Ten individuals from Kankakee County attended the Eighth Annual Leadership Conference "Leadership in the Real World" June 7th. The keynote presenter, Mark Homan, author and Professor at Pima County Community College in Tucson, Arizona challenged participants to unlock the power of communities by building on community assets, increasing the skills of individuals, connecting people with one another, and connecting and increasing existing resources. "The most important contributor to a community's success is a belief in its abilities rather than in its problems."

Breakout sessions included:

• Homeland Security
• Facilitation: Helping People Work Together Better
• Cultural Differences as a Mirror of Our Similarities
• The Leadership Evolution
• Using Community Foundations to Build Community
• Building Consensus: Finding Common Ground
• Innovation and Action: Strengthening Real Time, Real World Youth Leadership
• Leading Without Power

Those attending included members of the Communications and Outreach Committee of Pembroke/Hopkins Park: John, Ida, Joshua, and Jacob Thurman, Lillian Jackson, Patricia Jordon, Sandra Ellison, Juanita Barnes, and Extension staff James Theuri, and Beth LaPlante.

May 17 and 18 was our second annual Natural Resources Day for grades 5 and 6 at Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see. Once again, the rain stopped for over 350 students from Aquinas Academy, Herscher, Kankakee Trinity Academy, Manteno,

St. Paul's Lutheran, IMPACT, and home school students who participated in a day filled with activities. Students attended with their classes as a field trip. Stations were rotated during the day. Students completed an activity worksheet for each station. Follow up activities were provided so they can continue to build on their environmental awareness.

New this year was the Traveling Science Center from the Illinois Natural History Survey. This traveling museum is dedicated to northern Illinois and featured exhibits and activities on biodiversity. Participants and their programs included: Kankakee Soil and Water Conservation District – Enviroscapes; Farm Bureau – Corn a Renewable Resource; and University of Illinois Extension educators – Tree Identification, Build Illinois, and Entomology. We are very fortunate to have the talents and dedication of volunteer educators, Anita Belik, Mollyann Hesser, and Charles Smead who did hands-on activities on geology, water quality, and tree identification. Our Kankakee County Master Gardeners deserve a big thank you for volunteering for this outdoor opportunity for youth.

Due to the Kankakee County Fair, August 2 - 6, the next Extension Link will be a combined issue (August/September). Look for it to arrive mid-to-late August so that we can include as many 4-H Fair highlights as possible. Don't forget all Extension Links and Extension program information can also befound on our website:www.extension.uiuc.edu/kankakee