University of Wisconsin - Extension

If our children are to develop into successful students, effective leaders, productive workers and involved citizens, they need education that extends beyond the classroom. They of course need to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, but they also can benefit from something more¿structured programs that foster new skills, fuel self-confidence and encourage a sense of citizenship through public service and contributions to their local communities. Research tells us that capabilities and traits like these play a highly important role in college success.

The state¿s public university can help. We propose that the University of Wisconsin assist families and communities to enhance existing educational systems by launching a major statewide pre-college program that will help young people:

• Develop and test practical living skills in a safe and supportive "real world" environment.

• Become actively involved in their communities and more informed about local issues by playing active, meaningful roles in local organizations and governments.

• Prepare for the world of work through direct experience with projects and activities that correspond to future career opportunities, including jobs in emerging high-tech and biotechnology industries.

• Experience success in a non-formal learning environment.

• Develop and enhance their communication and problem-solving skills.

• Deal effectively with violence, crime and other threats.

Our goals for this program are ambitious. We anticipate that we could enroll as many as 150,000 young people in this educational program and work through community-based groups that would be affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Extension offices in all 72 counties. Faculty from the UW System campuses would support professional youth development educators at these county sites with expertise in human development, natural sciences, nutrition, business and other academic fields.

While young people themselves would play meaningful leadership roles in developing educational and social activities, we plan to enlist the support of schools, neighborhood centers, zoos and parks. We expect to recruit approximately 15,000 parents and community leaders as volunteer advisors.

To many people, this may sound like a radical new idea. However, this model for a statewide university-affiliated youth program is neither radical nor new. The University of Wisconsin, in fact, has been working on such a program for 100 years.

It is called 4-H!

You may think of 4-H as an organization that focuses exclusively on agriculture and livestock. While it¿s true that rural 4-H clubs have put a lot of work into these areas, 4-H programs also exist in Wisconsin¿s largest cities, where they offer many unique opportunities for thousands of urban youth. In towns and cities of all sizes, 4-H members participate in arts and hands-on environmental education projects, learn to use computers, and participate in hundreds of other learn-by-doing projects and activities that teach valuable life lessons.

Although local 4-H activities vary according to the needs and interests of their communities, the single most common activity is public service. Many of these projects strive to involve young people in local government, and several 4-H clubs participate in teen courts where members act as judges in cases involving young first-time offenders. This is only one example of how 4-H is helping young people acquire the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in our democratic society.

October 2001 marks an important milestone in the history of 4-H, as members nationwide begin the celebration of that organization¿s centennial year. 4-H youth development leaders in Wisconsin and around the country plan to mark the anniversary with a series of conversations¿public forums¿that will bring youth and adults together to talk about how communities can work to promote youth involvement and positive development.

These conversations are not just about 4-H. They will examine youth development in its broadest sense, and address what communities can do to improve life for young people in the 21st century. This statewide effort will culminate in January, when representatives from dozens of Wisconsin communities gather in Madison to present pledges of volunteer time to the Governor and engage in a state-level conversation about the future of our young people. Representatives from Wisconsin will then travel to Washington for a national conversation on this topic.

We are proud that the University of Wisconsin-Extension has worked with our county partners to sponsor 4-H programs for the past 100 years. 4-H was a good idea when it was born, and it¿s still a good idea. If we didn¿t already have a 4-H program in Wisconsin to help youth face the challenges of the 21st century, we would want to invent it now.

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Katharine C. Lyall is President of the University of Wisconsin System. Kevin P. Reilly is Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. For more information on 4-H Youth Development, contact the nearest UW-Extension county office, or see http://www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/.