Part IV
The Maryland 4-H Youth
Development Program
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens
without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual
orientation, marital or parental status, or national origin.
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Maryland 4-H Mission
 Help all youth reach their full potential
 Teach useful life skills
 Community focused, research based
 Create competent, caring and responsible individuals
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Maryland 4-H Vision
• Recognized leader in youth development
• Address present and emerging issues
• Employ proactive approaches
• Experiential and age-appropriate curriculum
• Collaboration and networking
• Diverse Audiences, programs and methods
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Maryland 4-H Teaches Life Skills
• Decision Making
• Acquiring Knowledge
• Personal Responsibility
• Creative Thinking
• Communicating
• Understanding Self
• Getting Along With Others
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Taking the University to Youth in
Communities
 4-H Youth Development is the only youth program with
direct access to technological advances in agriculture
and life sciences, home economics, human
development, and related areas, which result from
land-grant university research.
 The foundation of 4-H Youth Development is in the
practical application of the land-grant university
knowledge by youth in their communities.
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Focus on Community
 Society loses out when youth fall through
the cracks in institutions that could
prepare them for a productive future.
Community counts – for better or worse –
in response to these institutional gaps and
unmet needs for support, care and
opportunities for healthy development of
our young people.
Milbrey McLaughlin, Stanford University, Community Counts
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Social Forces have changed
Community Life
 Informal community support for young people has
weakened…..
 High rates of family mobility
 Greater anonymity in neighborhoods
 Extensive media exposure to themes of violence and
heavy use of drugs & alcohol
 Deterioration and disorganization of neighborhoods and
schools
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Youth Development:
A Paradigm Shift
Positive
Development
Primary
Prevention
High Risk
Treatment
Addressing youth
problems is critical…
But, problem free is
not fully prepared
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What is Youth Development?

Youth Development is the acquisition of attitudes,
competencies, values, and social skills that will carry
youth forward into successful adulthood.
- National Research Council
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Essential Elements of a Youth
Development Approach
 The Youth Development Approach considers the whole
young person, not just a single characteristic or problem.
 Youth Development is dependent on family and community
development as it occurs in the context of the family,
community and society.
 Youth Development is designed to focus on the positive
outcomes we desire for young people, not the negative
outcomes we hope to prevent.
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What is the Essence of
4-H Youth Development?
• To engage young people in the work of the LandGrant University and USDA
• To teach knowledge and life skills which enhance
quality of life
• To create opportunities which promote positive
youth development
UM College Park • UM Eastern Shore
Features of Positive Youth
Development

Physical and psychological safety
Appropriate structure
Supportive relationships
Opportunities to belong
Positive social norms
Support for efficacy and mattering
Opportunities for skill building

Integration of family, school, and community efforts






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Assets that Facilitate Positive
Youth Development
Intellectual Development
Physical Development
•
Good health habits
•
Good health risk management skills
Psychological & Emotional Development
•
Good mental health
•
Good coping skills
•
Good conflict resolution skills
•
Strong moral character
•
And more
•
•
•
•
•
Knowledge of essential life skills
Knowledge of essential vocational skills
School success
Good decision-making skills
And more
Social Development
•
•
•
•
Connectedness
Sense of social place / integration
Attachment to prosocial institutions
Ability to navigate in multiple
cultural contexts
• Commitment to civic engagement
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The 8 Essential Elements of Youth
Development
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
A positive relationship with a caring adult
A safe environment
An inclusive environment
Engagement in learning
Opportunity for Mastery
Opportunity to see oneself as an active participant in the
future
Opportunity for self-determination
Opportunity to value and practice service for others
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4-H Youth Development Creates
Opportunities for Youth to
Experience:
 Independence
 Belonging
 Generosity
 Mastery
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Eight Essential Elements Broken
Down into Four Concepts
Belonging
•
•
•
Mastery
Positive Relationship with a caring adult
An inclusive environment
A safe environment
Independence
•
•
•
•
Engagement in Learning
Opportunity for Mastery
Generosity
Opportunity to see oneself as an active
participant in the future
Opportunity for self-determination
•
Opportunity to value and
practice service for others
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If Youth Needs are met in Positive
Ways: Youth develop characteristics
most of us relate to character…
Belonging
Mastery
Power
Generosity
Attached
Loving
Friendly
Intimate
Social
Cooperative
Trusting
Achieving
Successful
Creative
Problem-solver
Motivated
Persistent
Competent
Autonomous
Confident
Assertive
Responsible
Inner Control
Self-Disciplined
Leadership
Altruistic
Caring
Sharing
Loyal
Empathic
Pro-social
Supportive
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Characteristics of Volunteers serving
as Youth Development Practitioners
 made it clear they saw the potential in the young people
they encountered;
 made the young person, not the activity, their priority;
 conveyed a sense of power and purpose for themselves and
for the young people around them;
 were described as authentic—real, not phony, with a
genuine interest and concern for young people;
McLaughlin, Irby, & Langman (1994)
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Questions?
This presentation was originally created Dr. Lisa Dennis, 4-H Youth and Adult
Leadership Specialist, and revised by Amy Rhodes, Sharon Pahlman, and
David Gordon 2010.
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