A family-skills program for Latino fathers and youth was implemented to prevent youth obesity. Lessons learned focused on practices to address barriers to engagement and retention among fathers and youth within the Latino community. Program development issues included selection of organizations, facilitators, language, and delivery methods.…

Very little has been published reporting on long-term outcomes experienced by young adults (aged 19 to 34 years old) who participated in 4-H youth development programs. We adopted Gambone et al.'s (2002) framework advancing three long-term outcomes for early adulthood: economic stability, health and well-being, and community involvement. With…

Research suggests participating in youth hands-on cooking programs, like those offered by Extension and 4-H, can improve nutrition behaviors and reduce the risk for obesity. We surveyed Georgia Extension professionals (n = 127) to explore factors (e.g., employee characteristics, resources, county demographics) related to offering youth hands-on…

One of CYFAR's unique features is the built-in planning year for all grant recipients. We present our evaluation team's approach during year 1 to establish a foundation and plan for scholarly publications during funding years 2-5. The systematic literature review provided the team with a better understanding of the culture and context of the…

State mandates imposed by governors during COVID-19 affected extracurricular activities for children and youth. To continue providing 4-H programming during quarantine, Clemson Extension 4-H Youth Development Agents created the SC 4-H@Home program. Daily activities were developed that could be completed at-home using common household items and…

The University of Georgia (UGA) has a training requirement for adults working with youth. To meet this requirement for Georgia 4-H and Extension Master Gardener volunteers, a standardized online training module was created and delivered across program areas. Volunteers were surveyed to evaluate training effectiveness and experience. Understanding…

The teens as teachers model is a promising approach to impact teen behavior. The current study evaluated dietary knowledge and behavior among teen teachers participating in a 4-H youth development program (N = 46; M[subscript age] = 15.5 years; 67% female; 48% Hispanic; 38% White Non-Hispanic, 14% Other). A paired sample t test was conducted on…

4-H Summer of STEM is a workforce readiness program for high school youth. The goals of the program are to increase students' interest in STEM careers, improve college and workforce readiness, and connect youth to businesses and industries in the local community. Selected youth receive hands-on development of workforce readiness skills, are paired…

Misconceptions regarding agricultural careers are exacerbated by increasing urbanization and are one of many differences in perspective between urban and rural communities. The One Georgia 4-H Urban-Rural Experience addresses this divide through a statewide youth exchange focusing on the agricultural sector. The program includes a multifaceted…

Strong communication skills are important in an individual's personal and professional life; however, research regarding what influences youth's public speaking self-efficacy is limited. To address this gap, we surveyed youth who participated in a statewide presentation event about their self-efficacy and sources of that self-efficacy. Results…

During the worldwide pandemic, youth were isolated from each other. In response, New Jersey 4-H, a part of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, created the Junior Explorers, a virtual exchange program bringing together 4-H members with youth from other countries. This program provides youth ages 10-13 with access to international exchange opportunities…

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,…

A literature review was conducted using the key words relating to Native American Youth and 4-H to assess the current state of 4-H youth programming serving First Nation/ Indigenous populations to inform future Extension initiatives. A systematic and qualitative review determined what level of focus the conducted programming efforts placed on…

4-H Youth Development prides itself on providing essential resources to reach underserved minority populations. 4-H provides programming and professional development for volunteers to include diverse hands-on training, and cultural competency workshops. This article provides best practices for the inclusion of African American volunteers in 4-H…

Logic models have garnered acclaim for their usefulness and disdain for the time required to create good ones. We argue that the orderly, analytical nature of logic models is opposed to many Extension programs, and we explain developmental evaluation, an approach that highlights ongoing development, adaptations, and rapid response. We use our…