Massachusetts 4-H Mission

The 4-H Youth and Family Development Program provides youth and those who work with youth the supports and opportunities which prepare youth to become contributing members of society. The 4-H Youth and Family Development Program Area is an integral part of UMass Extension. Its staff focus on Science and Technology Literacy, Life/Work Skills, Leadership Development, and Environmental Stewardship.

Nationally, the program is connected with all other land grant institutions through the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Services, USDA. In this way the program can access resources throughout the system.

One important resource is CYFERNet. This electronic system is a result of the National CSREES Leadership which has established National Networks for Children Youth and Families. These networks provide resources to support programming in the areas of Science and Technology Literacy, Family Resiliency, Child Care, Cultural Diversity, Collaboration and Health Decisions.

Desirable Outcomes

In order to address the key issues of safety, connectedness and competencies, the Program area focuses on "desirable youth outcomes" as defined by the Center for Youth Development and Policy Research, May 1995. "They are the knowledge areas, skills, behaviors and attitudes young people need to succeed. Further defined as:

PROBLEM PREVENTION OUTCOMES

Young people will be deemed competent and healthy when they do not engage in problem behaviors such as drug and alcohol use, delinquency, and early sexual activity.

DEVELOPMENTAL AND PREPARATION OUTCOMES

Young people will be deemed competent and healthy when they a) develop a positive sense of self and sense of connection and commitment to others, and b) develop the abilities and motivation to succeed in school and to participate fully in family and community life.

ACHIEVEMENT OUTCOMES

Young people will be deemed competent and healthy when they achieve endpoints of a successful transition to young adulthood, such as graduation from high school, stable employment and or attendance in post secondary education."

Content Areas

To accomplish these outcomes, the 4-H Youth and Family Development Program established four content areas on which to focus. Programming in each area will be drawn from research based models available throughout the national land grant system. the five content areas are:

Life/Work Skills: Youth will be well versed in the life skills related to building strong relationships and making critical decisions for proactive productive choices.Youth will learn employment skills and business techniques that prepare them to work for others or take on new entrepreneurial opportunities. Many of these training opportunities will be embedded in youth activities focusing on agriculture, rocketry, science, math, textiles and environmental projects and other subject matter which interests participating youth.

Environmental Stewardship: Youth will pursue goals related to protecting their future through increased understanding of their environment.

Science and Technology: This content area will prepare young people to compete successfully in a national and world economy which demands a high level of technological competence and science literacy.

Teen and Adult Leadership: Youth and adults will increase their leadership potential by participating in in-depth training in child and adolescent development, building character in youth, and explaining community service opportunities by sharing this knowledge with young people through mentoring, our club system and other leadership programs.

Delivery Strategies

Volunteer Programs for Youth: Community volunteers, corporate employees donating work time to interface with youth, housing development resident teams, and others interested in youth will be recruited, trained, supported and mentored to insure that youth are engaged in challenging programming (e.g., 4-H clubs, after school programs, etc.).

Staff Training Workshops: Youth and those who work with youth will receive short term training opportunities in the area of youth development and in the content areas listed above (e.g., workshops focused on communication skills, job readiness information, etc.).

Training the Trainer Initiatives: Youth-serving professionals and other community workers and administrators will receive comprehensive training opportunities that prepare them to replicate model programs that promote safety, competency, and connectedness for the Commonwealth youth (e.g., People Empowering People Model, Family Community Leadership).

Collaboration Building: Prevention and development outcomes for youth will be better facilitated through strong collaborative efforts of those who affect youth. Extension professionals are often considered nonbiased facilitators of collaborative efforts. Collaborations of neighborhood natural leaders, advisory board members, agencies and organizations receive training and support to enhance important partnerships needed to implement diverse, well developed, cost effective youth and family development activities (e.g., 4-H Foundation Boards, 4-H Advisory Boards, tenant organizations, etc.).

Camps: There are five 4-H camps located throughout the Commonwealth. Managed and supported by volunteers, they provide youth with a safe, intensive, residential experience to develop social and group living skills, and an understanding and respect for the environment, animals, and natural resources.

Access to Youth Development Resources: Youth and those who influence youth will be provided access to youth development information, activity packages and curricula via literature libraries, electronic communication, newsletters, media articles and audio visual lending libraries.