Successes and challenges in recruitment and retention of urban youth development volunteers Rutgers University Rebecca Kalenak, Essex County 4-H Agent Laura Bovitz, Middlesex County 4-H Agent Marissa Blodnik, Essex County 4-H Program Associate Shane Pierre, Middlesex County 4-H Program Associate

Niños Fuertes, Communidades Mas Fuertes (Strong Kids, Stronger Communities) Essex County, Newark, New Jersey Rebecca Kalenak, County Agent; Kalenak, County Agent; Marissa Blodnik, Program Associate; Blodnik, Program Associate; Middlesex County, New Brunswick, New Jersey Laura Bovitz, County Agent; Bovitz, County Agent; Shane Pierre, Program Associate; Pierre, Program Associate;

agenda Introduction of (5 minutes) Introduction of Niños Fuertes, Communidades Mas Fuertes (Strong Kids, Stronger Communities) (5 minutes) Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Youth Development Programs (40 minutes) Resource Development (20 minutes) Plan of Action (20 minutes) Question and Answer Time (5 minutes)

History Niños Fuertes, Communidades Mas Fuertes (Strong Kids, Stronger Communities) Traditional 4-H in Non-Traditional Settings, building 4-H Club Program in an urban environments traditionally lacking in 4-H programs and clubs. Funded through a Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Grant Focus on the Latino centers of population in New Brunswick and the north ward of Newark, NJ

Program objectives Provide a positive youth development experience for underserved Latino youth Provide leadership opportunities for youth and adults in the communities of New Brunswick and Newark Provide an opportunity for youth develop and maintain community and cultural connections Develop and maintain connections with Rutgers University Assist youth with development of career goals.

A whole new world The Balance of 4-H membership has shifted since the program’s inception more than 100 years ago, when 4-H served primarily Urban Youth (Enfield, 2001). Today, more than 30% of 4-H members in the United States live in cities or suburbs of cities with populations of 50,000 or more (USDA, 2010) Changing demographics present new challenges for youth development professionals A new shift in 4-H membership also means a shift in volunteers available to work with those youth

What are we working with? Who are your current volunteers What are your current volunteer resources (training/recruitment…) Challenges and obstacles of recruitment and retention Current successes and positive opportunities

What Works? Current Volunteers Due to limited ability to recruit parent and community adults as leaders, the following groups have been recruited to serve as club or resource leaders: AmeriCorps volunteers Rutgers University student interns Rutgers University student organizations School teachers/after-school providers Partnerships with local organization leaders to assist with 4-H clubs

Resources… Partnerships that flourish Community collaborations have also allowed us to recruit volunteers who would generally not be exposed to 4-H programming, but lead to successes with recruiting and retaining leaders. Community collaborations have also allowed us to recruit volunteers who would generally not be exposed to 4-H programming, but lead to successes with recruiting and retaining leaders. Local Latino organizations Boys and Girls Clubs and United Way After-School and Charter School Programs Local cultural and art organizations Local schools and libraries YMCA and Teen Centers

Where have all the volunteers gone? Parents without the ability to volunteer time/resources Lack of community based adult volunteers Isolated communities with little or no knowledge of or trust in 4-H Lack of cooperation from public schools Language barriers and transportation Securing club meeting and event locations Retention of youth and consistency of attendance at club meetings

Successes and positive opportunities Partnering with city and county wide initiatives that impact urban citizens Community gardening Climate science Gang prevention Library and summer programs Partnering with city and county wide initiatives that impact urban citizens STEM programs and clubs Alternative Club Structures SPIN (Special Interest Clubs School Based Clubs

Resources available Rutgers University, New Jersey translated resources; Latino4h.pbworks.com Latino4h.pbworks.com Oregon State University; Latino Outreach Project Latino Outreach ProjectLatino Outreach Project University of Wisconsin; Latino Resources Latino ResourcesLatino Resources 4-H Science in Urban Communities 4-H Science in Urban Communities

Break the language barrier

A plan of action

references Enfield, R. P. (2001). Connections between 4-H and John Dewey's Philosophy of Education. FOCUS. Davis: 4-H Center for Youth Development, University of California, Winter. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). (2010). Annual 4-H Youth Development Enrollment Report. Retrieved May 15, 2013 from

Niños Fuertes, Communidades Mas Fuertes (Strong Kids, Stronger Communities) Essex County, Newark, New Jersey Rebecca Kalenak, County Agent; Kalenak, County Agent; Marissa Blodnik, Program Associate; Blodnik, Program Associate; Middlesex County, New Brunswick, New Jersey Laura Bovitz, County Agent; Bovitz, County Agent; Shane Pierre, Program Associate; Pierre, Program Associate;