“Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant ”
Deryl Waldren
Extension 4-H Specialist
Northwest Area Extension Office
P. O. Box 786
Colby, Kansas 67701
785-462-6281
dwaldren@ksu.edu
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
• In 2010, over 16,000 youths participated in
over 1,000 4-H Clubs across Kansas.
• Community 4-H clubs are organized in local
areas with multiple 4-H projects, with boys
and girls ranging in age from 7-18.
• This diversity of gender and ages is one of
the strengths of the Kansas 4-H club model.
• This diversity of gender and ages is one of
the weaknesses of the Kansas 4-H club
model.
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
• Vibrancy – What is it?
Vibrancy is a characteristic of people whose
psychological health is such that “they accept
themselves rather than waiting for other to
accept them.”
Mary Pipher
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
• Mary Pipher in her book, Reviving Ophelia:
Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls was
the first person to advance the concept of
“vibrancy.”
• Dr. Kirk Astroth, Arizona State 4-H Leader
completed his doctorate at Montana State
University on the essential elements of
vibrant youth groups through an intensive
research project with Montana community 4H clubs.
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
How many of you know of a 4-H
Club in your county’s 4-H program
that is “vibrant?”
• Please name some of the reasons why you
think that this particular 4-H club is vibrant?
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
10 Characteristics of Vibrant Youth Groups:
• Pulsate with life, vigor and activity
• Foster a personal sense of influence over
life’s events rather than submission to the will
and whim of others
• Help youth reach their potential to become
self-directing, autonomous adults
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
Members of Vibrant Groups:
• Exhibit an inner sense of confidence and selfassuredness
• Believe in what they do
• Celebrate their commitments to action
• Express a sense of hope and courage for
youth and their role in creating positive
futures
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
1. More Concerned with Weaning than
Winning
• Youth development and autonomy are the goals
• Youth develop a sense of ownership in the group
• Young people, especially older members, feel that the
group is theirs, and they want adults to reduce their
part in decision-making
• Lots of fun, learning and growth occurs
• Less effective groups focus on winning, collecting
trophies and ribbons and “beating” others in
competition.
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
2. Firm, Yet Flexible
• Youth group offers an ever-changing range of
programs and activities within a structure of
constancy
• Group is structurally solid, but is
programmatically fluid
• Group meets regularly and consistently
• Traditions, rituals and ceremonies are used
to foster a sense of continuity with the past
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
3. Work Hard and Play Hard
• Youth group doesn’t just meet to meet or to
conduct business
• Group provides ways for members to do
things together in “fun” ways
• Group has fun, but also works hard
• Group is actively involved in community
service activities and fundraisers
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
4. Empower Rather than Embalm Young
People
• Youth group authorizes, delegates, gives
authority, enables or permits young people to
do something
• Group enables youth to do what they are
qualified to do
• Group empowers members to develop personal
responsibility
• Adult leaders function more as the “guide on
the side,” rather than the “sage on the stage”
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
5. Communicate and Listen
• Youth members feel listened to, respected,
and perceive that their input is genuinely
valued
• Group makes a conscious effort to involve
members in discussions, deliberations and
decisions
• Group communicates well and listens to each
other
• Members feel included
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
6. Achieve a Balance Between Chaos and
Rigidity
• Youth group successfully maintains a balance
between too much chaos and too much rigidity or
“chaordic.”
• Group has a sense of ordered chaos
• As circumstances change, group is able to adapt
my making the necessary changes in rules,
power structure or relations to move on
• Ineffective groups are devastated by change and
are so rigid that they can’t adapt
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
7. Affirm and Support One Another
• Youth group celebrates the successes of all
members
• Group does not define itself by any single
accomplishment of the group or its members
• Group took pride in and celebrated the
collective efforts of all members
• Group goal is not to necessarily “to be the
best, but to do our best”
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
8. Use Mentors to Socialize Newcomers into
the Group
• Youth group helps new members feel
welcomed into the group
• Group helps new members learn the
“language and traditions” of the program or
organization.
• Buddy systems are common, where older,
more experienced members “adopt” younger
members and serve as role models
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
9. Value and Practice Service to Others
• Youth group actively practices and treasurers
community service
• Community service is viewed as important in
itself
• Members gain exposure to the larger
community outside of the group
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
10. Take Time for Training
• Youth group sets aside time to train youth for
the roles they will assume in adulthood
• Adults see their primary role as training and
development of youth to become involved as
equal partners in planning, implementation
and evaluations of programs
• A positive group results from consistent
efforts to create, maintain and restore
conditions that foster effective learning
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
The Whole Is Greater than the Sum of these
Elements
• Youth group has “synergy” that creates an
energy far in excess of the contributions of all
the elements
• Group is effective precisely because all the
various parts work in harmony toward the
larger goal of youth development
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
Summary
• It’s not enough to possess just some of these
characteristics to be truly vibrant. All these elements
must be present, and all these elements work together
to create a synergy that would be absent otherwise.
• Participation alone in groups does not ensure that
positive youth development will occur or youth will
benefit.
• Groups where autonomy-oriented behaviors are
promoted develop better life skills, more satisfaction
with the group, participation in more activities, and a
greater sense of ownership for the group.
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
Resources
• Astroth, Kirk, Dr., “Eleven Essential Elements
of Vibrant Youth Groups,” Humanics, Fall
1996, pp 8-10
• Astroth, Kirk, Dr., Personal interviews and
discussions with Dr. Astroth, University of
Arizona Cooperative Extension, August and
November 2008
•
Last revised: 3-8-12
Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant
Activity
• Find a partner close to you.
• Pick one of the 10 characteristics of a vibrant
4-H club list.
• Discuss with your partner what you think 4-H
could do (based on your knowledge and
observations of 4-H) to change and make
your 4-H club or 4-H program more vibrant.
• List any specifics that you think of that would
make this more likely possible.