Sacramento 4-H Blog Page

I waited in the hall near the stage door at the end of the performance for Andew to appear. Once a teen and young adult volunteer in our 4-H camp program, I hadn't seen him in years. I first met him as a 7th grader who joined the youth choir I led.

4-H volunteers can sometimes feel discouraged as they struggle to find help in their clubs or projects. At the root of their disheartened spirit is sensing they are alone in doing a big job. This may lead to feeling unappreciated and, most certainly, tired.

My favorite part of our Sacramento 4-H volunteer orientation comes when we introduce the 4-H Thriving Model (Arnold, 2018). Think back to when you were a child or a teenager, we ask.

Three weeks ago my colleague and I were discussing the successes and challenges with our Teens as Teachers programs. Teen participation in Sacramento 4-H YES and Cooking Academy projects exploded this year as we had 69 high-school youth delivering these weekly sessions at afterschool sites.

We have multiple programs that serve youth in 4-H: fun camps; authentic service-learning opportunities for teens; hands-on curriculum that give kids in afterschool settings the chance to be scientists or learn to cook.