the puzzle. The conference, in February, which seemed so far away in August, is quickly approaching. It will be the culmination of my work, and where I finally get to see what the impact of my observation tool will actually be.
Tabitha King is from McKinney, Texas. She is a senior at Texas Tech University majoring in Natural Histroy and Humanites with an emphasis in Pre-Medicine. She is also a Community Health Intern for Ogallala Commons.
As many of you know, I’m the PR and Multimedia intern for OC this fall. One of my main jobs these past few months was to make a movie that would be presented at conferences, meetings, and trainings in hopes to create buzz and excitement for the many internship opportunities that OC offers.
This short video is informative…but it’s also something that most are not, shown through the eyes of the interns. Who better to give input and insight into the internships than the interns that have already completed them first-hand?
The five minute video highlights accomplishments by individual interns, the overall goal of OC itself, and rules and lessons learned throughout your experience with OC. The presentation is complete with pictures, quotes, articles, and hopefully recorded interviews with several interns a little later on…and of course the perks, including free college credit-what can beat that?
Hopefully with the addition of this new intern video, it not only provides interested individuals with information on the OC internships, but gives it a personal spin into what it really means to be a part of Ogallala Commons.
By Darryl Birkenfeld
Aspiring teenage entrepreneurs demonstrated exciting business ideas at 4th Annual Ogallala Commons Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Fair, held on Nov. 9th at the Plainview Civic Center in Plainview, TX. During the public viewing session from 12noon to 1:15pm, a large crowd examined the exhibit booths of the 34 contestants in the E-Fair from Castro, Swisher, Parmer, and Hale Counties. The three top finishers in two categories received cash prizes and abundant encouragement, which was the main objective of the Fair.
The following prizes were awarded to four students and their business ideas in the “Ready-to-Go” Business Category: 1st place ($1,200) Savanna Bragg, Tulia, Savanna B Photography; 2nd Place ($1,000) Teri Reed, Friona, Teri’s Online Treasures; 3rd Place ($750) Shyann Rainey and Haley Beasley, Lazbuddie, TekNoob. The three judges for this category were: Matty McLain, Entrepreneur Alliance, Amarillo, TX; Deana Sageser, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Plainview, TX; and Donald Schenkel, , Lubbock SCORE, Lubbock, TX.
In the “Still-in-the-Future” Business Category, the following prizes were awarded to four students and their business ideas: 1st place ($1,200) Lane Birkenfeld, Nazareth, High Plains Wind Power; 2nd Place ($1,000) Phylissa Kinser, Dimmitt, Kinser’s Equine Therapy; and 3rd Place ($750) Keeley Burris and Kaileigh Edwards, Lazbuddie, K& K Wind Farming. The three judges for this category were Debbie Gonzales, Assistant Vice President, First Financial Bank, Hereford, TX; Heath Acker, Business Lending Officer, Amarillo National Bank, Amarillo, TX; and Andy Hart, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Plainview, TX.
Savanna Bragg, an OC Community Intern for Swisher County, TX in 2010, displays her exhibit booth for her business: Savanna B Photography at the Nov. 9th Youth E-Fair. Savanna received good information and resources for launching her business website at the OC Youth Entrepreneur Camp back on July 7th.
Consolation prizes were also awarded to these five students and their business ideas: ($300) Cale Wilhelm and Carl Huseman, Nazareth, C&C’s Custom Landscaping and Mowing Service and ($300) Johnny Padilla, Alex Duarte, and Jonathan Diaz, Tulia, P & Double D Cinemax.
In addition their interview with the judges and displaying their business ideas, contestants were treated to a bus tour of programs at South Plains College-Plainview Campus, and Wayland Baptist University. Paul Henderson, Workforce Solutions Director at South Plains College-Plainview, also shared stories and insights with the youth entrepreneurs. Texas Department of Agriculture and S.I.F.E. (Students Involved in Free Enterprise) set up displays with pertinent information to further aid the entrepreneurs.
Ogallala Commons wishes to thank the following companies for their donations of cash prizes for the winning projects: CHS Foundation and Tulia EDC ($1,000 each)as well as Holy Family Church-Nazareth, Peoples Bank-Nazareth, Entrepreneur Alliance, Amarillo National Bank, Happy State Bank , Cargill Feeders, and John Bertsch, CFP, Plainview, TX ($500 each). Donations of $250 were also contributed by First Bank Muleshoe-Dimmitt, Swisher Electric Cooperative, and the Swisher County Industrial Foundation, and $200 from Tulia Rotary Club.
Winners of the OC Regional Youth E-Fair held in Plainview, TX (l-r):Savanna Bragg, Tulia; Lane Birkenfeld, Nazareth, Teri Reed, Friona;Shyann Rainey, Lazbuddie, Haley Beasley, Lazbuddie; Keeley Burris,Lazbuddie; and Phylissa Kinser, Dimmitt.
The Regional Youth Entrepreneur Fair is a project of Ogallala Commons, a nonprofit community development network offering leadership, education, and technical assistance to rural communities. Additional Youth E-Fairs are held in Atwood, Kansas and Springfield, Colorado in spring 2011. The top three winners in each division from the regional Youth E-Fairs will be invited to complete in a multi-state Champions E-Fair in Amarillo, Texas on July 25, 2011. For more information, please contact Darryl Birkenfeld, Director of Ogallala Commons (806-945-2255).
Campo Youth Engagement Day is Exactly That
By Megan England
On Wednesday, November 17th, 2010, the Campo Junior/Senior High School was filled with the sounds of over one hundred students from all five schools in Baca County attending the very first Campo Youth Engagement Day.
A Youth Engagement Day is just that—a day to engage the youth and get them involved in their communities and excited about their future. In its most basic form, the Youth Engagement Day was a leadership conference encouraging today’s young people not to wait to “grow up” to do exciting and challenging things in preparation for their future.
Sponsored by the non-profit organization, Ogallala Commons, and hosted by the Campo School District, the day consisted of a keynote speech by Ogallala Commons’ executive director, Dr. Darryl Birkenfeld, and eleven different breakout sessions. However, what made this ‘leadership conference’ unique was the fact that it was planned and organized by students, for students—specifically the Campo Youth Advisory Council (YAC). The YAC is a group of students in leadership of a program at Campo School called Service-Learning who believe that it is very important for youth to have a voice in their communities. As a result of that belief, and with priceless help from the Superintendent Nikki Johnson, the Campo School staff and students, and UCCS Leadership student, Lani Finck, the YAC planned and organized everything from the food and door prizes, to the day’s schedule.
During the keynote speech that began the day, Dr. Birkenfeld informed the students about Ogallala Commons, and more specifically, the internships the organization offers that “provide experiences that illustrate both the key assets and the serious challenges present in rural areas.” Dr. Birkenfeld also encouraged students to think about returning home after getting their education and making a life in the rural communities that make the area so unique. “These internships enable rural communities to constructively utilize the skills of their youth and adults, and to inspire home-grown talent to return in the future--to live, work, play and raise their families.”*
After Dr. Birkenfeld’s presentation, students were given the opportunity to choose three interactive breakout sessions that applied to their interests. The sessions throughout the remainder of the day were presented by representatives from Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU), Lamar Community College (LCC), University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS), Otero Junior College (OJC), and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Other presenters included the Campo YAC, the Baca County CSU Extension agent, and the coordinating team for Campo School’s ‘Healthy Schools’ grant. Topics ranged from college rodeo to a career in nursing, from the danger of digital footprints to living the American Dream from rural areas, and that’s just listing a few.
The Campo YAC extends their sincere thanks to Ogallala Commons and director Darryl Birkenfeld, area school administrators, especially their own Mrs. Johnson, the attending students, the Campo School Staff, and the rest of the day’s leadership, organization, and planning team. The event was very well-received, and upon reviewing students’ evaluations of the day, the YAC got a lot of positive feedback and great suggestions on how to improve on future Youth Engagement Days.
