Youth Development

Jane Chin Young, 4-H Advisor
Staff: Allison Keaney and Vicki Jimenez

Program Summary

The Marin County 4-H Youth Development Program combines the direction of California 4-H statewide initiatives and the needs of the youth of Marin to deliver a program that grows leadership and life skills through club, project, classroom and camp experiences.

What’s your healthy eating IQ?
Marin County 4-H teens provided leadership for the UCCE Marin exhibit of the Healthy Fare project at the Marin County Fair. Activities promoted healthy eating choices, and centered around a healthy eating IQ quiz that was available in both English and Spanish. More than 400 youth and adults participated in these teen led activities during the 2013 Marin County Fair and its theme “Schools Rules.”  The quiz is also available to the public online.

Expanding 4-H and Youth Development in the clubs and in the classroom

Marin’s 4-H Club program has been a long-standing component of our youth development program.  This year we expanded the number of clubs from 9 to 12 including the Tamalpais and Pacheco Valley 4-H clubs.

We also expanded our 4-H in the Classroom program through growing collaboration with the YMCA and the Bay Area Resources Center.  Our Staff makes S.E.T. (Sciences, Engineering, and Technology) curriculum and experiences available to community youth outside the traditional club program via classrooms, afterschool programs, library events and day camps.  This year the program was delivered at 13 participating schools, 27 classrooms, and four afterschool program sites with focused sessions on:

• Embryology – A multi-week classroom activity in life science and life cycles
• National Youth Science Day – Offered the first Wednesday in October with youth around the country participating in a common science experiment
• Trees 4 You and Me – This is a 1-2 hour workshop for 5th and 6th graders exploring the importance of trees in the environment.