Civic EngagementThrough Youth & Adult Partnerships

Oklahoma 4-H Leadership & Community Development Impact Team

Decline of Rural LeadershipDecline of Rural Leadership Current trend in rural America is for youth

to leave their home communities after high school, creating a decline of educated and vested leaders that are capable and willing to assume leadership roles

Leader and volunteer base is aging and not being replenished

To reverse trend and sustain vitality and growth of rural communities:

Create a sense of ownership and pride in our youth at an early age

Provide opportunities for youth to interact with community leaders, local government and organizations

Provide meaningful opportunities to serve with caring adults

Decline of Rural LeadershipDecline of Rural Leadership

Value of Civic EngagementValue of Civic Engagement Creates a stronger sense of community

pride and ownership Asset monetarily, emotionally and

inspirationally Educates and empowers citizens to be

involved

Value of Civic EngagementValue of Civic Engagement Concentrated effort to recruit, train and

utilize volunteers Increase long-term involvement and

commitment of volunteer

Rural VolunteerismRural Volunteerism

Two main groups of volunteers

High school-aged youth that volunteer as a part of class work or school organization

Adult business and/or organization leaders in local communities

Teen VolunteersTeen Volunteers 74% of youth who volunteer do so through a

religious, school-based or youth leadership organization

Youth who have a parent that volunteers are almost twice as likely to volunteer themselves

63% of youth in a nationwide YMCA survey said they wanted programs that built leadership skills and allowed them to work with diverse audiences

Adult VolunteersAdult Volunteers 29% of the civilian, non-institutional population

age 16 and over volunteered through or for organizations at least once from September 2003 to September 2004

Persons age 35 to 44 were the most likely to volunteer, closely followed by 45 to 54 year olds and then 55 to 64 year olds

Most adult volunteers volunteer for only one or two organizations at a time

Youth – Adult PartnershipsYouth – Adult Partnerships

Youth become invested while feeling safe and involved in their community

Youth stay or return to a community There is growth, capital gain and positive

interaction in a community

What makes Y.A.P. the answer?

Youth – Adult PartnershipsYouth – Adult Partnerships

Adults view youth as partners not recipients

Organizations gain insight, creativity and volunteers

Development of future community leaders

What makes Y.A.P. the answer?

Building Leaders for TomorrowBuilding Leaders for Tomorrow

B.L.T. is a process for addressing community needs and assembling a rural leadership pool through the encouragement and establishment of youth and adult partnership. Each group recognizes the other as an asset rather than a obstacle.

BLT-The Big PictureBLT-The Big Picture Form a team of youth and adults who see

each other as equal partners and share responsibilities

Empower a team of youth & adults to identify and address a local need through a service learning project

Step 1Step 1 Identify, recruit and train teams of youth

and adult partners committed to the concept of developing strong youth-adult partnerships for the purpose of serving their community

Step 2Step 2 Develop partnerships and collaborations at

each local site Hold initial planning meetings Serve as mediator or facilitator in the planning

process Apply skills attained through curricula to break

down stereotypes and develop a plan Implement action plan

Step 3Step 3 Involve Building Leaders for Tomorrow

graduates in recruiting and training of future teams

Keep graduates involved in on-going projects within their community

OutcomesOutcomes Step 1

Youth and adults gain understanding and respect of trans-generation partnerships

Youth and adults gain an understanding of the concepts and skills for effective leadership

Communication, conflict management, planning,decision making, goal setting andproblem solving

OutcomesOutcomes Step 2

Youth and adults gain an understanding of the value of Youth Governance in their communities

Youth have local opportunities for positive youth development

Youth and adults understand the importance for service learning experiences

Youth and adults develop an appreciation and understanding for one another

OutcomesOutcomes Step 3

1/3 of each year’s graduating class continues work with their trained BLT team and provides training for new BLT teams

Youth are invited by the community to influence issues which impact their lives by share their voice and being involved in the decision making process.

Community benefits from thepartnerships

How It Is DoneHow It Is Done Annually, sites in 14 counties will involve

15-30 participants Utilize BLT curricula to train teams Teams meet 5 to 8 hours per month for 4 to

6 months to plan and carry out action plans Pre and post evaluations

CurriculumCurriculum Building Leaders for Tomorrow

Developed by Oklahoma 4-H Hands-on activities that build progressive

leadership skills Focus on Relationship Building, Planning and

Organizing, Group Process and Communications Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced levels

CurriculumCurriculum Step Up to Leadership

Developed by National 4-H Curriculum System Activity-based program with levels three age

levels; grades 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 Encourages self improvement and assessment Workbooks for mentors and youth. Includes a

journal component for youth.

CurriculumCurriculum Building Community

Created by Innovation Center and National 4-H Council

Activities and facilitation ideas that will help community identify assets and work as a team

Promotes youth-adult partnerships; includes information on how to overcome stereotypes

Vision planning and implementationactivities

PR & Marketing IdeasPR & Marketing Ideas Recruitment brochure with questionnaire

PowerPoint presentations

Newsletter support materials

Press releases

Novelty items used at training sessions

Graduation certificates

EvaluationEvaluation Success Indicators

Approximately 25 key behaviors identify success indicators

Potential outcomes compiled from each curriculum

Success indicators are taken from the list of outcomes and are representative of each curriculum

EvaluationEvaluation Tools used

Commitment to Community Service survey Pre and Post survey - National 4-H Council’s Rural Youth

Development Project: Engaging Youth, Serving Community Participant evaluates their leadership skills and

ability to work on a youth-adult team Separate surveys for youth and adults

EvaluationEvaluation Tools used

BLT Programming Sheet Record keeping part of evaluation Action Plan tracks team activities, hours of service

and number of participants Educator tracks participation in subsequent years

EvaluationEvaluation Other Tools used

Art/Concept Mapping Daily/weekly journals Activity Observation