University of Wisconsin - Extension

People often talk about "born leaders," but leadership skills are learned and a new set of materials from 4-H youth development helps young people get a head start on the road to being an effective leader.

4-H has long been known for its success in developing young leaders, and these materials offer a comprehensive guide, with aged-based modules that will work for kids from kindergarten through high school.

"It is a whole new approach to helping young people develop leadership skills," says Sue Pleskac, a 4-H specialist on volunteer development who tested the curriculum when she was the youth development agent in Jefferson County.

"From my perspective there are two things about these materials that make them so valuable for teaching leadership skills," she said. "First, they are set up by grade level. And second, they are organized so the kids can keep track of things they are learning and their own experience as leaders." Pleskac said younger children have a leadership workbook; older children keep a leadership journal; and high school students create a leadership portfolio. The idea, Pleskac said, is to keep a record and be able to demonstrate leadership skills and experiences.

The new materials also include guides for adult or older youth mentors.

Activities and learning experiences are varied and support the idea that there are many different ways to be a leader. Pleskac described one activity in which youth analyze the story of the Wizard of Oz as a kind of fable about leadership.

"What the youth come to see is that all of the characters in the story had unique leadership skills that helped them reach their goals and helped the others reach their goals as well. It's a wonderful opening for talking about diversity and people who have different qualities and attributes," she said.

The materials offer dozens of ideas and activities for not just learning about leadership but for practicing leadership. There are suggestions for service learning projects, exhibits, volunteer work and much more.

To learn more about 4-H leadership development, please contact the 4-H youth development agent at your county University of Wisconsin-Extension office.