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From time to time, Early Report has featured a University of
Minnesota program we thought would be of interest to you. This
issue puts the spotlight on 4-H Youth Development because
connections between children and youth (and their families) are
far more important than we sometimes realize.
CEED welcomes the 4-H faculty and staff to the College of
Education and hopes the collaboration will be a shining success.
The sharing of resources, ideas, and energies can create a truly
synergetic situation.
Erna Fishhaut, Editor
4-H Joins the College of
Education
by Cindi Plaisance
Take research out to the people. Does this mission sound
familiar? If you guessed this to be CEED's mission, you are
close. In fact, it's the mission of the Minnesota College of the
Extension Service, whose 4-H Program will become a part of the
College of Education on July 1, 1993. This issue of Early Report
focuses on the 4-H program of today, and unless you've been
involved with 4-H lately, you're in for some surprises.
What is information on 4-H doing in an early childhood
newsletter? Isn't 4-H just pigs, pies, and the state fair? Well,
no. Not by a long shot and not for a long time. The goal of the
4-H program has always been to provide kids with the tools and
training for life. And as our nation changed over the last
century from a primarily rural society to a more complicated
urban one, the 4-H program changed with it, continuing to provide
the tools and training for life that kids need. Today, those
tools are much more likely to be skills in conflict resolution,
career decision making, or leadership training than specific
skills related to homemaking or agriculture.
In the last few years, as university administrators have
evaluated programs to reduce duplication of effort as well as
cost, it became quite clear that the mission of MES ("take
research to the people"), and especially the 4-H program,
were very much in line with the mission of the College of
Education. Thus, it made good sense to welcome this
long-established youth development program, with its strong
community ties and emphasis on experiential learning, into the
College of Education.
Experiential Learning as a Youth
Development Tool
For years early childhood researchers have touted the benefits
of helpings kids learn the way that comes naturally for them and
shaping academic programs so that they serve individual learning
styles. Preschool teachers who have seen their kids thrive using
experiential hands-on learning experiences often wished that
elementary schools were more prepared to teach kids this way--the
way they already learn. 4-H's teaching and training philosophy
uses many of the same techniques as early childhood education, in
helping children learn by getting involved in, and exploring,
their world. continued, Joyce Walker, an associate professor and
extension educator in the area of Youth Development, 4-H program
as a pacesetter in the field of youth development, in which
nonformal education is integral to the developmental process. The
programs and activities of 4-H are not alternatives to formal
education offered through schools; they are non-formal enrichment
programs that provide practical experiences which can enhance the
understanding of the formal concepts learned in the schools,
through concrete, practical projects.
A Different Framework and Delivery Mode
The difference in 4-H is in the teaching framework and
delivery mode, of "how the learning environment is
structured, and who is at the center of the process."
According to Walker, "4-H ... teaches experientially
creating active learning environments where young people approach
new situations and ideas by exploring, experimenting with others,
and thinking in order to discover answers and implications."
Walker sites studies of youth development organizations by
Gisela Konopka (1976) and Karen Pittman (1991) development
organization which describe effective youth as those in which
young people:
feel a sense of safety and structure
experience active participation, group membership, and belonging
develop self-worth achieved through meaningful contribution
experiment to discover self, gain independence, and gain control
over one's life
develop significant relationships with peers and adults discuss
conflicting values and formulate their own feel the pride and
accountability that comes with mastery expand the capacity to
enjoy life and know that success is possible.
A "Flexible" Dissemination
System with Strong Community Ties
As most Early Report readers know, CEED has been one of the
primary vehicles of the College of Education's efforts to bridge
the gap between "the trenches" and the ivory tower,
with its goal of dissemination of the most current research in
child development and early education to parents and
practitioners. Likewise, the 4- H program has been one of the
most active arms of the Minnesota Extension Services' efforts to
"take research out to the people." The 4-H organization
has an impressive dissemination vehicle in place and uses a wide
variety of methods and tools to reach kids and provide
opportunities for learning and growth.
Also, like CEED, which has used a wide variety of methods of
dissemination information to various audiences, the 4-H program
is very flexible in its efforts to deliver information, using a
variety of formats appropriate to the materials and audiences.
Throughout its history (see "4-H Moving Into the 21st
Century") 4- H has been community-based, volunteer- 4-H
delivery mechanisms include:
Community Clubs. Probably 4-H's most familiar delivery
mechanism: there are 1,589 clubs serving nearly 40,000 kids in
Minnesota. The clubs meet year round, and their participants are
involved in a wide array of experience-based learning activities.
Special Interest Programs are often developed around a
specific topic of interest. An example is community bicycle
safety programs led by trained adolescent s working with local
law enforcement and community organization, which conduct safety
maintenance and bike riding workshops.
School Enrichment Programs, developed in cooperation with the
state department of education and cooperating school districts,
provide information about the consequences of alcohol use and
substance abuse, and teen pregnancy prevention education.
Teen Health Fairs, sponsored with the March of Dimes and the
American Lung Association, are planned and conducted by teenagers
to build peer awareness about issues of health relevant to them.
A Free Enrichment Program
The 4-H program receives governmental support from and
volunteer support of individuals, corporations, organizations,
and foundations for the development and implementation of new
curriculum, for recruiting and training adult leaders. Now, more
than ever, as local school districts are forced to eliminate the
"extras," in education, 4-H programs can play a unique
and important role in providing a federally subsidized
educational enrichment program that is open to all kids.
The Center for 4-H Youth
Development
by Richard Byrne,
Director of 4-H Youth Development
In the coming year there will be a significant change for 4-H
in Minnesota. A new Center for 4-H Youth Development will be
established in the College of Education. Bringing 4-H campus
faculty in the college, the center will provide program
leadership to support parents, families, and communities in the
non-formal education of their children. This work will be
accomplished by the Minnesota Extension Service network of
extension offices as they bring the research and scholarly
learnings of the university faculty to bear on the issues,
problems, and challenges of children and young people.
This collaboration will connect 4-H directly with new and
additional resources in the college which has major focus on
teaching, research, and outreach programs focusing on youth
development. The college's large and diverse pool of
research-based knowledge and resources will be available to
support the 4-H Youth Developmental Program. It should also
strengthen the tie between county and campus-based faculty,
improving the transmission of knowledge and expanding the
emphasis on youth development throughout the state.
The Minnesota 4-H Mission focuses on creating supportive
environments for youth and adults to reach their fullest
potential. In support of this mission, 4-H has made a commitment
to:
Provide non-formal community-focused experiential learning
Develop skills that benefit youth throughout life Foster
leadership and volunteerism in youth and adults Build partnership
for programming and funding Strengthen families and communities
Use research-based knowledge and the land grant university system
The coming year will be an exciting one for the 4-H faculty
and our education colleagues. We are looking forward to new
connections and challenges.
4-H is ... Leadership
"How to Kill a Meeting" is one of dozens of
activities that are part of the new Minnesota 4-H Youth
Leadership curriculum. The idea is if you recognize
meeting-killing tactics such as whispering, competing for
attention, and criticizing, you can stop them before it's too
late.
4-H is ... Clowning: the wellness of
laughter
Clowning, growing in popularity in 4-H clubs, can interest
kids from 5-year olds to 17-year olds. It might be the one
project that is comfortable for the shyest youngster who can
"hide" behind the makeup and be the star in a parade,
to the child who delights in entertaining others.
Besides providing fun for themselves, clowning creates
excellent opportunities for service in nursing homes, day care
centers, a camp for children with disabilities, the county fair,
parades, etc.
4-H Moving Into the 21st Century
From your high school history class you may remember the
Morrill Act by which Congress created land grant universities to
provide education to campus students but also to bring education
to the communities of each state. But you may not have heard of
the Smith Lever Act which established the Cooperative Extension
Services to assure that research knowledge was brought to bear on
citizens who needed help with problems. The program was funded
with federal, county, and state monies.
To take the knowledge gained from research to the people,
county offices were established. Originally, in a time of
agricultural economy, each office had who distinct components;
agricultural information was offered to farmers by a male staff
member and home economic information was provided by a woman.
Early in the 20th century a third component was added--a youth
component--and the 4-H program (Head, Hands, Heart, and Health)
began. A third person was added to many county offices to provide
non-formal education through clubs. Since then many other
appropriate activities have bee added and a variety of teaching
models have been incorporated. For example, training teenagers to
teach younger children has become a regular part of the program,
helping teens learn leadership and responsibility as well as
making the curriculum relevant to the younger kids.
As 4-H readies itself for the 21st century, it is moving to
the college of Education to form a closer connection with
research about children, youth, and families as it works to
address the issues expressed by the citizens of the state.
Research: A Common
Priority
by Joyce Walker
The creation of the Center for 4-H Youth Development in the
College of Education paves the way for exciting research
collaboration which can invigorate educational programs for young
people in school and community learning environments. It is
highly probable that the majority of county and campus-based
extension educators view the merger of 4-H Youth Development into
the College of Education with enthusiasm. They believe this
collaboration will not only increase access to research in
education, but will facilitate understanding of the data and
impact new studies.
The potential for joint faculty work on issues of importance
is very powerful.
4-H Youth Development has always relied on the research base
of the university to guide its programs for youth and adults. Due
largely to tradition, the ties have often been with the College
of Human Ecology and Agriculture rather than with the College of
Education. In the last 10 years, exciting and productive research
collaborations have also been formed with the medical school, the
Humphrey Institute, and others. The potential for joint faculty
work on educational issues of importance to academicians,
practitioners, outreach educators, and community people is very
powerful. Some illustrations of recent cooperative research are
also useful.
Within the College of Education, Dr. Sunny Hansen, Educational
Psychology, served as the primary resource for the theoretical
framework and career development assumptions central to the 4-H
"I'll Take Charge" (1990) life planning and career
development curriculum now in use in schools, 4-H programs, and
community youth programs in more than 40 states.
In concert with the Adolescent Health Program, Department of
Pediatrics, county and state extension faculty played a major
role in the design, pilot testing data collection, and
dissemination of findings for the Minnesota Adolescent Health
Survey (1987). This work has been replicated in other states and
has been institutionalized in Minnesota by the State Department
of Education's tri-annual Student Survey. This health data was
instrumental in shaping the 4-H youth development programs under
the topic of self-protection.
In cooperation with the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
and the State Department of Education, 4-H faculty have initiated
a study of the impact of young people on adult decision making
boards. Of special interest is the participation of youth on
local school boards.
With assistance from the Humphrey Institute and faculty from
Purdue University, 4-H leadership nationally has begun to study
the impact of the U.S.-Japan Exchange Program on youth
participants and their families.
In a joint project between 4-H and the Division of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry, mental health data was collected in
Minnesota communities, and an extensive curriculum was developed
to involve schools, families professionals, and peers in
supporting troubled and depressed teens. "The Circle of
Support" teaching materials and educational videos are
available in every Minnesota county and are being distributed
nationally.
Faculty in the college and in extension bring valuable
knowledge and talent to joint endeavors. Faculty in the college
bring years of experience in the design of basic and applied
research, the philosophical and theoretical frameworks for
educational studies, the experience and stature to interpret
findings, and the professional investment in studying matters of
central importance in the education of our children. 4-H Youth
Development brings expertise in data collection, experimental
teaching design, a youth participation philosophy, and an
outreach system to reach parents, teachers, youth, and concerned
citizens. Together we can do great work that will make
significant contributions to the people and institutions in our
state.
County Program
Innovations
Grant County
A 4-H School Age Child Care program will open next fall in the
Elbow Lake School District. The program, sponsored jointly by the
school district and Grant County Extension Service, will provide
after-school child care for elementary age children.
Impetus for the program came from a 1989 extension child care
needs assessment, which showed that 86 families needed such a
program. Inadequate local funding was the biggest barrier, but
our increasing child care needs led to making this program become
a reality. Grants from the Minnesota Initiative Fund, the 4-H
Foundation, and other smaller grants were the key.
Clay County
Mentor Moms matches adolescent mothers to older, experienced
mothers who volunteer to be friends and non-judgmental parenting
guides. The program, entering its third year, currently has 14
matches. Many other mentor moms are trained and waiting to be
matched to a teenage mother.
One young mom said she was able to go on to technical school
because of the encouragement and support of her mentor mom.
Interstate and inter-agency cooperation made the program
possible. This is a joint project of the extension services of
Clay County, where Moorhead, MN, is located; and Cass County,
which includes Fargo, ND. In addition, many agencies on both
sides of the Red River are involved.
4-H is ... Many things from: Forest
Resources
Adopt a tree! Find out how foresters "break" the
fire triangle. Learn how to harvest and regenerate a forest.
to:
Personal Growth and Development
International Citizenship - Global Relationships Me, My Family
and Friends
My Community
My Heritage
My Government
Winona County
Project FINE (Focus on Integrating Newcomers into Education)
educates new and established residents about each other. The
project serves families of Anglo, Chinese, Hispanic, Laotian,
Pakistani, and Vietnamese origin.
Activities are for all family members. In the summer there are
special culture awareness days, ethnic foods, games, art,
stories, dance, and visits to points of interest in the Winona
area. In the fall children of new families are introduced to
school facilities and staff and welcomed into existing
organizations that can help them socialize and adjust such as:
4-H, park and recreation programs, sports groups. Other programs
include parent workshops and support groups, nutrition and
literacy training, job training, and cultural diversity training
for personnel in schools, law enforcement agencies, and the
community.
Project FINE is a coalition that includes Winona County
Extension Service, local school districts, legal services, human
services, public health nursing, and representatives of the
southeast Asian and Hispanic communities.
Dakota County
Warm Hearts - Cold Noses can be described as the sounds of
jiggling dog tags, clicking of toenails down a nursing home
hallway and the laughter when the dogs come to visit!
The 4-H kids involved with the Warm Heart - Cold Noses
Visiting Pets program learn that people who normally aren't
talkative start to talk and that people who normally don't care
what goes on around them, suddenly care. They have seen unsmiling
faces turn to laughter and attitudes brighten all around. This is
the magic of young people and their pets visiting nursing homes.
This program was piloted in Dakota County for three years where
about 25 4- Hers and dogs have been visiting nursing homes, day
care centers, and shelters.
Both 4-H participants and their pets go through a temperament
evaluation to determine if the pet is appropriate for the chaotic
environments of nursing homes and shelters.
Programs About Critical
Issues
EFNEP
EFNEP is the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.
Its goals are to: improve the diets and health of Minnesota's
low-income families with young children, and youth from
low-income families; to teach self-sufficiency to families; and
to bring university research to Minnesota's low-income families.
Sounds straight-forward enough. But the reality is not so
clear-cut. For families with many stresses in their lives, it is
difficult to concentrate on learning about nutrition, food
safety, and management of the food dollar.
Youth need nutrition education because: 1 in 5 youth come from
a family with limited income. 9 % of 6-to-11 year olds do family
grocery shopping. Only 35% of school-aged children tested by the
Amateur Athletics Union in 1984 met the fitness standard for an
average healthy youngster.
Nutrition education programs are provided for: preschool kids
to 5th graders
teens who then teach 4th to 6th graders pregnant teens and
parenting teens
Some EFNEP curriculum highlights are "Play it Safe,"
about food sanitation and kitchen safety; "Picking the
Winners," giving ideas for snack choices;
"Advertising," teaching consumer skills; and
information about fast food choices.
EFNEP is federally funded under the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and is administered through the Minnesota Extension
Service.
4-H is. . . What the kids say
"It gives me confidence."
"I can defend my decisions."
"I've built missiles and rockets."
CHARGE
I'LL TAKE CHARGE helps young people:
plan for the future
practice interview skills
face challenges
set goals
balance work and family
value education
share life planning with peers and adults take tomorrow
seriously!
Research and real-life experience convince experts that career
development is more than job preparation: it's life planning.
I'LL TAKE CHARGE is based on the integrative life planning
research of Dr. L. Sunny Hansen of the College of Education at
the University of Minnesota.
I'LL TAKE CHARGE stimulates ideas and options ... it
encourages differences of opinion, mind stretching, and dreams of
what's possible in helping young people take responsibility for
life planning. It encourages interviews, debates, games, and
sharing among people of all ages who care about work, family,
dreams, and education.
Young people need to consider who they will be as well as what
they will be. The real task is for young and old alike to find
strategies to balance the five challenges of daily living: Dreams
and Expectations
Family and Sex Roles
Education
Work
Lifestyle
The program curriculum was written by Joyce A. Walker and
Theresa L. Coble.
Tackling Tough Stuff
A program for adolescents which grew out of research conducted
jointly by the Minnesota 4-H Youth development and the University
of Minnesota Medical School. The findings were startling. Three
percent of high school students make a suicide attempt every 30
days. Nine percent of high school students are depressed.
Researchers realized the need for teenagers to learn to act
before there's a crisis to take steps to prevent suicide. When
facing problems of their own or their friends, young people can
use new skills to help them react to problems in healthy ways.
They need skills in coping with stress and adapting to life
chances.
Teenagers must learn to communicate about problems--their and
those of troubled friends. Problem solving is critical. Building
support systems that include caring adults is essential. These
are the skills teens need to avert self-destructive behavior.
A curriculum package is available for 4-H leaders and other
group leaders which includes information on skills to e stress
and depression. The seven lessons are:
- Recognize Stress
- Understand Loss & Conflict
- Understand Depression
- Cope Constructively
- Communicate Assertively
- Solve Problems Creatively
- Build Support Systems
Tackling Tough Stuff helps teenagers react to problems in
ways. The program provides a wide range of activities so it can
be tailor made to meet the needs of the particular group. It is
versatile and, therefore, suitable for youth groups, school
classes, family groups, and others.
4-H is. . . University in the Community
The University in the Community, focusing on children, youth
and families is a program to accomplish two objectives: to allow
university faculty to bring their research and educational
programs to communities and to listen to the concerns of
communities in greater Minnesota.
The first of three day-long programs was held the week of
April 19 in west central Minnesota. The other two will be held
May 11 in White Earth Indian Reservation in Mahnomen County and
May 27 in Hibbing.
Alcohol Decisions
Alcohol Decisions is a "Project 4 Teens" providing
training so that teenagers can do something to make a difference
for themselves and others in their communities in the areas of
drug & alcohol prevention.
Because traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for
15-24 year olds and 60% of these are alcohol related, 4-H
developed the Alcohol Decisions program. Alcohol Decisions trains
teens to teach 10-12 year olds about alcohol and other drugs.
Alcohol Decisions teen teachers work with younger students in
schools, 4-H clubs, recreation programs, and other youth
organizations. By preparing, lessons and teaching elementary
students, the teens examine their own behaviors. They also learn
the importance of serving as positive role models for their peers
and younger students.
The program includes a three-day training workshop for teens
which utilizes a curriculum jointly developed by Hazelton &
4-H. It gives information about: alcohol and chemical use by
teens and younger children, characteristics of 10-12 year olds,
(e.g., how kids learn the relationship between self-esteem and
decision-making), adolescent relationships and sexuality, and
developing skills in communication, assertiveness and refusal,
dealing with peer pressure, problem solving and decision making,
use of theater, drama, music, prose, poetry, journalism, etc., in
prevention programs.
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Spring 1993, Volume 20, Number 2