FY04 - NDSU Extension Service
PROGRAM #205 - 4-H Youth Development

Overall Situation: Youth today feel excluded within their communities. They want and need to become partners with adults in planning and implementing programs for communities and youth. North Dakota communities need to capitalize on the "Power of Youth" as members of boards and committees, technology specialists, small business entrepreneurs and contributing members of their communities. Youth need to develop a connection and sense of purpose within their community to help insure survival of the North Dakota way of life in the 21^st century.

Environment: Declining rural populations, deficient technology infrastructure and expertise, long history of social/community norms and the adult view of youth as a recipient of services, create barriers for young people to grow to reach their fullest potential. As a predominantly rural agricultural state, North Dakota's environment can be a difficult place for youth of the 21^st century to develop the needed life skills and assets to help them become contributing and productive adults.

PROGRAM COMPONENT 
YOUTH/ADULT PARTNERSHIPS

Key Theme(s):   Asset Building- Youth Development

Desired Outcomes-

Short Term: 

• Extension Staff will learn how to become a catalyst for building Youth/Adult Partnerships in North Dakota Communities.
• North Dakota Communities will develop attitudes of inclusion toward youth in community decision making.
• Youth will discover the talents and skills they possess and that their communities need.
• Adults and youth will discover and value the "Power of Youth".

Medium Term:

• Extension programs in North Dakota will serve as a model for inclusion of youth on decision making committees and teams where decisions affect youth.
• Communities will provide opportunities for youth to serve as full partners on councils and boards.
• Local communities will engage "Youth Based" advisory teams to address local community youth related issues.
  

Long Term:

• North Dakota Extension Service will be recognized within the state and nationally as a "Power of Youth" resource and program model in building youth and adult partnerships.
• North Dakota Communities will value and rely on their youth as a partner and resource in long term sustain-ability of North Dakota Communities.
• Youth will develop a more civic based sense of place and purpose with in their communities and as future adults in society.

Outputs

Activities: Workshops will be conducted around positive youth development concepts, building partnerships with youth and the power and potential of today's young people.

• The Group Decision Center will be used to bring youth adults to the table to discuss issues and partnership opportunities.
• Staff will receive training on positive youth development and youth/adult partnership building.
• Staff will do community assessments to gauge the current level of youth/adult partnership opportunities.
• A marketing piece will be developed to promote this extension program component.
• Assessments will be developed to measure impacts on youth/adults and communities.

Participation: Youth will be targeted for training at established events/conferences.

• Extension Staff will receive training to develop skills as catalysts for community youth/adult partnership building.
• Community decision makers, educators, citizens and volunteers will receive training from trained extension staff.
• State decision makers and extension decision making groups will be a target market for promotional literature and impacts of program efforts.

Inputs:   

Team Members:  Same as above.

Curriculum:  Creating Youth/Adult partnerships (from National 4-H Curriculum Collection) and It's A Big World Out There (North Dakota).

PROGRAM COMPONENT
4-H CLUBS

Key Theme(s):     Youth Development/4-H

Situation: Young people feel that they can contribute in a positive way in their community and teens need opportunities to focus on their interests. According to surveys conducted by the Search Institute, most adults feel that it is important to have real relationships with kids. However, approximately only 35% of adults practice the action. 4-H programs can bridge the gap and make the youth-to-adult connection. Both audiences can be served by being involved in many different aspects of a service learning project and be involved in a special group or club to connecting participants to a community.

Environment: Youth have many options for their time. They want to pick and choose from areas that interest them. Many do not want the commitment of a long term program, but are willing to work intensely on a project of high interest.

Specialized Clubs

Outcomes:  

Desired:  Youth will experience valuable relationships and mentorships with adults as they learn a skill. These learned skills will impact their adult lives.

Short term:

• Specialized clubs will be started in at least two counties in two years.
• Youth in these clubs will learn a technical or specific skill.
• All activities will encourage volunteering as a way to enhance feelings of self-worth.
  

Medium term: 

• Youth in the specialized clubs will experience volunteerism by teaching or sharing their learned skill with others.
• Specialized clubs will be started in at least five counties in three years.

Long term:  

• Youth will contribute more volunteer hours, the program will foster a volunteer attitude as youth teach fellow peers the skill as well as share their new found expertise with the adult community.
• The number of youth over age 12 involved in 4-H will increase.

Outputs:  

• Development of specialized clubs will be based on interests and needs of youth in the community identified by Extension staff, volunteers and youth.
• Assessment will be done to determine if participation in the specialized clubs involves youth that would otherwise not participate in 4-H activities and determine if participation by youth over age 12 increased.

Target audience: Youth over age 12

Inputs

Extension agents, community/organization leaders, parents, youth leadership teams/junior leaders, state 4-H youth specialists.

Traditional Clubs

Outcomes

Desired:

• Youth will experience valuable relationships and mentorship with adults as they participate in club activities and community service.

Short term: 

• Youth will develop skills and gain knowledge through their club activities and projects.
• Youth will belong to a group which will enable them to take on a need in the community.
• The community will become aware of the value and importance of youth in service learning.
• Youth recognize that they can make a difference

Medium term: 

• Youth design and implement a service learning project.
• Youth serve on community based councils and committees.
• Teens understand the social impact of service learning.
  

Long term:  

• Young people feel that they can contribute in a positive way to their community by working with the adult members of the community.
• Youth and adults will develop inter-generational bonds within their communities bringing the community closer together as a whole.
  

Outputs:  

• Youth and adults conduct a needs assessment of special populations within a county
• Recruit young people to participate in service learning
• Youth and adult participate in service learning training.
• Media campaign to educate public about service learning.

Participation:  The target audience will be youth ages 5-19.

Inputs:  

Media, Extension staff, youth, volunteers, other youth serving agencies, local decision makers, training professionals.

PROGRAM COMPONENT
SAFE, HEALTHY AND ENGAGED YOUTH

Key Theme(s):      Youth Development/4-H

Identified Situation: Communities, families and young people in North Dakota today are faced with many risk related choices and situations that they seemingly have little control over.  Increased stress on rural families due to shrinking school and community populations coupled with an ever challenging farm economy increased the likelihood that North Dakota youth will make choices that place them in harms way. Surveys indicate youth in North Dakota are high risk from alcohol, tobacco and other illicit drugs. There is an increase in unruly behavior and property crimes among North Dakota youth. The number of children living in poverty and without insurance continues to rise. Youth and adults need to become partners in providing character based education for all school age youth. Communities must provide safe and positive activities for all youth during those times when youth are most vulnerable (after school, evenings and weekends).

Environment:

Desired outcomes: Communities will support and foster positive youth development. Youth assets will be built and strengthened through character education.

Outcomes:

Short term: Youth will learn about character education.

Medium term: Communities will organize to become communities of character.

Long term: Youth and adults in communities throughout North Dakota will demonstrate positive supportive environments for youth development.

Outputs: Character education training will be provided for facilitators in selected North Dakota Communities.

Adults in communities will receive training to organize character coalitions or to strengthen existing youth coalitions

Evaluation will continue using teacher and student surveys completed in the spring of 2001.

Target Audience: School age youth and adults in North Dakota communities

Inputs ( 1 year):

Josephenson Institute curriculum "Character Counts".

Partnering agencies:   North Dakota Dept. of Public Instruction, local school districts, local Character Education Advisory Committees, Extension Multicounty Planning Unit Advisory committees, local school districts

Funding sources:  North Dakota Dept. of Public Instruction and workshop fees

Web site on Character Education at Josephenson Institute.