4-H Leadership Development Project for Grades 7 to 12
The iThrive: Leadership, Science & Me curriculum is a dynamic leadership development guide that unites two powerful forces in youth education: positive youth development and STEM learning. The curriculum supports teens in grades 7 through 12 as they explore their personal passions (called “sparks”) and investigate how science and engineering connect to their lives and communities. Grounded in the 4-H Thriving Model, the curriculum builds developmental assets like goal-setting, growth mindset, and academic motivation while simultaneously engaging youth in authentic STEM practices. Each chapter intentionally integrates scientific inquiry, engineering design, and personal development through hands-on, inquiry-based, and experiential learning.
What sets Leadership, Science & Me apart is its dual commitment to cultivating young people’s inner potential and advancing their scientific literacy. Each lesson provides adult volunteers with structured guidance to help youth explore personal aspirations, analyze data, build models, and lead with purpose. Youth not only engage in rigorous STEM practices aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, but also reflect on how these skills align with their leadership roles, future goals, and real-world contributions. The result is a holistic curriculum that equips youth to thrive, personally, academically, and civically, by developing both their identity as leaders and their competence as scientific thinkers.
Curriculum
Purchase print copies at Shop 4-H or download PDF files below.
Youth Workbook | Adult Educator Guide |
|---|---|
 |  |
Download PDF Document | Download PDF Document |
Field of Science and Engineering Card Supplements
Set of 50 fields of science and engineering cards - visual tools that help youth explore the diverse branches of science and identify connections between their personal interests (sparks) and real-world scientific disciplines.
Team
- Steven Worker
- Gemma Miner
- Shannon Horillo
Acknowledgements
- The Thrive Foundation for Youth
- University of California 4-H Thrive Leadership Team: Shannon Horrillo, Gemma Miner, Scott Mautte, Kali Trzesniewski, Keith Nathaniel and Annette Leeland.
- The evaluation team: Kali Trzesniewski, Kendra Lewis, Latonya Harris, and Julia Singleton
- The 4-H Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Leadership Team: Andrea Ambrose, Shannon Horrillo, Richard Mahacek, Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, Martin Smith and Steven Worker.
- Julia Singleton and Kendra Lewis for their contributions to Chapter 5, Growth Mindset in Science and Engineering.