Successes and challenges in recruitment and retention of urban youth development volunteers

1. Successes and challenges in recruitment and retention of urban youth development volunteers Rutgers University Rebecca Kalenak, Essex County 4-H Agent Laura Bovitz, Middlesex County 4-H Agent Marissa Blodnik, Essex County 4-H Program Associate Shane Pierre, Middlesex County 4-H Program Associate

2. Niños Fuertes, Communidades Mas Fuertes (Strong Kids, Stronger Communities) Essex County, Newark, New Jersey • Rebecca Kalenak, County Agent; kalenak@njaes.rutgers.edu • Marissa Blodnik, Program Associate; mblodnik@rci.rutgers.edu • http://essex.njaes.rutgers.edu/4h Middlesex County, New Brunswick, New Jersey • Laura Bovitz, County Agent; bovitz@njaes.rutgers.edu • Shane Pierre, Program Associate; pierre@njaes.rutgers.edu • http://middlesex.njaes.rutgers.edu/4h

3. agenda • Introduction of Niños Fuertes, Communidades Mas Fuertes (Strong Kids, Stronger Communities) (5minutes) • Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Youth Development Programs (40 minutes) • Resource Development (20 minutes) • Plan of Action (20 minutes) • Question and Answer Time (5 minutes)

4. History Niños Fuertes, Communidades Mas Fuertes (Strong Kids, Stronger Communities) • Traditional 4-H in Non-Traditional Settings, building 4-H Club Program in an urban environments traditionally lacking in 4-H programs and clubs. • Funded through a Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Grant • Focus on the Latino centers of population in New Brunswick and the north ward of Newark, NJ

5. Program objectives • Provide a positive youth development experience for underserved Latino youth • Provide leadership opportunities for youth and adults in the communities of New Brunswick and Newark • Provide an opportunity for youth develop and maintain community and cultural connections • Develop and maintain connections with Rutgers University • Assist youth with development of career goals.

6. A whole new world • The Balance of 4-H membership has shifted since the program’s inception more than 100 years ago, when 4-H served primarily Urban Youth (Enfield, 2001). • Today, more than 30% of 4-H members in the United States live in cities or suburbs of cities with populations of 50,000 or more (USDA, 2010) • Changing demographics present new challenges for youth development professionals • A new shift in 4-H membership also means a shift in volunteers available to work with those youth

7. What are we working with? • Who are your current volunteers • What are your current volunteer resources (training/recruitment…) • Challenges and obstacles of recruitment and retention • Current successes and positive opportunities

8. What Works?Current Volunteers Due to limited ability to recruit parent and community adults as leaders, the following groups have been recruited to serve as club or resource leaders: • AmeriCorps volunteers • Rutgers University student interns • Rutgers University student organizations • School teachers/after-school providers • Partnerships with local organization leaders to assist with 4-H clubs

9. Resources…Partnerships that flourish Community collaborations have also allowed us to recruit volunteers who would generally not be exposed to 4-H programming, but lead to successes with recruiting and retaining leaders. • Local Latino organizations • Boys and Girls Clubs and United Way • After-School and Charter School Programs • Local cultural and art organizations • Local schools and libraries • YMCA and Teen Centers

10. Where have all the volunteers gone? • Parents without the ability to volunteer time/resources • Lack of community based adult volunteers • Isolated communities with little or no knowledge of or trust in 4-H • Lack of cooperation from public schools • Language barriers and transportation • Securing club meeting and event locations • Retention of youth and consistency of attendance at club meetings

11. Successes and positive opportunities • Partnering with city and county wide initiatives that impact urban citizens • Community gardening • Climate science • Gang prevention • Library and summer programs • Partnering with city and county wide initiatives that impact urban citizens • STEM programs and clubs • Alternative Club Structures • SPIN (Special Interest Clubs • School Based Clubs

12. Resources available • Rutgers University, New Jersey translated resources; Latino4h.pbworks.com • Oregon State University; Latino Outreach Project • University of Wisconsin; Latino Resources • 4-H Science in Urban Communities

13. Break the language barrier

14. A plan of action

15. references • Enfield, R. P. (2001). Connections between 4-H and John Dewey's Philosophy of Education. FOCUS. Davis: 4-H Center for Youth Development, University of California, Winter. • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). (2010). Annual 4-H Youth Development Enrollment Report.Retrieved May 15, 2013 from http://www.reeis.usda.gov/

16. Niños Fuertes, Communidades Mas Fuertes (Strong Kids, Stronger Communities) Essex County, Newark, New Jersey • Rebecca Kalenak, County Agent; kalenak@njaes.rutgers.edu • Marissa Blodnik, Program Associate; mblodnik@rci.rutgers.edu • http://essex.njaes.rutgers.edu/4h Middlesex County, New Brunswick, New Jersey • Laura Bovitz, County Agent; bovitz@njaes.rutgers.edu • Shane Pierre, Program Associate; pierre@njaes.rutgers.edu • http://middlesex.njaes.rutgers.edu/4h