4-H Youth Development & 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Initiative June 18, 2013, REC Directors Meeting

1. 4-H Youth Development & 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Initiative June 18, 2013, REC Directors Meeting Steven Worker, 4-H SET Coordinator Shannon Dogan, Associate Director Andrea Ambrose, Major Gifts Officer

2. 4-H Youth Development Program “The University of California 4-H Youth Development Program engages youth in reaching their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development.”

3. About 4-H • Nonformal educational program • Delivered in a positive youth development context • Learning through hands-on, project based work • Targeted to youth aged 5 to 19 • Programming through camp, clubs, afterschool, school enrichment, special interest and short term. • Volunteers as extenders of knowledge

4. 4-H Mission Mandates • Science, Engineering and Technology • Healthy Living • Citizenship “California’s youth will need new and enhanced opportunities for engagement.” – UC ANR Strategic Vision

5. What type of 4-H activities are youth involved in?

6. Outcomes of 4-H Participation 2Xmore likely to get better grades in school 2Xmore likely to plan to go to college Girls are 2Xmore likely to pursue science careers 2X more likely to exercise and be physically active 3X more likely to actively contribute to their communities Results are from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development a longitudinal study that began in 2002, surveying more than 7,000 adolescents from diverse backgrounds across 44 U.S. states. http://www.4-h.org/about/youth-development-research/positive-youth-development-study/

7. 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET)

8. The U.S. and Science Education Stagnant and declining levels of scientific literacy. • The 2005 and 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 4th, 8th, and 12th graders revealed poor science achievement at all three grade levels (Grigg, Lauko, and Brockway 2006; NCES 2011). Trends are not distributed equally across the population: • Caucasian and Asian American outperformed African Americans & Latinos. • Youth from high-income households scored higher than their peers from low-income households. Overall, California students scored below national averages on the NAEP assessments, ranking 48th and/or 49th among all states. National Center for Education Statistics (2011). The nation’s report card: Science 2009. (NCES 2011-451). Washington, D.C.: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Grigg, W. S., Lauko, M. A., and Brockway, D. M. (2006). The nation’s report card: Science 2005. Washington, D. C.: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.

9. ScienceEducation in Out-of-School Time (OST) Growing recognition of the role that informal/nonformal education plays in youth science learning. Key reports highlight the need for experiential and inquiry-based science education out-of-school. • National Research Council. (2009). Learning science in informal environments: People, places, and pursuits. Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press. • Falk, J. and Dierking, L. (2010). The 95 percent solution: School is not where most Americans learn most of their science. American Scientist, 98(6), 486-493. “out-of-school science-learning experiences are fundamental to supporting and facilitating lifelong science learning” (p. 492)

10. Time youth spend in and out of classrooms National Research Council. (2009). Learning science in informal environments: People, places, and pursuits. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

11. UC ANR’s Role in Science Education and the Healthy Families & Communities Strategic Initiative Research Questions • What are the impacts of participation in community-based (non-formal) youth development programs on the science knowledge, science process skills, and attitudes toward science among K-12 youth? • What are the impacts of professional development in science on the pedagogical and content knowledge and skills of non formal and pre-service science educators?

12. Links between Initiatives and 4-H Potential for connection between all of the initiatives and scientific literacy.

13. 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) Initiative • 4-H has been doing science education for 100 years. • Renewed commitment in 2008 with the formation of the SET Initiative

14. 4-H SET Leadership Team Andrea Ambrose Corporate and Foundation Major Gifts Officer, California 4-H Foundation Shannon Dogan Associate Director of 4-H Program and Policy, YFC Latonya Harris 4-H Evaluation Coordinator, YFC Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty County Director San Benito County & 4-H Youth Development Advisor Martin Smith Associate CE Specialist, Youth Curriculum Development, UCD Steven Worker 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Coordinator, YFC Former Member: Richard Mahacek, 4-H Advisor, Merced County

15. 4-H SET Initiative Plan of Action Goal #1: Improve youth science literacy in, and attitudes for, agriculture, natural resources, and nutrition through educational programming that use: • High quality curricula identified and developed based on UC ANR initiatives • Staff, volunteer, teen, and other educators prepared using research-based professional development strategies • Strategies designed to meet the needs of youth audiences • Partners to strengthen programming Goal #2: Advance the research-base of youth nonformal science education through: • Developing and implementing new 4-H SET programs • Evaluating existing and new 4-H SET programming • Conducting new applied research • Sharing outcomes Goal #3: Support the first two goals through effective resource development.

16. Foundation of 4-H Science Programs Educational Practices • Project-based learning • Experiential education • Inquiry-based teaching • Collaborative learning • Service learning Youth Development Practices • Safety • Relationship building • Youth engagement (youth-adult partnerships) • Community involvement • Skill building http://www.ca4h.org/files/146514.pdf

17. Ongoing Projects 2008-2013 • Program Development • Preparing Educators (training) • Developing curricula • Conducting research and evaluation • Raising funds • Stewarding partnerships Current Projects (2013-2014) • Position paper to define scientific literacy in the context of Cooperative Extension / ANR. • Conducting a statewide needs assessment of 4-H science programming. • Developing PD modules based on each component of the 4-H Program Framework. • Longitudinal 4-H Science Evaluation through the Online Record Book • Several ANR Competitive Grants

18. Fund Development http://ca4hfoundation.org/

19. Programmatic Partnerships within the Strategic Initiatives Partnerships to maximize resources, share expertise, expand our reach and visibility, leverage funding opportunities, and create new knowledge through evaluation. • Western Water Project - Multi-state collaborative for youth water education, • scientific literacy, and positive youth development • ElkusRanch – youth environmental education program (for ages 5-18 ) and summery discovery camp (for ages 6-11). • Examples of existing youth outreach at REC’s • Desert REC: Farm Smart Program • Hansen REC: Student Farm Project • South Coast REC: Open house and 4-H centennial celebration

20. Discussion • What types of youth education and outreach has been successful at your REC? • What possibilities and opportunities might be explored for closer partnerships with 4-H?