4-H In Alabama Dr. Lamar Nichols Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development Alabama 4-H is an innovative, responsive leader in developing youth to be productive citizens and leaders in a complex and dynamic society. Our vision is supported through collaborative, committed efforts of Extension professionals, youth, and volunteers. Volunteer Rules of Behavior Patricia Bryant Alabama 4-H Volunteer National 4-H Salute To Excellence Volunteer Award Winner Use alcohol Promote your religious or political preferences Steal, pilfer, or commit fraud Use tobacco outside designated areas Make sexual advances toward youth Willfully damage property Let passengers in vehicles without seatbelts or in the backs of trucks Engage in illegal behaviors Ages & Stages of Youth Development Dr. Jennifer Kerpelman Professor and Extension Specialist Auburn University – Human Development and Family Studies • • • • Physical Social Emotional Intellectual Quite active Girls mature faster than boys See adults as authority figures See punishment as direct consequence Feel loyalty to the group May prefer to be with the same sex Need to feel accepted Prefer concrete ideas Want to explore the world Have interests in hobbies May express themselves in writing Exhibit a wide range of sexual maturity and growth patterns Experiencing rapid changes in physical appearance Concerned about appearance and clumsiness Interested in activities that involve opposite sex Look more to peers than parents Seek acceptance and trust Search for adult role models Sex is depersonalized Reject ready-made solutions Question authority and values Mood swings Justice and equity are important Think abstractly Can solve complex problems Challenge assumptions Can imagine consequences Curious about the environment Concern about body image Smaller range in size and maturity Realistic view of limits Tend to romanticize sexuality Search for intimacy Test sexual attractiveness Can follow through Know that adults make mistakes Reject goals set by others Focus on independence and identity Imagine impact on the future Develop theories Impatient with meaningless activities Be Kind – But Be Firm: Your Role In Enforcing the Rules Maggie Lawrence Extension Communications Specialist Justice – punishment matches misdeeds Consequences – a result of choices Encourage future behavior A learning experience Safety and First Aid Guidelines Joy Maxwell Regional Extension Agent – 4-H Youth Development Risk Management Nancy Alexander Extension Specialist - Volunteerism 4-H Youth Development