“Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant ” Deryl Waldren Extension 4-H Specialist Northwest Area Extension Office

1. “Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant ” Deryl Waldren Extension 4-H Specialist Northwest Area Extension Office P. O. Box 786 Colby, Kansas 67701 785-462-6281 dwaldren@ksu.edu

2. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant • In 2010, over 16,000 youths participated in over 1,000 4-H Clubs across Kansas. • Community 4-H clubs are organized in local areas with multiple 4-H projects, with boys and girls ranging in age from 7-18. • This diversity of gender and ages is one of the strengths of the Kansas 4-H club model. • This diversity of gender and ages is one of the weaknesses of the Kansas 4-H club model.

3. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant • Vibrancy – What is it? Vibrancy is a characteristic of people whose psychological health is such that “they accept themselves rather than waiting for other to accept them.” Mary Pipher

4. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant • Mary Pipher in her book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls was the first person to advance the concept of “vibrancy.” • Dr. Kirk Astroth, Arizona State 4-H Leader completed his doctorate at Montana State University on the essential elements of vibrant youth groups through an intensive research project with Montana community 4-H clubs.

5. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant How many of you know of a 4-H Club in your county’s 4-H program that is “vibrant?” • Please name some of the reasons why you think that this particular 4-H club is vibrant?

6. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 10 Characteristics of Vibrant Youth Groups: • Pulsate with life, vigor and activity • Foster a personal sense of influence over life’s events rather than submission to the will and whim of others • Help youth reach their potential to become self-directing, autonomous adults

7. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant Members of Vibrant Groups: • Exhibit an inner sense of confidence and self-assuredness • Believe in what they do • Celebrate their commitments to action • Express a sense of hope and courage for youth and their role in creating positive futures

8. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 1. More Concerned with Weaning than Winning • Youth development and autonomy are the goals • Youth develop a sense of ownership in the group • Young people, especially older members, feel that the group is theirs, and they want adults to reduce their part in decision-making • Lots of fun, learning and growth occurs • Less effective groups focus on winning, collecting trophies and ribbons and “beating” others in competition.

9. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 2. Firm, Yet Flexible • Youth group offers an ever-changing range of programs and activities within a structure of constancy • Group is structurally solid, but is programmatically fluid • Group meets regularly and consistently • Traditions, rituals and ceremonies are used to foster a sense of continuity with the past

10. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 3. Work Hard and Play Hard • Youth group doesn’t just meet to meet or to conduct business • Group provides ways for members to do things together in “fun” ways • Group has fun, but also works hard • Group is actively involved in community service activities and fundraisers

11. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 4. Empower Rather than Embalm Young People • Youth group authorizes, delegates, gives authority, enables or permits young people to do something • Group enables youth to do what they are qualified to do • Group empowers members to develop personal responsibility • Adult leaders function more as the “guide on the side,” rather than the “sage on the stage”

12. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 5. Communicate and Listen • Youth members feel listened to, respected, and perceive that their input is genuinely valued • Group makes a conscious effort to involve members in discussions, deliberations and decisions • Group communicates well and listens to each other • Members feel included

13. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 6. Achieve a Balance Between Chaos and Rigidity • Youth group successfully maintains a balance between too much chaos and too much rigidity or “chaordic.” • Group has a sense of ordered chaos • As circumstances change, group is able to adapt my making the necessary changes in rules, power structure or relations to move on • Ineffective groups are devastated by change and are so rigid that they can’t adapt

14. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 7. Affirm and Support One Another • Youth group celebrates the successes of all members • Group does not define itself by any single accomplishment of the group or its members • Group took pride in and celebrated the collective efforts of all members • Group goal is not to necessarily “to be the best, but to do our best”

15. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 8. Use Mentors to Socialize Newcomers into the Group • Youth group helps new members feel welcomed into the group • Group helps new members learn the “language and traditions” of the program or organization. • Buddy systems are common, where older, more experienced members “adopt” younger members and serve as role models

16. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 9. Value and Practice Service to Others • Youth group actively practices and treasurers community service • Community service is viewed as important in itself • Members gain exposure to the larger community outside of the group

17. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant 10. Take Time for Training • Youth group sets aside time to train youth for the roles they will assume in adulthood • Adults see their primary role as training and development of youth to become involved as equal partners in planning, implementation and evaluations of programs • A positive group results from consistent efforts to create, maintain and restore conditions that foster effective learning

18. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant The Whole Is Greater than the Sum of these Elements • Youth group has “synergy” that creates an energy far in excess of the contributions of all the elements • Group is effective precisely because all the various parts work in harmony toward the larger goal of youth development

19. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant Summary • It’s not enough to possess just some of these characteristics to be truly vibrant. All these elements must be present, and all these elements work together to create a synergy that would be absent otherwise. • Participation alone in groups does not ensure that positive youth development will occur or youth will benefit. • Groups where autonomy-oriented behaviors are promoted develop better life skills, more satisfaction with the group, participation in more activities, and a greater sense of ownership for the group.

20. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant Resources • Astroth, Kirk, Dr., “Eleven Essential Elements of Vibrant Youth Groups,” Humanics, Fall 1996, pp 8-10 • Astroth, Kirk, Dr., Personal interviews and discussions with Dr. Astroth, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, August and November 2008 • Last revised: 3-8-12

21. Making 4-H Clubs Vibrant Activity • Find a partner close to you. • Pick one of the 10 characteristics of a vibrant 4-H club list. • Discuss with your partner what you think 4-H could do (based on your knowledge and observations of 4-H) to change and make your 4-H club or 4-H program more vibrant. • List any specifics that you think of that would make this more likely possible.