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…

Conducting needs assessments serves as a valuable way for Extension educators to ensure that they are designing programs that meet community needs. We developed a needs assessment tool kit that educators across urban, suburban, and rural communities can use to answer the question "What are the youth development needs in my county?"…

The goal of this American Association of School Administrators (AASA) youth apprenticeship toolkit is to encourage the creation of school and business partnerships as a viable and expansive pathway to success in school, career and work. This toolkit provides resources for secondary and community college administrators to advocate for and build…

The California 4-H Science Leadership Team conducted a statewide assessment to evaluate the needs of county-based 4-H programs related to the key areas of the 4-H Science Initiative: program development and design, professional development, curricula, evaluation, partnerships, and fund development. The use of multiple qualitative data sources…

The 2012 Public Act on Education in Hungary made daily physical education (PE) a mandatory part of the school day starting in the 2012-2013 school year. This directive was linked to a significant reorganization of the Hungarian education system including a new National Core Curriculum that regulates the objectives and contents of PE. The Hungarian…

There are many competencies necessary for success as a 4-H agent. The 4-H Professional Research, Knowledge, and Competencies (PRKC) Model organizes competencies into six domains: (a) Youth Development, (b) Youth Program Development, (c) Volunteerism, (d) Partnerships, (e) Organizational Systems, and (f) Equity, Access and Opportunity (National 4-H…

In Fall 2007, Hudson Guild--a settlement house that provides services to hundreds of adults, teens and children in two housing developments in New York City--embarked on a study to assess the needs of youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who were residing in the community and were disconnected (i.e., those youth who were not in school or not…

Many young people would benefit from having a mentor, but some out-of-school time programs face the challenge of recruiting mentors to meet the needs of these young people. This brief summarizes steps that programs can use to recruit mentors and recommends resources that can be used in this process. (Contains 38 endnotes.)

This community-based participatory research (CBPR) project utilized a mixed-methods survey design to identify urban (Tulsa, OK) American Indian (AI) strengths and needs. Six hundred fifty AIs (550 adults and 100 youth) were surveyed regarding their attitudes and beliefs about their community. These results were used in conjunction with other…

This planning guide is designed to help communities answer important questions about programs to address youth violence, including finding out the types of programs that are effective and learning how to implement them. The guide is divided into four sections. Section 1, "Key Facts about Youth Violence," presents key facts about youth violence…

This guide is designed to serve organizations and individuals working with youth on issues of alcohol and other drug (AOD) prevention. Chapter 1 examines why coalitions are needed, characteristics of prevention, misconceptions about alcohol and other drug use, community systems and alcohol and other drug use, definitions of coalitions and…

Features two approaches to studying teenagers' interests and needs. Wisconsin involves multiple agencies in a communitywide teen assessment; Louisiana aims to make 4-H programing more responsive and current. Both emphasize the importance of gathering data directly from teenagers. (JOW)

A three-step process for developing a program to help youth learn independent living skills is described. The steps are: (1) identifying and ranking specific skills; (2) developing curriculum packages; and (3) involving adults from the local community to help teach those skills to youth. A list of 20 independent living skills is offered along with…

Aftercare is the service provided for a youth and his family following a crisis. To be responsive to youth needs, aftercare programs must provide continuity of care and be flexible. They must also address themselves to the well-being of the entire family and develop community networks of youth services. Planning is essential to the development of…

This booklet is a guide to setting up a formal mentor program in the community. Mentor programs can take many shapes, whether sponsored through the schools, by businesses, or by churches and volunteer agencies. Like any operation, a volunteer mentor program has various management functions. The planning function sets a mission statement, goals,…