By: Dr. Lisa A. Guion, Gina Garcia-Somuk, and Mitzi Stumpf
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The state 4-H Program is serving as a catalyst to equip young people of North Carolina, and the 4-H Agents who work with them, with the skills to operate in a society that is becoming increasingly more diverse. It only takes one glance in your own city/county to notice the rapidly changing demographics of the state. Over the past few years, 4-H has taken proactive steps towards designing programs that develop key life skills in youth such as accepting and appreciating differences, respecting self and others, interpersonal communication, and social skills. These life skills are essential to successfully embracing diversity in the new millennium.
Targeted diversity and multi-cultural training, and access to multi-cultural resources are provided to 4-H Agents so that they will have the knowledge, skills and educational materials needed to serve diverse audiences. In order to prepare new 4-H Agents, a diversity workshop is offered during new agent orientation. This training focuses on the importance of diversity and culturally relevant and responsive youth programs. The training also provides agents with multi-cultural activities, games and other educational tools they can use to create awareness and an appreciation of diversity. Annually, a more intensive diversity training is offered to all 4-H Agents which discusses strategies for recruiting diverse individuals as volunteers and for bonding with non-traditional communities/families to best serve diverse young people. To date, 4-H Agents in 57 counties have been trained.
Also, two exciting programs are underway to increase the presence of specific groups who are under-represented in 4-H. First, 4-H and the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities have forged a unique partnership to reach all of North Carolina's youth. This partnership has created funding for a statewide, four-year pilot program that will intentionally include youth with disabilities into community based 4-H clubs. 4-H club programs are designed to enhance the quality of life for all youth, and enrich their community as a whole. The mission of this program is "to promote inclusive clubs where all young people belong". Second, the 4-H School-age Care (SAC) project hired an Outreach Coordinator. The coordinator provides training that assists school-age care providers in developing a holistic approach to the implementation of culturally responsive and relevant curricula, and designing environments that acknowledges and celebrates diversity. As an outreach to those in the Hispanic community who are non-English speaking, the coordinator has translated and printed some of 4-H's materials into Spanish. The coordinator has also developed an eclectic collection of multi-cultural resources which are available from the 4-H SAC Multi-cultural Lending Library. 4-H Agents, school-age care providers and volunteers can utilize materials from the library when educating young people. Many of the materials in the library are in both English and Spanish.
In essence, the North Carolina 4-H Program is utilizing innovative methods, program designs and delivery systems to help prepare 4-H Agents to be successful in meeting the needs of and serving diverse young people in a rapidly changing world.
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