Mission and Direction for the California 4-H Youth Development Program

Guiding Question:
How can the 4-H Youth Development Program make a unique, measurable, and significant difference in the lives of youth and the field of youth development?

Mission Statement

The University of California 4-H Youth Development Program engages youth in reaching their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development.

In August, 2001, Vice President W.R. (Reg) Gomes appointed the 4-H Mission and Direction Committee, and charged the group with developing a plan to set program priorities, goals and objectives for the California 4-H Youth Development Program for the next ten years. This Committee worked for the next several months to gather input from youth, volunteers, staff, and other stakeholders. They examined the latest research on youth development, analyzed California demographics, and considered the mission of the Division and the history of 4-H in California.

Throughout the process, more than four hundred people were involved in providing feedback and input. In March, the Committee submitted a report to and reviewed their findings with administrators in the Division. The report included recommendations for a new mission statement, brand identity, a set of core values, and program criteria.

In May, 2002, the Recommendations of the Mission and Direction Committee were reviewed, approved, and announced by the Vice President. During Summer 2002, 4-H Youth Development staff and Cooperative Extension County Directors were trained in the new plan, and training with youth and volunteers is taking place throughout the Fall. The "new" Mission and Direction of the 4-H Youth Development Program builds on the best of what we have been for the last 100 years, and takes us forward into a new century.

Brand Identity

4-H Youth Development is the brand-name identity for ANR youth development efforts.

Core Values

• Support the UC/ANR mission and strategic planning assumptions.
• Recognize that ANR professionals provide the youth development framework for volunteers and other cooperators who bring the knowledge, experience and passion to work with youth in their communities.
• Appreciate, respect and value diversity through a commitment to inclusion of diverse Californians.
• Respond to local needs within a context of statewide criteria, practices and priorities for 4-H programming.
• Innovate to maximize impact and resources while documenting the unique youth development contributions of our 4-H Youth Development programs.

Program Criteria

• The CA 4-H YD Program is focused on addressing significant environmental, economic and social issues affecting California’s youth, families, and communities.
• The CA 4-H YD Program is based on a proven experiential education model that creates an educational climate through planned learning by exploring, doing, and receiving feedback.
• The CA 4-H YD Program is conducted with content and delivery systems consistent with a statewide 4-H youth development framework offering Citizenship, Leadership and/or Life Skills Development. (Lifeskills Model)
• The CA 4-H YD Program is consistent with research in youth development, education, or other appropriate fields.
• The CA 4-H YD Program is a contributor to research and/or the extension of knowledge in youth development.
• The CA 4-H YD Program is able to demonstrate, or likely to demonstrate, through research and/or evaluative data, a positive impact on youth served.
• The CA 4-H YD Program is connected to, or has the potential to connect to UC or other campus-based faculty, programs and/or resources.
• The CA 4-H YD Program is accessible and open to diverse audiences.
• The CA 4-H YD Program is balanced in terms of assessing, managing, and monitoring the risk of potential problems to ensure program safety and achievement of key objectives defined by ANR’s risk management program.
• The CA 4-H YD Program is balanced so as to optimize the impact for clientele and the field of youth development. The impact achieved will be weighed against the resources invested at the statewide and local level.

Tools

Mission and Direction Pamphlet (PDF)

1. General Information
   • Mission and Direction Overview Flyer (PDF)
   • Mission and Direction Overview Flyer Number Two (Word) (PDF)
   • Mission and Direction Overview Flyer Number Three (PDF)
   • The Experiential Learning Cycle Flyer
   • PowerPoint: Mission and Direction Overview - Carole MacNeil (PPT)
2. Tools
   • 4-H Youth Development Program Criteria Checksheet (XLS) (PDF)
   • Program and Proposal Development Information (Word) (PDF)
3. Life Skills
   • PowerPoint: Life Skills Development in the 4-H YDP - Richard Enfield (PPT)
   • 4-H Youth Development Project Planning Guide: Life Skills (Word) (PDF)
   • Targeting Lifeskills Model - Iowa State University (JPG)
4. Youth Development
   • PowerPoint: Youth Development - 4-H Center for Youth Development (PPT) (PDF)
5. Citizenship
   • PowerPoint: Integrating Citizenship and Service Learning into Every Project - California Citizenship/Service-Learning Advisory Council (PPT)
   • Moving Your Community Service Project to a Service-Learning Experience (with examples)
   • Citizenship/Service-Learning Plan (with examples)

4-H Youth Development: Our Mission and
Direction For The Decade Ahead
By W. R. Gomes, Vice President, ANR
Fall 2001

During recent years a number of changes, largely structural, have been made in the California 4-H Youth Development Program. Carole MacNeil has been named Statewide 4-H Program Director, we have defined a Statewide Program Coordinator position, and several new youth advisor positions are being filled.

The need for program delivery through clubs, after-school programs and other venues, for curriculum development, and for garnering resources presents significant challenges to our limited personnel and underscore the necessity for planning and priority setting. It is evident that we need a clear vision, well-defined priorities, and realistic goals and directions for our Youth Development Program. We are seeking your assistance in developing these.

I have formed a 4-H Mission and Direction Committee to develop a 4-H mission statement; a vision for directions and priorities; and a set of realistic, high-impact goals and objectives for the California 4-H Youth Development program for the next five to ten years. They will be addressing the question, "how can the 4-H Youth Development Program make a unique, measurable and significant difference to California’s youth and to the field of youth development?" Carole MacNeil has agreed to serve as chair and convene these meetings. The Committee has begun their work and will present a final report and recommendations to Assistant Vice President Lanny Lund and myself no later than March 1, 2002.

The Mission and Direction Committee is committed to making this process open and transparent. Throughout the process, they will be seeking the input, concerns, and ideas of staff, youth, and volunteers. Committee members will also be drawing from the latest research in youth development, particularly as it applies to current demographic and economic realities of California.

Your input and participation in this process is critical to the strength and usefulness of the final plan. We encourage you to contact the Mission and Direction Committee with your thoughts and get involved with the opportunities that the Mission and Direction Committee will be making available to you. The names and contact information of committee members is listed below.

Committee