1. Research Base for 4-H Youth Development Professionals
Pamela Rose, PhD
Oregon State University
Marion County
4-H Youth Development Educator

2. Goals for this webinar Understand our Research Base
Increase understanding of Positive Youth Development (PYD)
Theory
Historic/Current Research Base
Frameworks
Provide ideas for how to put this knowledge into everyday practice

3. What is our Research Base?
4-H Professional, Research, Knowledge, Competency (4-H PRKC)
Youth Development
Youth Program Development
Organizational Systems
Partnerships
Volunteerism
Equity, Access and Opportunity
Stone, B . & Rennekamp, R. (2004)
Since 1985, the 4-H youth development profession has relied upon a 4-H professional research and knowledge base to guide our efforts when working with and on behalf of young people. In 2004, the most current and comprehensive research and knowledge representing the field of 4-H youth development was compiled resulting in the 4-H PRKC model. Six integrated, yet distinct ares were identified as what matters most when working with young people. List them.

4. Youth Development Research Base
Positive Youth Development
A field which has only established its footing in the last years
Grew out of a look at adolescence through the lens of systems theories:
Plasticity of adolescent development
Multiple pathways children take through adolescence
Plasticity: the potential that individuals have for systematic change throughout life. Meaning adolescents trajectories are not fixed and can be significantly influenced by factors in their homes, schools, and communities (Lerner, 2006)

5. Positive Youth Development
“View young people as
resources to be developed
rather than as problems
to be managed.”
(Lerner, 2005; Damon, 2004)

6. Why is a Research Base important to our work?
Serves as the cornerstone
Provides credibility
Creates positive outcomes for youth

7. A look back…Strategies of the Past
Focus on reducing specific risk behaviors
Categorical funding—Categorical problems
Focus on stopping teens from….
Presumption of Guilt:
Just Say “No”
This is Your Brain on Drugs!

8. Ecological Model
Ecological theory is based on an understanding that young people grow up in a set of nested contexts.
(Brofenbrenner, 1979)

9. Positive Youth Development: A 21st Century Approach
Young people grow up in communities, not programs. Efforts must strengthen communities.
Youth are valued assets who can contribute positively to community change—now and as adults.
Youth participation as partners is essential

10. Traditional Youth Services Positive Youth Development
Focus on problems
Focus on positive outcomes
Reactive
Pro-active
Targeted youth
All youth
Youth as recipients
Youth as active participants
Programs
Community response (systemic change)
This presents a real shift in thinking of how we provide services for young people.
Instead of concentrating on problems and problem prevention – we move to nurturing positive outcomes; we focus on what young people need to thrive.
From reacting to problems and needs, we become pro-active.
We move from targeting young people – either high risk or gifted – to planning and creating opportunities for all young people.
Instead of looking at young people as recipients of services and programs, we look at young peopls as resources, as partners who can make valuable contributions in planning and implementing activies.
It also means we move from programs to a more community wide network of learning opportunities, interactions and activities. This can mean enhancing and expanding existing programs as well as creating intergenerational activities outside of traditional youth programming.
Ultimately this means that youth development is not just a task of professionals but all community members.
Professional providers
Community members

11. Positive Youth Development
This approach does not replace the focus on preventing problems.
Rather, it creates a larger framework that promotes positive outcomes for ALL young people.
The focus is on asset-building.
This framework includes a broad base of opportunities, such as: mentoring, school- based community service programs, arts activities, parenting skills and more.
Community youth development purposely creates environments that provide constructive, affirmative, and encouraging relationships that are sustained over time with adults and peers, while also providing an array of opportunities that enable youth to build their competencies and become engaged as partners in their own development as well as in the development of their communities.
Community youth development is a step beyond prevention. It is a process by which young people’s developmental needs are met, their engagement in problem behaviors is prevented, and (most importantly) they are empowered to build the competencies and skills necessary to become healthy, contributing citizens now and as adults.

12. Target: Opportunities for Youth
Approaches to Youth Development
Focus: Risks
Target: Social Norms
Goal: Fewer Problems
Focus: Skills & Knowledge
Focus: Developmental Needs
Target: Individual Learners
Target: Opportunities for Youth
Goal: Competency in knowledge or skill
Goal: Maturity
Over the years, our 4-H Educators have used many approaches in their work with youth. Understanding these approaches and how they differ is critical in our effectiveness.
Prevention
Education
Youth Development
Source: Dr. Cathann Kress (2004).

13. Youth Development
Youth development is the natural process of developing one's abilities and capacities. While it occurs through a youth's daily experiences with people, places, and possibilities, it is far too important to be left to chance.

14. Positive Youth Development
Positive youth development occurs from an intentional process that promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, relationships and the support to fully participate. Youth development takes place in families, peer groups, schools, neighborhoods and communities.

15. “Problem free is not fully prepared.
Fully prepared is not fully engaged.”
Karen Pittman
Executive Director of the Forum for Youth Investment
OVERHEAD [2]
Research is important but you need a theory that puts it in perspective. Karen Pittman is the theoretician who pulled it all together. She is able to illustrate her thinking in catchy slogans. Most of you have heard: “Problem free is not fully prepared and fully prepared is not fully engaged”. This seems to capture the central message of positive youth development.

16. Positive Youth Development
A philosophy or approach that guides communities in the way they organize programs and supports so that young people can develop to their full potential!
OVERHEAD [2]
Finally – here is our definition of positive youth development:
“Positive youth development is the philosophy that guides communities in the way they organize programs and supports so that young people can develop to their full potential.”

17. Proven Principles of PYD
Youth do youth development. They grow up with or without our help. Our support makes a difference.
An asset-based approach builds on the positive protective factors in a young person’s life.
Caring adults provide essential support to youth.
Problem-free is neither fully prepared nor fully engaged.
Intentional opportunities promote desired outcomes.
Young people are resources, not problems to be managed.

18. What is a Framework?
A way to organize what is known in an area in order to make it easier for people to use that knowledge effectively.
Many frameworks use the same research and label core elements differently.
Understanding the core elements of a framework are critical to its effective use.
Source: Dr. Cathann Kress (2007). CYFAR Speech

19. Purpose of the Framework
Frameworks may be designed to:
stimulate research (theories)
communicate to a wide audience
summarize a whole body of literature
guide action
Knowing the intended purpose of a framework
helps to check alignment with your intended use.
Frameworks arise not from data
so much as purpose.
Some are designed to communicate to a wide audience
America's Promise
Some are designed to summarize a whole body of literature
Risk & Protective Factors
Some are designed to guide action

20. A few frameworks… Essential Features Search Institute’s 40 Assets
4-H Life Skills
America’s Promise
Circle of Courage
Essential Elements
The 5 C’s

21. Essential Features of PYD
Physical and Psychological Safety
Appropriate Structure
Supportive Relationships
Opportunities for Belonging
Positive Social Norms
Support for Efficacy & Mattering
Opportunities for Skills Building
Integration of Family, School and Community Efforts
National Research Council (2002)

22. Search Institute Assets
External Assets
Support
Empowerment
Boundaries and Expectations
Constructive Use of Time
Internal Assets
Commitment to Learning
Positive Values
Social Competencies
Positive Identity
OVERHEAD [2]
The building blocks or assets are experiences, values, skills and opportunities young people need to develop to their full potential. They are grouped as external, those traits communities, schools, and families need to provide, and internal, those traits the individual brings to the table.
As you can see the findings from both research bodies, prevention and resiliency, have been incorporated.
The Search Institute has used a survey for 6-12 graders to create an assessment/ a snap shot of how young people in a community are doing at a given time.
On average, less than half of the young people in a community have 20 or more assets. The message is clear – we have to build more assets.

23. Thriving Indicators by Asset Level
OVERHEAD [2]
Similarly, the more assets a young person has, the more likely he or she is to succeed in school and make healthy behavior choices.
The strength of the asset building model is that it makes sense and it is easily understandable. Communities can mobilize around the survey findings.

24. Relationship of Assets to Negative Outcomes
Percent of Teens
OVERHEAD [2]
One of Search’s important contributions to the field has been to demonstrate a direct relationship between assets and outcomes.
This slide shows the relationship between assets and negative outcomes; the fewer assets the more likely you will see negative behavior such as alcohol use and violence.
These findings are based on a data set that by now includes over 200,000 high school students.
Number of assets
Copyright © 2001 by Search Institute

25. 4-H Life Skills Model

26. Comparing Frameworks National Research Council 4-H Life Skills Model
Search Institute
Physical
Development
Health
Internal Assets
External
Assets
Intellectual Development
Head
Psychological and Emotional Development
Heart
Social Development
Hands
My point here is that the models aren’t exclusive – but can be complementary. And there are other models – America’s Promise has theirs, the 5 Cs (that I always forget or else they’d be on the chart), and other organizations.
What the NAS report – and the growing research evidence tells us, is that these areas of development are being fostered in the context of community youth programs – that we call youth development.
Some early studies of youth programs began to find unintended consequences. Programs that weren’t designed to prevent teen pregnancy, but to promote environmental awareness, for example, were found to have a strong difference on risk taking behavior – unrelated to program content.
The growing body of research has begun to suggest that youth developmental programs are doing better than targeted prevention efforts at helping young people learn to make healthy choices – to avoid adolescent problems that we hear so much about – and develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.

27. P.E.P. Talk
Putting into Everyday Practice

28. How to put knowledge into practice
Basis for Research
Administered Search Institute Surveys to all 8th-10th grade students in County
Identified assets students were lacking
Created program to address needs
Measured impact of program

29. America’s Promise… Caring Adult Safe Places Effective Education
Healthy Start
Opportunities to Help Others

30. Circle of Courage
First introduced in 1990 in the book “Reclaiming Youth at Risk”.

31. Essential Elements of 4-H PYD
In 1999, a team of evaluators from the National 4-H Impact Design Implementation Team was given the charge of determining the “critical elements in a 4-H experience”.

32. Essential Elements of 4-H PYD
Positive relationship with a caring adult
A safe environment
An inclusive environment
Engagement in learning
Opportunity for mastery
Opportunity to see oneself as an active participant in their future
Opportunity for self-determination
Opportunity to value and practice service for others

33. Essential Elements of 4-H PYD distilled into 4-H concepts
Belonging
Positive Relationship with a caring adult
A safe environment
An inclusive environment
Mastery
Engagement in Learning
Opportunity for Mastery
Independence
Opportunity to see oneself as an active participant in the future
Opportunity for self-determination
Generosity
Opportunity to value and practice service for others

34. Comparing Frameworks 4-H Essential Elements Circle of Courage
America’s Promise
Belonging
See themselves as belonging to a whole
Caring Adult
Safe Places
Independence
Take step forward as independent people
Effective Education
Mastery
Draw on their inherent mastery of life
Healthy Start
Generosity
Use generosity to contribute their wisdom to community
Opportunities to Help Others
My point here is that the models aren’t exclusive – but can be complementary. And there are other models – America’s Promise has theirs, the 5 Cs (that I always forget or else they’d be on the chart), and other organizations.
What the NAS report – and the growing research evidence tells us, is that these areas of development are being fostered in the context of community youth programs – that we call youth development.
Some early studies of youth programs began to find unintended consequences. Programs that weren’t designed to prevent teen pregnancy, but to promote environmental awareness, for example, were found to have a strong difference on risk taking behavior – unrelated to program content.
The growing body of research has begun to suggest that youth developmental programs are doing better than targeted prevention efforts at helping young people learn to make healthy choices – to avoid adolescent problems that we hear so much about – and develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.

35. P.E.P. Talk
Putting into Everyday Practice

36. How to put knowledge into practice
Program Planning/Education needs
Used Circle of Courage as the basis for training provided to Counselors in Training (CIT)
Helped counselors understand needs of campers based on 4 elements
Situation based activities

37. The Five C’s
Categorizing desired outcomes for youth into 5 C’s ( Connell, Gambone & Smith, 2000; Lerner, Fisher & Weinberg 2000)
Competence
Confidence
Connection
Character
Caring & Compassion

38. Definition of the Five C’s
Competence – refers to the social, academic, cognitive and vocational capacities of youth
Confidence – the internal sense of positive self-worth and efficacy
Connection – positive bonds with people and institutions
Character – respect for societal and cultural rules, a sense of right and wrong, integrity
Caring & Compassion – a sense of sympathy and empathy for others
(Source: Lerner (2004) and Roth & Brooks-Gunn (2003a)

39. Recent study The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development
Research Questions:
How can PYD theory be translated into specific practices that will help young people thrive?
Do YD programs do this successfully?

40. About the Study
First-ever longitudinal study to measure positive youth development (PYD)
Led by Richard Lerner, Ph.D., professor at Tufts University, in cooperation with land-grant universities and funded by the National 4-H Council
Included more than 4,400 youth and 2,800 parents in 34 states
Measured impact of personal and social factors on young person’s development

41. Result Highlights
Proves that structured, out-of-school-time programs like 4-H are critical to youth success
Youth who spend more time in 4-H reported significantly:
higher levels of Contribution than youth who participated in other out-of-school time activities
lower (63 %) levels on risk/problem behavior
better grades
likely to expect themselves to go to college

42. Five Outcomes of PYD
The child or adolescent who develops each of the Five C’s is considered to be thriving:
1) competence
2) confidence
3) connection
4) character
5) and caring/compassion
Thriving youth then develop a 6th C – contribution
(to self, family, community and civil society)
PYD leads to contribution in early adolescence and results in youth who are competent, caring, and confident individuals who have character and are connected to their communities.
Once these five characteristics develop, a sixth characteristic emerges: contribution. This sixth characteristic occurs when young people contribute to their communities, their families, and themselves. This study shows that 4-H youth CONTRIBUTE!

44. Comparing Frameworks -
4-H Essential
Elements
Foundations for self-worth
(S. Coopersmith,2000)
Dimensions of psychological
Empowerment (G. Spreitzer, 2005)
The Five C’s
Belonging
Significance
Meaning
Connection
Independence
Power
Self-determination
Confidence
Mastery
Competence
Generosity
Virtue
Impact
Caring and Character
My point here is that the models aren’t exclusive – but can be complementary. And there are other models – America’s Promise has theirs, the 5 Cs (that I always forget or else they’d be on the chart), and other organizations.
What the NAS report – and the growing research evidence tells us, is that these areas of development are being fostered in the context of community youth programs – that we call youth development.
Some early studies of youth programs began to find unintended consequences. Programs that weren’t designed to prevent teen pregnancy, but to promote environmental awareness, for example, were found to have a strong difference on risk taking behavior – unrelated to program content.
The growing body of research has begun to suggest that youth developmental programs are doing better than targeted prevention efforts at helping young people learn to make healthy choices – to avoid adolescent problems that we hear so much about – and develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.

45. P.E.P. Talk
Putting into Everyday Practice

46. How to put knowledge into practice
Program Planning
Incorporate Essential Elements in my 4-H New Leader Education Class
Discussion
Activity

47. Harm
Future

48. Logic Model Situation Inputs Outputs Outcomes Short Medium Long Term
What we invest
Staff
Volunteers
Time
Money
Materials
Equipment
Technology
Partners
What we do
(Program
Activities)
Workshops
Meetings
Facilitation
Product Dev.
Training
Curriculum
Who we reach
(Participation)
Participants
Customers
Citizens
Short
Medium
Long Term
Learning
Awareness
Knowledge
Attitudes
Skills
Opinions
Aspirations
Motivations
Action
Behavior
Practice
Decisions
Policies
Conditions
Social
Economic
Civil
Environmental
Situation
Taken from “Logic Model Training for New 4-H Staff” by Mary Arnold, OSU Extension Specialist

49. New Leader Education Logic Model
Inputs
Outputs
Outcomes
What is done..
Who is reached...
Short
Medium
Long Term
Incorporate Essential Elements in new leader training
4-H Adult and Teen Leaders will learn the 8 essential elements and have the expertise to build them into their 4-H club setting
Trainees will be effective in incorporating the essential elements in their role as a 4-H adult or teen leader
4-H members will experience at least one of the 5 C’s (caring, connection, competence, confidence or character) as a result of the expertise and effectiveness of the 4-H adult or teen leader.
Staff 60
Adult and Teen Leaders
are trained
Materials
Provide 3 Hours of New Leader Training
25 4-H clubs are exposed to Essential Elements

50. Logic Model for PYD S I T U A O N INPUTS OUTPUTS OUTCOMES
Positive Youth Development Theory and Frameworks
Positive Youth Development Best Practices
Positive Youth Development Outcomes

51. P.E.P. Talk
Putting into Everyday Practice

52. How to put knowledge into practice
Teaching
Use this power point to provide training to other youth development professionals:
After School Coordinators
Head Start Staff
Master Gardeners
Commission on Children and Families Programs
Adolescent Sexuality Conference

53. How to put knowledge into practice
Market – tell our story
Include 5 C’s on your 4-H website, 4-H fan page, or promotional flyers
Describe Tufts Study outcomes in a newsletter, display, or presentation

54. 4 ways to put knowledge into practice
1. Basis for Research
Incorporate into Logic Model planning for programs and outcomes
2. Program Planning
Practice what you preach – our county and state 4-H programs should include the essential elements of 4-H PYD.

55. 4 ways to put knowledge into practice
3. Teaching
Share knowledge and theories with others
4. Marketing and Promotion
Advocate with it when telling your story to partners, media, 4-H families, and elected officials.

56. PYD On-line Resources
National 4-H Headquarters
4-H PRKC Self-Assessment
An awareness and learning tool, not a research instrument, designed to help youth development educators assess their skills in conducting 4-H youth development work.
4-H Youth Development Research
A number of documents related to the Tufts Study and more.
Innovation Center for Community Youth Development
Contains research reports and useful toolkits on numerous topics.
National Youth Development Information Center
Provides information about youth development to national and local youth serving agencies. Also contains youth development training modules.
Forum for Youth Investment
Provides innovative ideas, strategies and resources based on rigorous research.
Search Institute. www2.search-institute.org/assets/
National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth:

57. Sources
Arnold, M. ( ). Logic Model Training for New 4-H Staff. YDE 431 Educational Design for Community Based Youth Development, Oct 31, 2008, Corvallis, OR.
Damon, W. (2004). What is Positive Youth Development? The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591,
Eccles, J. & Gootman, J.A. (eds). (2002). Community programs to promote youth development. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Jelicic, H., Bobek, D., Phelps, E. Lerner, R., and Lerner, J. (2007). Using positive youth development to predict contribution and risk behaviors in early adolescence: Findings from the first two waves of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. International Journal of Behavioral Development. 31 (3)
Kress , C. (2004) 4-H Essential Elements of 4-H Youth Development, National 4-H Headquarters. USDA, Washington D.C.
Kress , C. (2007) Frames, Frameworks and Foundations in Youth Development Outreach, CYFAR Pre-conference, May 1, 2007, Chicago, IL.
Lerner, R. (2004). Liberty: Thriving and Civic Engagement Among America’s Youth. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

58. Sources
Lerner, R. Lerner, J., Phelps, E. et. al. (2009). Waves of the Future: The first five years of the 4-H study of positive youth development. Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development. Tufts University. Agrilife Communications, TX.
Pittman, K. (1991). Promoting positive youth development: Strengthening the role of youth serving and community organizations. Washington, DC: Center for Youth Development and Policy Research.
Roth, J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2003). What exactly is a youth development program? Answers from research and practice. Applied developmental Science, 7(2),
Search Institute, Accessed from website on April 1,2009 at
Stone , B. & Rennekamp, R. (2004). New Foundations for the 4-H Youth Development Profession: 4-H Professional Research, Knowledge, and Competencies Study, Conducted in cooperation with the National 4-H Professional Development Task Force. National 4-H Headquarters, CSREES, USDA.
The Circle of Courage, Accessed on the web April 1, 2009 at