4-H Sustainable Communities Projects

Project Leader: Karen Barshefsky

Participating Extension Staff and Faculty:

• Karen Barshefsky
• Sherrie Guyott
• Kim Pond
• Jason Jordanides

Project Year: 2009

Brief Description

The 4-H Sustainable Communities Project will engage young people in the city of Springfield in the out of school time hours to provide educational enrichment and promote life skills development. An area of national and local need that has been identified by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, National 4-H Council and UMass Extension 4-H is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education (STEM). Education in the STEM disciplines is critical for preparing a globally and regionally competitive workforce.

The Massachusetts 4-H Program is uniquely positioned in Massachusetts to assist in delivering quality educational STEM programs in out-of-school settings. The National 4-H Curriculum System provides a rich and diverse set of research, juried curricula and evaluative methodologies developed by faculty throughout the national system. 

As the 4-H Sustainable Communities Project evolves, project leaders will continue to seek partners in the Springfield community and at UMass Amherst to expand the array of educational enrichment and youth development experiences to help prepare youth for success in school while creating connections and pathways between Springfield youth and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Activities

• Increased Awareness of SET

Inputs: Time and Effort

Outcomes:

This Project will document progress towards the following:

• Youth apply SET learning to contexts outside of the classroom.
• Increased awareness of Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET).
• Youth increase life skill development.