Georgia County Government - October 2008 - (Page 113) ExtensionNews Georgia 4-H Impacts Student Achievement and Youth Leadership By Jeff Christie ACCG Cooperative Extension Liaison hen it comes to the degree of connection between 4-H programs across the country and the school systems in the communities those 4-H clubs serve, the state of Georgia has no equal. This relationship, though, did not happen by chance. Nor did it happen overnight. Georgia’s State Director of 4-H, Dr. Bo Ryles says, “Faculty and statewide 4-H staff are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to enhance the 4-H experience, especially in the context of student achievement.” Students achieving at high levels lead to improved school systems … improved school systems lead to strong communities … and strong communities make for a great state [of Georgia]. Most recently, in its goal to underscore student achievement, UGA Cooperative Extension enlisted the services of Walton County Extension Coordinator Judy Ashley. In 2006, she assumed the extra responsibility of serving as the Extension Coordinator for School Relations. In this role, she focuses on ways to strengthen the partnership between Extension programs and local school systems, in an effort to improve student achievement. As school relations coordinator, Ashley often works with UGA Cooperative Extension 4-H Specialist for Curriculum, Mandy Marable. A former school teacher, Marable brings a wealth of classroom experience and some unique insights to the Georgia W Walton County 4-H Agent Glen Blair demonstrates cooking techniques as part of a 4-H club meeting focusing on nutrition. 4-H State Staff. In her view, “4-H is a bridge between formal and informal education. Through 4-H, the student has opportunities to apply learned knowledge in a real world setting.” In tandem, these two Extension professionals are working to align the work done by 4-H professionals across the state to the Georgia Department of Education’s ‘Georgia Performance Standards’ (GPSs) for student learning. The GPSs not only incorporate the content standards for education, they further define the level of work that demonstrates student achievement of the standards. Further support for the influence that 4-H involvement can exercise over student achievement comes from two recent studies. The first study, from Cornell University Cooperative Extension, cites seven positive outcomes for students who are actively involved in 4-H, in comparison to their counterparts who are not. According to the research, students in 4-H: • Achieve at a higher academic level • Are more educationally motivated • Have higher levels of self esteem • Place more emphasis on a value system • Are more motivated to help others • Communicate at more of an adult level • Report higher levels of involvement in community service and volunteerism Beyond the documented contributions 4-H involvement makes towards student achievement, a recently released Tufts University 4-H study defines and measures the characteristics of a successful youth development program for the first time. In addition to student achievement, the study’s key findings show that: • Community youth development programs, like 4-H, are proven to affect youth success • All youth can succeed – involvement in 4-H increases their potential of doing well • All youth need positive youth development. No young person is immune to the risks and challenges present in today’s society EXTENSION NEWS continued on page 114 OCTOBER 2008 www.accg.org 113 http://www.accg.org
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