Youth Development

Jane Chin Young, 4-H Advisor

Staff: Cindy Jensen, Deborah Skaar, Janice Alexander

4-H Achievement Day Teen Leadership Team

The 4-H Youth Development program offers Marin youth ages 5-19 valuable life skills in leadership, community service, and citizenship.

Engendering opportunities and interest for youth in science

Marin County 4-H joined the National and California 4-H Council Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Initiative to engage youth in building science knowledge, skills and abilities. This includes physical science themed activities co-led by teens and adults for 4-H groups and the public, as well as participation, as one of nine California counties, in a study on the impact of 4-H in fostering youth interest in science.

Becoming a natural(ist) leader

Another highlight of the year was the development of the Marin 4-H Naturalist Leader Project with Conservation Corps North Bay. Twenty-two AmeriCorps volunteer leaders practiced presentation skills, organized and conducted lesson plans, met community leaders and mentors, and bolstered their confidence in leading school youth groups throughout Marin, like the Caesar Chavez clubs.

4-H participation leads to positive youth development

Staff held seven major events and participated in several others, including Farm Day, Marin County Peer Summit, and the Marin County PlayFaire Fun Fest, providing development opportunities for over 5,800 youth participants. Marin County is participating in a national longitudinal study, sponsored by National 4-H Council in collaboration with Tufts University, to determine factors that contribute to positive youth development. Preliminary results from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicate that 4-H participants are developing leadership and life skills that equate to success in school and beyond.

“The naturalist leader program was a fantastic opportunity for our AmeriCorps members to develop new skills and knowledge. The AmeriCorps members then applied lessons from this training to strengthen their ability to lead youth groups…through service projects and environmental education ...”

--- John Fragale

AmeriCorps Programs Coordinator

Conservation Corps North Bay

"Thank you for helping us with our eggs. I loved seeing the little chicks. They are so fuzzy!”

--- School embryology project student