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Friday, April 14, 2017
Access, Equity and Opportunity in 4-H Includes Diversity and Inclusion
THE 4-H COMMITMENT TO ACCESS, EQUITY, AND OPPORTUNITY
As a federal positive youth development program, implemented by
Cooperative Extension, 4-H is open to all. 4-H is committed to ensuring the
development and implementation of a positive youth development program that
offers access, equity and opportunity. 4-H is built on the principles of
positive youth development and must create environments where belonging is more
than tolerance or acceptance; belonging means we are all connected, important,
valued, and part of the group.
4-H National Headquarters has affirmed the following:
1. 4-H adheres to
all federal and state civil rights laws.
2. 4-H is a
diverse group of youth and adults with a wide range of perspectives that must
come together to ensure diversity and inclusion.
3. 4-H engages in
civil dialogue and works together to advance positive speech and behavior.
4. 4-H commits to
addressing barriers until all youth and adults feel welcome in the program.
WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD 4-H SOLUTIONS
The positive youth
development literature can do much to help youth advocates formulate what we
are aiming for when it comes to the implementation of strength-based and
“developmentally appropriate” youth services that youth actually want to
participate in. What is often lacking in much of the conversation is a
more pluralistic and multi-faceted understanding of what “positive youth
development” means in the diverse communities we serve. This
conversation is vital to reducing persistent disparities – and requires a
commitment to anti-oppressive elements as well. There is a need to delve
more deeply in the multiple and overlapping identities that youth bring to most
settings and to understand the complexities of their circumstances, as well as
to renew our own commitments as youth workers to keep learning about state of
the art approaches to improve our practice as well as our partnerships with
families and communities to reclaim young lives.”
Dr. Laura Nissen,
Associate Professor of Social Work, Portland State University, July 5,
2009 article
To serve new audiences in 4-H, it is
critical that we first know: (1) whom we are currently serving and (2) who in
our community is yet to be served. If we
know those two pieces of information, we can better set appropriate outreach
goals and plan our program (activities, curricula, learning experiences, etc.)
to meet the needs of everyone. Once we
set outreach goals, we can track our progress regularly towards reaching those goals. Data are a critical tool for
accomplishing all of those important tasks.
Please see the presentation
provided by 4-H Headquarters last fall that outlines a simple, three-step process for using data in goal setting, program planning, and progress tracking. Tracking and reporting our outreach
among diverse audiences help communicate the value of 4-H programming to the
public.
- Highlighting National 4-H Diversity & Inclusion
Initiatives and Resources
Our National 4-H Strategic Plan outlines joint
strategies and outcomes for Access, Equity and Opportunity. The plan calls for a 4-H program where:
-
Access to 4-H programs is systematically
valued and implemented.
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All youth, families and communities have
opportunities to be involved in high-quality 4-H programs.
-
4-H volunteers and staff are skilled,
knowledgeable and prepared to work with all members of their community.
To that end, there are several national initiatives whose aim is to
increase our Cooperative Extension System colleagues’ capacity to implement
these goals:
o
Vulnerable
Populations Program
o
Children Youth and Families at Risk Program
(CYFAR)
o
Vulnerable Populations Working Group
o
NAE4-HA Diversity Group
o
Federal Interagency Health Equity Team
o
ECOP Civil Discourse Team
o
eXtension Diversity/Inclusion Community of
Practice
o
The
4‑H
Latino Youth Outreach: Best Practices Toolkit
o
4-H
Professional Competencies in AEO
- Leveraging
Expertise and Expanding Partnerships
Within our own 4-H community, we possess
tremendous expertise and experience in reaching new audiences. Our challenge will be to promote continued
partnerships that leverage this wealth of skill among our colleagues. Together, our potential is unlimited.
1994 Land-Grant Institutions
The 1994 land-grant institutions have the unique ability to solve critical issues affecting lives of American Indian youth, families, and communities.
These institutions deliver place-based knowledge that is rooted in the histories, environments, cultures, and economies of their respective communities. They are critical to effecting local to regional change as fully engaged partners within the land-grant university system.
Please see here for a summary of information on our 1994 partners.
1890 Land-Grant Institutions
Since 1890, our colleagues in the historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) of the Land-Grant system have tirelessly implemented their mission of serving diverse communities.
Our colleagues provide critical resources to and promote resilience among youth and families. Their expertise is a priceless asset within 4-H and we can leverage this experience when developing actionable strategies that help the entire 4-H system reach ECOP’s vision of serving 1 in 5 youth by 2025.
Learn more about our 1890 partners here.
1862 Land-Grant Institutions
Our 1862 partners are blazing trails in developing and delivering
culturally relevant programming. Examples:
§ WeConnect:
A Global Youth Citizenship Curriculum – University of Minnesota.
§ Be Safe: Safe, Affirming and Fair
Environments Curriculum –
Michigan State University.
§ Diversity: The Source of Our Strength Curriculum – Ohio State University.
§ Iowa Takes an Ethnic
Studies Approach to 4-H -
Iowa State University
§ WSU Access, Equity and Opportunity Resources – Washington State University
§ University
of Illinois 4-H Resources
§
Cultural Competence in Outreach Education - University of Maryland at College Park
A COLLABORATIVE CALL TO ACTION
Recently the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy
(ECOP), the national leadership and governing body of Cooperative Extension,
established a vision. This vision states that “4-H will reflect the population
demographics, diverse needs and social conditions of the country. This vision
has the elements of inclusion, caring adults, involves at least 1 in 5 youth,
and the volunteers and staff reflect the population.” To reach ECOP’s 2025 vision of serving
10 million youth, there is much to do.
Here are some questions that might guide our thoughts and discussions
this year:
- Do we accept this challenge?
- How do we help everyone determine their role in
this effort?
- How do we accurately assess our capacity to
attain this goal with our existing resources and staff?
- How do we find ways to engage in more
meaningful, objective, and civil discussion on topics of Access, Equity, and
Opportunity?
- When national diversity and inclusion challenges
arise, how do we prepare ourselves to help youth/families, and at the same
time, to support each other so that we all cope and respond more quickly and
effectively?
- How do we leverage the existing expertise of each
partner in ways that respect and promote culture while opening new pathways for
partnership?
- How do we lift up the voices of all 4-H partners
equally in developing action strategies that meet everyone’s needs?
- What is our next step as a system?
“All of us have the
opportunity and obligation as citizens of this great country to bring renewed
energy, focus, and commitment to help resolve the racial issues that still
divide America…. we all have an obligation to each other and to our friends and
families to provide an understanding of the human dynamics that cause problems
among people who are different and challenge all to remove the barriers and
biases that get in the way of valuing cultural and racial differences. I urge you to cultivate an environment of
inclusion…”
Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, USDA NIFA Director, July
14, 2016 memo
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