Welcoming Latino youth to California 4-H!

The University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) invested close to $2,000,000 over a period of three years to welcome Latino youth, families and volunteers to 4-H. The counties selected to participate in the pilot program encompass rural, suburban, and urban areas and include: Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Kern, Orange, Riverside, Monterey, and Merced. The objective of the pilot, called UC ANR 4-H Latino Initiative, is to develop, deliver, and assess culturally responsive program models to attract and retain Latino youth, families, and volunteers into 4-H. Seven 4-H Program Representatives (equivalent to Extension Educators in other states) were hired to work under the supervision of the county-based Advisors and the Assistant Director for 4-H Diversity and Expansion. This effort faced challenges and opportunities while designing the job description and conducting the selection process to ensure success of the program, even though research and promising practices from the literature were used to develop the position description and identify the qualifications of successful hires. This article shares the challenges, opportunities, and successful strategies used. Hiring staff with strong cultural capacities and positioning them in key roles is critical to building a cultural competent organization and addressing structural discrimination

Cultivating positive ethnic identity in southern California's youth through 4-H day camps

One approach to cultivating positive ethnic identity is aiming to foster pride in cultural heritage through helping youth learn about their ethnic groups' histories and providing opportunities to participate in cultural forms such as music, theater, dance, and other artistic expression. During the summer of 2017, 4-H staff and academics partnered with the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino, CA and designed and delivered a four-week day camp targeting youth ages five to eleven. The objective of the camp was to provide a space for the youth to explore Mexican history from the pre-Hispanic times through the Independence Era, as well as some customs and traditions of modern Mexico. All the activities were designed following the hands-on 4-H model, where the youth had the opportunity to learn-reflect-apply. Conducted in English and Spanish by community volunteers and college students with the support of 4-H staff, the program included a variety of activities to keep the youth interested and active, as art, games, crafts, movies, and even science activities framed around weekly cultural themes. The program was evaluated and its success was determined by a) community participation/response; b) partners' satisfaction; and c) ability to replicate the program in coming years. This article provides an overview of the program design and implementation, as well as lessons learned.Includes bibliographical reference

University of California 4-H Latino Initiative: Experiences of Bicultural and Bilingual Staff

We report data from the first year of an initiative to engage Latino youth and families in the 4-H Youth Development Program, managed by the University of California. Through qualitative questionnaires and focus group interviews, we analyzed experiences of 6 new bilingual and bicultural program staff, hired specifically to implement youth development programming to reach Latino youth. Staff reported a steep learning curve, with competing demands to build relationships, engage youth, and show results. Lessons learned may help shape activities that other youth development programs may consider in similar efforts