Many people know 4-H as the nation’s largest youth development organization. They may also know that 4-H programs focus on life skill development through experiential learning in a safe affirming environment. However, something many may not know is that 4-H, in many cases, is a LIFESAVER! 4-H saves lives daily through positive youth development provided to youth throughout the nation ages 5-18. 4-H also influences the lives of volunteers ages 18 and beyond by providing the opportunity for them to make a difference in the world by shaping the future through our youth. How many people can actually say they had a hand in shaping the future of our nation?
Cheyenne joined 4-H during December 2014. She and her family had recently moved to the area and coincidentally her mother stumbled upon the Extension Office thinking it was a satellite location of the University of Florida that provided classes. Upon entering, she was directed to the new 4-H Agent, shared her story and passion for livestock, and was quickly recruited to be a part of the Walton County 4-H family. Soon Cheyenne began attending meetings in the Cherokee Riders Horse Club and later took leadership opportunities by becoming an officer. By the 2015 4-H year, Cheyenne was President of both the Cherokee Riders and Livestock Clubs, a member of Teen Council and volunteering whenever possible. It was clear she was on a trajectory to thrive and making great strides toward her future goals!
Sadly, in the Spring of 2015, Cheyenne soon found herself facing enormous obstacles in her life. Her father was deployed, her parents were divorcing, she was trying to escape an unhealthy relationship, and she was being bullied at school on top of facing the normal emotional struggles of being a teen. Cheyenne became depressed and withdrawn from most everyone. Her normal smile and cheerful manner had been suppressed. Her focus on clubs and school began to wither and feelings of doubt set in. It became apparent that she was facing failure to thrive and was contemplating unhealthy decisions.
After sitting down with her concerned 4-H Agent and her mother, Cheyenne agreed that 4-H Camp Timpoochee would be an excellent way to recharge and focus on herself for the summer! Cheyenne was trained as a Counselor and became very excited about her camp week with Walton County 4-H. During camp she approached her 4-H Agent and said,
“I really love it here…this 4-H stuff really works!”
She also stated that she could be herself at camp, her true self and everyone accepted her for it and even liked her. She made new friends, smiled, laughed and began to find herself again, only an improved more confident version of the girl who started camp on Monday.
Several weeks after camp Cheyenne’s mother came in to drop her off to volunteer for a day camp. She came into the 4-H office with tears in her eyes and said,
“Thank you. I don’t know what you did but thank you for bringing my baby back!”
Now Cheyenne holds officer positions in multiple clubs, has won several Blue and Grand Champion Ribbons in the Fair, was a State Qualifier at the Area A Horse Show, and has competed on the County and District level in cooking competitions. In addition, in 2016 Cheyenne won the Club Masters award from Southern States through her diligence and excellent care of her Reserve Grand Champion Doe!
4-H professionals, volunteers and youth themselves have the ability to give life back to youth in need! For more than 100 years, 4-H has been committed to the idea that youth are the single strongest catalyst for change. Based on Florida 4-H Facts and Impact, 4-H reaches 23, 954 youth through 4-H Clubs, 6,973 through 4-H camps, 21,455 through special interest programs, 148,268 through school enrichment, and 2,597 through after school programs. 4-H youth, regardless of background, socio-economic status, race, or gender have significantly lower drug, alcohol, and cigarette use than peers and are 2.4 times more likely to make healthy choices.
If you know a youth struggling to find their way, or an adult seeking to make a difference, consider researching 4-H in your community. There are endless opportunities available through 4-H clubs, camps, workshops, contests, leadership events and much more. Contact your local Extension Office to see how 4-H is shaping the future of youth in your community, or browse the links below. You can ignite a spark to improve “your club, your community, your country and your world!”
Over 70 teens from across the panhandle participated in last year’s retreat, sponsored by Farm Credit of NW FL.
Interested in meeting other 4-H teens across the district? Do you love camp? Would you like to be more prepared for state events like 4-H Legislature or 4-H U? What about scholarships for college? If any of these questions caught your attention, then Teen Retreat is tailor made for you! Last year, a committee of youth and adults put together a weekend event to help teens grow their leadership, communication and workforce skills. With lots of positive feedback from last year’s participants, we are planning another event for 2017.
WHO: Teens ages 13-18 in the Northwest District of Florida (4-H Districts I, II & III) WHAT: A fun weekend retreat with your peers WHEN: February 24-26, 2017 WHERE:Camp Timpoochee, Niceville, FL HOW: Workshops and fun shops will be planned and taught by youth committee members. Everyone will also participate in a service project. Participants will be expected to bring what they learn back to their county council and organize a similar service project April 28-30.
Youth participated in a Shoe Cutting Party to help Sole Hope, and organization that provides shoes to children in Africa. We were able to send nearly 200 pairs of shoes!
Registration will open Friday, December 9th via 4HOnline. The cost is only $75/person thanks to corporate donations from State Farm and Farm Credit of Northwest Florida. Participate in our Teen Retreat T-shirt Design Contest and you could win a $50.00 scholarship for this event! Check with your local UF IFAS Extension Office to inquire about any additional scholarships that may be available. Once you complete your registration online, submit your payment to your local UF IFAS Extension Office.
Danielle with her state officer team and Adam Putnam, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and 4-H Alum.
How do you 4-H? Through 4-H, youth can participate in clubs, mentorship, project mastery, competitions, local, state, and international trips, and service opportunities unlike any other youth development program in the country. Along with specific skills, 4-H also works to impart life skills, or workforce readiness skills, to its youth. One of the best ways 4-H teaches leadership and responsibility to youth is by giving youth the power to choose how involved they will be and take ownership over what their experience will look like. When youth choose in fully to 4-H, the results are remarkable and inspiring. When our Senior 4-H’ers (14-18 year olds) take advantage of all that is available to them, the impact is a rewarding one. One can observe Senior aged 4-H’ers youth who are both driven to challenge themselves and who take ownership of their own success in 4-H and of their county and state program at large. One such extraordinary example is State 4-H Council Treasurer, Danielle Tinker of Escambia County, FL.
Danielle affectionately says she had to “beg” her mother to get her involved in 4-H. That kind of drive is indicative of the approach Danielle has taken in her 4-H experience overall. “One of the greatest things about 4-H is that it has given me opportunities to try so many new and different things. Some of them… I am glad to have been exposed to them and had opportunity to learn about those things…Then there are areas and events that have changed who I am and where I will end up in life.” Because Senior 4-H youth are able to define their experience, they can explore the depth of their interest area. Sometimes only by trying on various projects do youth find the field that drives them most of all. After pursuing projects like hiking, camping, drama, participating in the fair exhibits, and consumer judging competitions, Danielle got involved in leadership and livestock raising. Here Danielle found her niche. She has passionately pursued many leadership roles at the club, county, and state level and succeeded in her goal to be part of the process of improving the program and spurring others to be involved. Her love of leadership and livestock together have helped Danielle to define her goals in a way that captures both areas, saying that “Through 4-H I have discovered that I love raising livestock and I hope someday to have my own farm where I can raise and care for livestock.” Her entrepreneurial spirit, developing mastery in hog raising, and the leadership skills she has learned will translate into the lifelong values and behavioral change we see in many of our 4-H’ers that have let their experiences direct how they think of others, themselves, and their place in the world.
Being able to translate skills like leadership, responsibility, communication, resourcefulness, and being goal oriented from a specific task or project to all aspects of life is the type of behavior change positive youth development strives for. When asked about the benefits of 4-H, Danielle said,
“4-H has helped me develop skills that I can use in my future such as self confidence, public speaking and time management…Maybe most importantly through the leadership opportunities, events, and trainings that I have had in 4-H, I will never be the same. I have gained confidence, skills, and abilities that I can carry with me into whatever my future holds.”
Though all 4-H youth develop these skills, as youth age into being a Senior 4-H’er, many new opportunities become available that put them at the center of their county and state programming. Projects, leadership opportunities, and travel for this group is much more challenging and autonomous than the mentor heavy experience of younger 4-H’ers. Youth are able to meet with their peers throughout the state and nation who are delving into making what they experience in 4-H part of their lifelong vision and goals for themselves.
One of the most important skills 4-H teaches is to use your head, heart, hands, and health not only for oneself but for club, community, country, and world. Years of community service through 4-H have helped to mold Danielle into an empathetic and thoughtful young woman.
“I have learned about compassion for others through community service, and gained a passion for teaching and helping others get the most out of the opportunities afforded them through 4-H and that understanding will go with me in whatever I am passionate about as an adult.” While Danielle has pursued 4-H to the hilt, there is something to be gained through every experience.
Senior 4-H’ers can choose to be part of many incredible experiences that are exciting, rewarding, and continually challenge them in the moment as well as throughout their lives. 4-H is a program for all ages. Get on board. Contact your local county agent or look into all the incredible opportunities at the Florida 4-H website.
Civic engagement is a broad term that describes the process developing the knowledge, skills, and motivation to improve the quality of life in a community, through either political or non-political processes. Thomas Ehrlich, the author of Civic Engagement and Higher Education, states “a morally and civically responsible individual recognizes himself or herself as a member of a larger social fabric and therefore considers social problems to be at least partly his or her own; such an individual is willing to see the moral and civic dimensions of issues, to make and justify informed moral and civic judgments, and to take action when appropriate.” “Developing youth who take interest in understanding social and community issues is a fundamental philosophy of 4-H. This interest is a learned behavior and is best approached by meeting the youth where they are, rather than club leaders prescribing citizenship opportunities for them,” shares Stacey Ellison, the 4-H Regional Specialized 4-H Agent providing leadership for civic engagement. “To find that out, ask youth what are they interested in? What concerns them about their community? How do they see themselves as part of the solution?” A great resource for helping club leaders facilitate these types of discussions is the 4-H Civic Engagement Guide for Afterschool Clubs.
How do 4-H parents and volunteers know if they are “doing” civic engagement in their club? You know you are on the right track when civic engagement opportunities:
Provide supervision by caring adults who have been screening and oriented to their roles.
Teach critical skills, such as subject matter knowledge or skills (babysitting, CPR, etc.) and/or life skills like problem solving, leadership, teamwork and life skills
Foster youth adult partnerships. Meaningful youth engagement views youth as equal partners with adults in the decision-making process. Programs and activities are developed with youth, rather than for youth. In this kind of equal partnership, both adults and young people need to be fully engaged, open to change in how things are done, and share a unified vision for the partnership.
Adults and stakeholders view youth as a resource. Youth programs are strengthened when they involve and engage youth as equal partners, ultimately providing benefits both for the program and for the involved youth. Positive youth development also has its origins in the field of prevention. In the past, prevention efforts typically focused on single problems before they surfaced in youth, such as teen pregnancy, substance abuse and juvenile delinquency.
Celebrate success and recognize youth (ex: 4-H Awards & Recognition Programs, 4-H program awards, ribbons, plaques, etc.)
Youth can provide added energy, ideas, and value to organizations through youth volunteering efforts. Stacey shares one of the easiest ways for clubs to get involved and have an impact in not only their community, but statewide: “One of our biggest impacts in Florida 4-H has been through our annual state service projects. While clubs across the state undoubtedly have tremendous local success in various projects, the state project seeks to join the efforts of all Florida 4-Hers to benefit one particular cause. With more than 230,000 4-H members working towards the same cause- we can make tremendous impact on the state of Florida! This year’s state 4-H service project is, “Clothing the World.” This is a project selected by the youth members of our Florida 4-H Executive Board State Project committee. The youth saw a need to provide for one of the most basic needs of people around the world- clothing. Clubs are encouraged to conduct their own clothes drives and volunteer with like-purposed charitable organizations to benefit their local communities.”
Civic engagement is major factor in 4-H positive youth development. The Tufts Study on Positive Youth Development found that compared to their peers, 4-H’ers are:four times more likely to make contributions to their communities and two times more likely to be civically active. If you would like to help Florida 4-H grow the next generation of civically engaged young adults, consider becoming a volunteer. Visit http://florida4h.org/volunteer or contact your local UF IFAS County Extension Office for more information.
4-H Teens learn how to respond to emergencies as well as careers related to emergency management and safety through the CERT program. Leon County Extension photo.
It’s mid-summertime. Tourists are flocking to beaches like seagulls to bread. Summer camps and in full swing and so are daily afternoon thunderstorms. In Florida, torrential rain, lightening, and thunderstorms are so common place they often aren’t treated with due respect. However, one group of 4-H teens and adult volunteers in Leon County have been working with disaster preparedness for six years and understands just how quickly Mother Nature can turn from beautiful to dangerous.
The Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a unique organization that teaches participants leadership, readiness and response skills. Teens recognize hazards, man-made or natural, in order to prevent a possible disaster. Teens participating in the program are trained to safely respond to an emergency and assist victims without endangering themselves. Examples of what youth learn are:
extinguishing small fires
conducting light search and rescue
setting up medical treatment areas
assisting emergency responders
Members of the Leon County 4-H Teen CERT Club have been actively involved in natural disaster preparedness for four years. While not all members are official teen CERT members, all youth are active in learning about disasters and how to be the most prepared. Members are actively engaged in their community – passing out literature on disaster preparedness. In addition, members of 4-H Teen CERT participate in an annual first responder training exercise held at the Tallahassee Regional Airport. Our youth pose as victims of a disaster and are given the opportunity to interact with working first responders. This opportunity allows youth to interact with professionals in the field as well as understand the details that go in planning and preparing for emergency situations.
Teen CERT has been a wonderful addition to the Leon County 4-H program. Adults and youth who participate are more aware of situations that could potentially pose harm to members and bystanders. Youth are always quick to help adults remember the first aid kit and are always willing to lend and extra hand. In addition to training youth who are ready and able to respond, CERT has trained leaders who give back to their club and organization!
Want to help youth in your community learn how to respond to emergencies or about careers related to community safety? If you would like to start a 4-H Teen CERT club, or serve as a speaker or project leader for 4-H disaster preparedness programs, please contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office or visit http://florida4h.org/volunteers.
District level in cooking competitions. In addition, in 2016 Cheyenne won the Club Masters award from Southern States through her diligence and excellent care of her Reserve Grand Champion Doe!
