The purpose of this research was to explore the strategies effective in building community networks and pooling the resources necessary for laying the foundation to develop a successful county 4-H Extension program in early careers of Extension agents. We conducted this three-round Delphi study with a panel of specially selected 24 successful 4-H…

Understanding and identifying the professional development needs of 4-H youth development professionals should be the first step in developing the Extension workforce. However, 4-H professionals find it challenging to use the Professional, Research, Knowledge and Competencies (PRKC), which consists of 348 unique competency items, to guide…

This study examined the moderating effect of youth-adult partnerships (YAPs) on the relationship between youth empowerment in the community and youth's creative self-efficacy (CSE). A survey was administered to 2,653 youth recruited from youth service centers in Hong Kong, which measured youth empowerment in the community, perceived YAPs in youth…

California's 4-H Youth Development Program adopted an asset-based and systematic community development approach to studying successful Latino-serving youth development programs. This effort included a scan of Latino engagement resources and Latino-serving youth development settings as well as key informant interviews. Beyond generating important…

In this paper, we describe an informal science program where specific program elements were designed to support youth development of a 21st century naturalist identity, which we call out as an important subtype of environmental and scientific identity. As part of a research-practice partnership, we conducted a case study of a teen youth program…

Over the last decade, The California Endowment (TCE) has invested in 14 communities that have historically been marginalized and denied opportunities for their residents to thrive. The initiative, known as Building Healthy Communities (BHC), focuses on creating places where children are healthy, safe, and ready to learn. Del Norte and Tribal Lands…

We conducted research to examine 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant and Sea Grant Extension program leaders' perceptions about Extension public policy education (PPE). Most agreed that PPE is important work. Existing PPE has focused on issue-oriented community development, natural resources, or agriculture topics. Our results indicate that there is…

Purpose: This paper explores the intersections between community development and youth development in an initiative that mobilized farmers' children as Rice Crop Manager (RCM) infomediaries (information mediators). RCM is an ICT-enabled nutrient management application. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study engaged 30 farmers' children in high…

Extension administrators discussed the competencies and characteristics of Extension professionals as they explored how Extension will need adapt to changing clientele, both in who they are and how they want to receive information. Extension education curriculum is not fully preparing future Extension employees in all required competencies,…

The Cultural Exchange Inventory (CEI) is a 15-item instrument designed to measure the process (7 items) and outcomes (8 items) of exchanges of knowledge, attitudes and practices between members of different organisations collaborating in implementing evidence-based practice. We conducted principal axis factor analyses and parallel analyses of data…

Actualizing education beyond the scope of traditional schooling and incorporating elements of critical pedagogy and social transformation are essential for efforts aiming to reduce inequalities and enhance the livelihoods of excluded populations. This article examines emancipatory education through a Freirean lens by considering its dimensions of…

Coming from a Nordic environment, professionally working in teacher education, both authors engaged in developmental work and research in the Uluguru mountains in Tanzania. The research is carried out in a community-based organization for vulnerable youth, Mgeta Orphan Education Foundation (MOEF), which builds on principles of action learning and…

Funded through the New York City Young Men's Initiative (YMI), the Cornerstone Mentoring Program is designed to support youth in key life and educational transitions as they progress into middle and high school, through the development of relationships with positive and caring adults. Launched in 2012, the mentoring program is implemented in…

The New York City Young Men's Initiative (YMI) is a cross-agency initiative that aims to address the disparities in socioeconomic outcomes between young Black and Latino men and their peers. In support of this vision, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) launched a mentoring program in its Cornerstone Community…

The term "social-emotional learning" (SEL), defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as "a process for helping children develop the fundamental skills for life effectiveness," is a current buzzword in education, highlighting the important role that both practitioners and researchers…