Thriving Forward

Promoting healthy people and communities one family at a time.

Securing Partnerships for Beyond Ready Youth

January 29, 2026
By Stepha Velednitsky, Grace Belt, Matthew R Rodriguez, Steven Worker, Marianne Bird, Nicole K Marshall-Wheeler, Ally Lemmer, Kimberly Holmes
Introduction 4-H partnerships with expanded learning programs can help transform the lives of thousands of young people. These partnerships teach youth new skills and interests (Rudd and Brower, 2013), building generations that are ready for their futures. By extending 4-H opportunities beyond…
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California 4-H Expands Learning for After School Youth

December 11, 2025
By Matthew R Rodriguez, Stepha Velednitsky, Grace Belt, Steven Worker, Marianne Bird, Nicole K Marshall-Wheeler, Ally Lemmer, Kimberly Holmes
Introduction For the past two years, the University of California Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development program has been exploring how to collaborate with after school partners to provide high quality programming for youth not in a 4-H club. As California communities continue to change and…
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Soaring To New Heights: A 4-H Drone STEM Program

September 23, 2025
By Matthew R Rodriguez
OverviewThe intersection of agriculture and technology is an important part of our communities. For years, drones have been used in various ways to address real-world agricultural issues. To help prepare our young people for a future college or career pathway that explores this intersection of ag and drones,…
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Understanding Mindfulness and Its Relation to Wellness

August 12, 2025
By Matthew R Rodriguez
Introduction Life can be stressful. From picking up the kids from school to paying the bills, life can sometimes feel like waves of to-dos that keep coming our way. And for those who volunteer in our 4-H youth development program, there can be additional sources of stress, such as helping prepare youth…
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Fostering A Sense of Gratitude

August 1, 2025
By Matthew R Rodriguez
Introduction As we prepare for a new 4-H program year, we have many reasons to be grateful. Recently I attended a 4-H drone camp in Santa Clara and witnessed middle- and high-school youth present their capstone STEM projects in front of their parents and 4-H staff. I was amazed at what they had learned…
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