1. Kansas State University
  2. Ā»K-State Research and Extension
  3. Ā»KSRE Tuesday Letter
  4. Ā»Preparing Tomorrow's Leaders: A Bold Claim in 4-H!

KSRE Tuesday Letter

Other publications

K-State Research and Extension
123 Umberger Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-3401
785-532-5820
extadmin@ksu.edu

April 17, 2018

Preparing Tomorrow's Leaders: A Bold Claim in 4-H!

Submitted by Wade Weber

People and Change – two constants that tie our past to our future. Being Change Agents has been a hallmark of Extension Professionals for over 100 years. But guiding that change has always been challenging.

Recently my twitter feed startled me! It read - Students are being prepared for jobs that no longer exist. Here's how that could change. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/s

From the article: “A 2016 Gallup poll of students found that just 34 percent of 12th-graders across America feel engaged in school and only 44 percent of 11th-graders report feeling excited about the future. Engagement and optimism about the future are directly linked to making plans for life after high school — such as attending college or starting a business.”

How can 4-H Youth Development assist in engagement and feeling excited about their futures in a world that is constantly changing?

Many within KSRE Circles have long claimed that 4-H provides a valuable compliment to a youth’s developmental journey. 4-H helps grow resiliency and excellence in problem-solving and interpersonal skills that ready youth for community and career readiness for over a century! But the context in which those skills are demonstrated is changing every day. As Gregg mentioned last week in his Tuesday Letter, how can we continue to adapt and change in order to be relevant to today’s youth and prepare them for tomorrow’s challenges? Similarly, in 4-H we need to wrestle with those two identified obstacles of sameness and grudges that hold back our abilities to prepare youth to be tomorrow’s leaders. What could we try, change or adapt in order learn and grow together as an organization?

One example I shared with the State 4-H Council recently: We discussed how we live in a “Comment Culture.” Post it, Like it, Love it, Post back a snarky reply. But I challenged them to be leaders who invite others into conversation. To discover other’s opinions. To work together collaboratively towards contributions that benefit others. We all agreed that it is easier just to comment and move on than it is to truly seek to understand the other, listen and dialogue well. Yet we all agreed that good leadership needs more of those skills.

Another example involved listening to the KSRE system of various stakeholders through the 4-H Program Prioritization Survey. With the introduction of the program fee this past October, it was critical to hear the voice of local stakeholders across our state. With over 600 respondents and purposeful feedback from KSRE professionals working with the data during 4-H Reboots at the end of November 2017, the area and state 4-H staff have been refining recommendations and prioritizing next steps.

A few things we discovered:
*Communication, Civic Engagement and Leadership are critical elements of all project learning area
*Youth, Parents, and Agents all agreed that learning environments need to be dynamic and engaging, (i.e. not boring)
*Projects need to be modernized and updated to reflect career and college relevance (especially in STEM, Agriculture, Healthy Living, Family and Consumer Science Areas)
*Volunteer and Partnership Development tools/training for local units were requested
*Community Club “toolkits” are needed for sharing best practices for youth engagement in learning and leadership

In order to achieve these and other results, we are proposing changes in order to mobilize staff resources to enhance 4-H learning environments at every level.

I invite you to join us April 19, 3:15 p.m., as we share the Kansas 4-H Youth Development priority plan for investing resources (including program fee dollars and department funds) for the program’s future. The webinar will be recorded and posted for later viewing. Using the results of the Prioritization Survey and feedback from the Reboot meetings, we are strategically prioritizing resources towards the four priority areas that enhance all 4-H learning environments. The four priority areas include: Project support, Volunteer Development, Community Clubs enhancements, and Foundational supports.

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://ksu.zoom.us/j/475842269.

Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +16468769923,,475842269# or +16699006833,,475842269#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 408 638 0968

I appreciate your partnership in helping develop tomorrow’s leaders through Kansas 4-H Youth Development!