4-H Program Report March 2016 County Council Meeting Ariel Smoke 4-H Program Representative

USDA Review of CA 4-H Programs USDA has ultimate authority over all 4-H programs Part of their responsibility is ensuring that Affirmative Action and other non-discrimination laws are being followed In 2013 the USDA received a congressional complaint that CA 4-H programs are not reaching all parts of their communities, and may in fact be discriminatory. This triggered an extensive review and audit of CA 4- H beginning in September 2013, which just finished in January 2016. If we do not address the USDA’s concerns, CA 4-H will lose Federal backing, which would essentially disband the program.

USDA Review Findings None of our programs are meeting Affirmative Action guidelines. Essentially, we need to achieve “parity” in order to be in good standing with the USDA. Parity is when the percent distribution of program participants by race and gender is proportionate to or within at least 80% of their respective representation of that group in the potential audience/population. Example: There are 10% potentially eligible Hispanics in the county. To have parity, there should be at least 8% Hispanic in the clubs. San Joaquin is “highly out of parity” in regards to Hispanic, Asian, and Black populations. We are not reaching enough of the youth in our community. The USDA wants 4-H programming to reach 20% of the youth population in each state. CA 4-H currently reaches 0.9% of youth. San Joaquin 4-H reaches 0.008% of youth.

Let’s take a step back… What is 4-H’s real goal? The University of California 4-H Youth Development Program engages youth in reaching their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development. (CA 4-H Mission Statement) 4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults. (National 4-H Mission Statement) We exist because we want to help all of the youth in our community grow and excel. The USDA review points out where we are failing to live up to those goals.

State 4-H 10 Year Goals Reach 3% of youth ages 5-19 in California. Long-term goal is 20%, but 3% is considered to be realistic for this timeframe. Increase Latino participation rate to 50%. This would achieve parity for this population. Increase number of Latino volunteers. This goes hand-in-hand with the above point; we cannot effectively serve a community without support from the parents and other adults in it. Current volunteer-to-youth ratio statewide is 1:4, and we want to maintain this ratio.

10 Year Goals for San Joaquin 4-H Increase youth participation in county 4-H programs to 5,464 by 2025. Youth participation in 2015 was 1,328. Club participation in 2015 was 638. Achieve parity for Latino population by 2025. About 48% of the youth in our county are Latino; currently 32% of our 4-H members are Latino. Club participation was only 17.1%. By 2025 we should have 2,732 Latino participants; currently we have 425. Maintain at least 1:4 volunteer-to-youth ratio. We’ll need 1,366 volunteers in 2025, 683 of which should be Latino. Club participation in 2015 was 638. Latino participation in club program is 17.1%.

How do we get there? We keep all of our current programs. We DO NOT plan on getting rid of the club program; in fact we will be doing our best to open new clubs. We’ll be working with our current volunteers to improve current offerings. You’re doing awesome work already, and we want to keep that going. We’ll help connect you with people who can help you expand your clubs so that you achieve parity. Staff at all levels are making this a huge priority. Ariel, Bobby, and Brent will be working closely with the State 4-H Office and other counties to develop plans and resources.

How do we get there? (cont.) Club program is not viable for all youth, so we’ll be creating new programs that they CAN join. Afterschools programs that utilize school staff instead of traditional volunteers. Afterschool and In-School clubs using a model that’s been very successful in Sonoma county. Special Interest Clubs (SPIN Clubs), which is a model developed in Illinois. Summer programs such as day camps. We’ll be working with a lot of community organizations (like the County Office of Education and PUENTES Urban Farm) to develop partnerships.

Take-home message: This is actually very exciting! If we’re successful, we’ll be making a HUGE impact on our communities. We’ll be giving updates at each Council meeting, and following up with individuals as plans start coming together. If you have any ideas, let us know! We cannot succeed without you!