Cathann KressDirector, Youth DevelopmentNational 4-H HeadquartersCSREES, USDA

Transforming the Lives of Youth Why 4-H Matters

I pledge:My head to clearer thinking, My heart to greater loyalty, My hands to larger service and My health to better living,

for my Club, my Community, my Country and my World.

Our pledge identifies both our:

Guiding PrinciplesIntended Outcomes

Guiding Principles: The Essential Elements

BelongingPositive Relationship with a caring adultAn inclusive environmentA safe environment

MasteryEngagement in LearningOpportunity for Mastery

IndependenceOpportunity to see oneself as an active participant in the futureOpportunity for self-determination

GenerosityOpportunity to value and practice service for others

I pledge my head to clearer thinking…

To develop responsibility, youth need to know that they are able to influence people and events through decision-making and action.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDEPENDENCE

I pledge my heart to greater loyalty…

Current research emphasizes the importance for youth to have opportunities for long-term consistent relationships with adults other than parents. This research suggests that a sense of belonging may be the single most powerful positive ingredient we can add into the lives of children and youth.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR BELONGING

I pledge my health to better living…

To develop self-confidence youth need to feel and believe they are capable and they must experience success at solving problems and meeting challenges.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MASTERY

I pledge my hands to larger service…

By participating in community service, youth connect to communities and learn to give back. These experiences help youth understand the "big picture" of life and find purpose and meaning.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR GENEROSITY

Intended Outcomes of 4-H

Young people who are:Trained to think, plan and reasonTrained to be kind and sympatheticTrained to be useful, helpful and skillfulAble to resist disease, enjoy life and make for efficiency

Source?

1912 USDA circular

1995 National 4-H Base Program Outcomes

HEAD -- educational commitment and achievementHEART -- responsive, caring relationshipsHANDS -- civic and social responsibilityHEALTH -- healthy lifestyles

America’s Promise, 1997Marketable skills thru effective educationOn-going relationships with caring adultsOpportunities to serveHealthy start for a healthy futureSafe places, structured activities

Does 4-H still matter?

Relevant and meaningful outcomes

Effective program principles

What is 4-H?Programmatic outreach of the Land Grant University to our youngest citizens in their communities.The Land Grant Idea taken to youth.

The Land Grant IdeaAccess to higher education for those with limited resources;Just good practical science;Science applied to practical problems;Education for people of the state with problems to solve;All this and more…

What is the Land Grant Idea?

It is a set of beliefs about the social role of the university. Educating and training the professional

cadres of an industrial, increasingly urban, society;

Providing broad access to higher education, irrespective of wealth or social status;

Working to improve the welfare and social status of the largest and most disadvantaged groups in society.

The Land Grant IdeaThe Land Grant vision was of an institution that could be a training ground for democratic life and civic practice and that could quickly move knowledge from the laboratory to the community.

1912, Marius Malgren, Hickory, VA

Canning Clubs

Food Preservation

Leading Community Change

Raised 209 bushels of corn on one acre

(Averages at that time were 45 bushels per acre).

Led to food safety techniques becoming standard practice.

Some things cannot be taught, but must be experienced.

Children and youth learn best when they can “do” – Experiential Education

Leading by Example – Youth are early adopters and will change their communities.

As the nature of the society that sustains the university changes in fundamental ways, the social role of the university will very slowly undergo change in response to that new social reality.

James Bonnen, 1998

What does America need from 4-H during its second century?

The Land Grant University must be careful to commit its limited resources to outreach activities that are legitimate for a university and are of major social significance.

What is legitimate? What has major social significance?

How will we define what this outreach should be so that we know what we are talking about, can manage it effectively, and can communicate its meaning to others?

Degree of consensus in the communityCreation and organization of clientele (who is our constituency?)Having command of enough knowledge of the problem being addressed

The Land Grant Mission & 4-H

An idea – not a set of academic fieldsThis idea is applicable to all the academic programs of the university.Basic concept is that knowledge has consequences and utility, both for individuals and society.Mission: to serve society by providing access to knowledge to everyone who desires it and can benefit from the experience.

How do we serve youth through our programs?

Approaches to 4-H Youth Development

PREVENTION

YOUTH DEVELOPMENTEDUCATION

Focus: Risks & Risk Factors

Focus: Skills & Knowledge Focus: Developmental Needs

Target: Social Norms & Communities

Target: Individual Learners Target: Opportunities for Youth

Goal: Eliminate or Reduce Problems

Goal: Competency in knowledge or skill Goal: Maturity

Understanding the Different Approaches

Biological & Physical Changes Cognitive Changes Psychosocial Changes

Competencies 1. Health/Physical 3. Cognitive/Creative 2. Personal/Social 4. Vocational/Citizenship

Needs 1. Physiological 6. Independence/Control 2. Safety and Structure over one’s life 3. Belonging/Membership 7. Self Worth/Contribution 4. Closeness/Relationships 8. Capacity to enjoy life 5. Competency/Mastery

Contextual Influences

Community, Family, Peers, School, Work, Leisure

Developed by Cathann A. Kress, Ph.D.

EDUCATION

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Approaches to 4-H

YOUTH DEVELOPMENTEssential Elements

EDUCATIONMission Areas

Science, Engineering & TechnologyHealthy LifestylesCitizenship

CONTEXT

BelongingMastery

IndependenceGenerosity

CONTENT

CONTEXT – circumstances and conditions which surround an event or individual; the circumstances or settings which determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event.CONTENT – information and experiences created by individuals, institutions, and technology to benefit audiences in venues that they value.

Approaches to 4-H Youth Development

YOUTH DEVELOPMENTEssential Elements

EDUCATIONMission Areas

Science, Engineering & TechnologyHealthy LifestylesCitizenship

CONTEXT

Afterschool

Clubs

Camps

BelongingMastery

IndependenceGenerosity

CONTENT

School Enrichment

All Youth need:To know they are cared about by others(Attachment, Belonging, Connection)To feel and believe they are capable and successful(Achievement, Mastery, Competence)To know they are able to influence people and events(Autonomy, Power, Confidence)To practice helping others through their own generosity(Altruism, Purpose, Contribution)

Educational OpportunitiesOpportunities to explore dimensions of the human experience from many perspectives (personal)Opportunities to examine the many kinds of social organizations that humankind has invested (organizational)Opportunities to experiment with the contrasting ways in which we explore and interpret our own lives and the natural world around us through the methodologies and assumptions of various fields (technical)

What does America need from 4-H during its second century?

1. To remember our central mission is based on the Land Grant Idea

The Imperative vs. The Important

A Covenant vs. A Contract

What does it mean to have a COVENANT with youth?

A covenant rests on a shared commitment to:

Ideas, Issues, Values, Goals

Covenants are a promise to hold a vision that honors youth

2. To create opportunities to meet the basic needs of youth:

BelongingMasteryIndependenceGenerosity

Why meet youth needs?

If youth needs are unmet, they become defining factors in the lives of youth

If youth needs are met in positive ways, youth develop CHARACTER and are more likely to CONTRIBUTE

3. To remember our UNIQUE purpose and plans

Vision of 4-H Youth Development Programs

Engagement of Resources

Needs of youth and communities

4. To EVALUATE our impacts

Evaluation helps us understand our current reality- where we are -

and how far we are from our vision - where we want to be

5. To make sure our programs CHANGE

How do we change?

We must be drawn to what we want to create not simply repelled by what we have.

“People don’t resist change, they resist being

changed.”

6. To remember the DREAMS of youth

4-H StudyDoes participation make a difference in the lives of youth?

What difference does 4-H Club participation make?

Two year studyTo what extent and in what ways do

4-H Clubs influence and contribute to the “context” for positive youth development?

Youth Development defined…

In this study, youth development was understood as a process of growing up and developing one’s capacities in positive ways

-Walker & Dunham, 1994

Is success related to active participation and involvement in public demonstrations, community service projects, and events?Is success due to the relationships developed and the long-term membership?

Findings- Members Only Survey

4-H Club youth in New York scored higher than both the Search Institute’s youth with club participation and without club participation on all developmental assets tested.The type of club was not important.There was a difference for youth who remain in 4-H for one year or more.

Results?The results show that the process of youth development is positively influenced in multiple ways by 4-H membership.When membership includes some key essential elements…

BelongingFeeling Part of a Supportive Community

Content: Sensory, AwarenessDesign Elements: Express it, let me sense it, involve others in it

Strategies: Encourage Peer Group Cohesion (ice breakers, games, social time);Encourage Cross-age Linkages, Staff-youth bonding;Encourage ties with family and community; Make small group time available to allow the development of close relationships with peers and staff;Encourage collaborative and cooperative learning; Show respect for the value of diverse cultures; Provide multiple opportunities for youth to develop relationships with adults; Encourage supportive peer relationships.

MasteryOpportunities for Success – the source of self-esteem

Content: Structure, Implementation Oriented Design Elements: Order it, sequence it, walk through, practice

Strategies: Mix hands-on activities, projects or exhibitions, applied, contextual or workplace-related challenges; Supplement competition with cooperative activities or games; Develop multi-faceted teaching approaches that include group investigation, experiential learning and multiple outcomes; Focus on the long-term goals of learning; provide prompt feedback; model and teach that failure and frustration are learning experiences.

IndependenceAutonomy, ResponsibilityContent: Data Oriented, ExperientialDesign Elements: Free me to discover, experiment, visualize

Strategies: Before making decisions, ask if youth could make the decision; Include youth in planning discussions and encourage input; Ask youth to do something instead of telling them to do it; Give youth responsibility to carry out with a minimum of reminders; Commend youth who recognize the limits of their independence and seek counsel; Help youth explore courses of action or appropriate decisions; Never deprive youth of the thrill of overcoming an obstacle, don’t jump in too quickly to help; Maintain a close link between independence and responsibility; Share power with young people through self-governance in significant areas.

GenerosityPurpose, Usefulness

Content: Conceptual, Big PictureDesign Elements: Metaphors, Discovery, Experiential, Visuals

Strategies: Mentoring/Tutoring programs for cross-age linkages, service projects and community service; Tie learned skills/abilities to how they can be used in positive ways; Respect and encourage bonds of friendship among young people and between staff and children; Use as many opportunities as possible to encourage young people to imagine the feelings of others (discuss feelings or motivations of characters in literature, history or social studies); Highlight the effect of a young person’s behavior on others (both positive and negative), reinforce gestures of caring and concern, and ask young people to take responsibility.

Youth Development experiences become TRANSFORMATIONAL when we provide opportunities for young people to:

•Belong

•Master Skills through Experience

•Influence others

•Learn the meaning of service

Challenges for those who care about 4-H

Build the unique character of 4-H and strengthen its identityStrengthen the value relationship between 4-H and the Land Grant UniversityBuild a culture of philanthropy within 4-H

What does America need from 4-H in the next century?

To be an effective youth development program tied to its Land Grant University

Characteristics of Effective Youth Development ProgramsYouth as resourcesEcological ApproachCaring adults and safe environmentsBelonging with rulesFlexible and responsive

Long-termReal work and real responsibilityExperiences resulting in product or presentation

What does it take to assist young people to become healthy, problem-solving, constructive adults?

Youth must:Find a valued place in a constructive groupLearn how to form close, durable human relationshipsEarn a sense of worth as a personAchieve a reliable basis for making informed choicesExpress constructive curiosity and exploratory behaviorFind ways of being useful to othersBelieve in a promising future with real opportunitiesCultivate the inquiring and problem-solving habits of the mindLearn to respect democratic values and responsible citizenshipBuild a healthy lifestyle

Great Transitions: Preparing Adolescents for a New CenturyCarnegie Council on Adolescent Development

If you were to design a youth development program intended to assist young people to become healthy, problem-solving constructive adults –

what would it look like?

What would it look like?

It would offer opportunities for youth to experience belonging It would offer opportunities for youth to experience a “hands-on” laboratory which connects them to the knowledge of the Land Grant UniversityIt would offer opportunities for young people to choose It would offer opportunities to experience what it means to be a citizen

It would look a lot like the 4-H Club.

www.national4-hheadquarters.govwww.4husa.orgCathann KressDirector, Youth DevelopmentNational 4-H HeadquartersCSREES, USDA

How can we strengthen 4-H?

Remember that youth will participate in programs that:

1) Meet their basic needs

2) Build skills and values

3) Use their skills, talents, energies and time in ways that make them feel good and powerful.

Challenges in developing or expanding effective programs for young adolescents:

ParticipationAccessFundingEffectivenessCoordination

The Future of Children: When School is Out,” David and Lucille Packard Foundation, Volume 9, Number 2, Fall 1999

Participation: Making programs attractive and relevant to target audiences

What do kids say they want?“Fun and friends”

“Voice and choice”

Income, race and gender influence who participates

Access…who can participate?

Low-income communities---rural or urban--were least likely to offer consistent support for and a wide array of opportunities for adolescents.

More access issues…

Logistics--transportation, location of services (including safety issues), fees, required expensesPerceptions--who is perceived as welcome in terms of race, gender, ability/disability, etc.

Barriers to involvement...

Difficulty of identifying programs Program costsRequired parent participationProblem behaviors of some youthFamily pre-occupied with other needsYouth lacked self-confidence to initiate or sustain participation

“Increasing the 4-H participation of youth from high-risk environments,” B. Hobbs, Journal of Extension, 8/99.

Funding….

Multiple sources with multiple expectationsInstabilityInadequacyInequity--”easier to obtain a million dollars to study juvenile purse-snatching than a thousand dollars to study youth theatre or dance groups.”

Program effectiveness...

Reliance on “soft measures”Failure to evaluate core servicesFew “big studies”Thorny methodological issuesFew good measurement tools

Coordination…

Competition Duplication Unique niches and contribution