“Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant ” Deryl Waldren Extension 4-H Specialist Northwest Area Extension...

“Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant ”

Deryl WaldrenExtension 4-H SpecialistNorthwest Area Extension OfficeP. O. Box 786 Colby, Kansas [email protected]

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.


• 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


• 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 4-H clubs.


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?


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


Members of Vibrant Groups:

• Exhibit an inner sense of confidence and self-assuredness

• 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


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.


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


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


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”


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


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


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”


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


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


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


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


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.


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


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.

“Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant ” Deryl Waldren Extension 4-H Specialist Northwest Area Extension...

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