Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
We are implementing Juntos 4-H in Indiana. The Juntos Program is an intensive long-term program made up of four componemts:1. Juntos Family Engagement via a 5 or 6 week workshop series and other family nights and family events.2. Regular Juntos 4-H Club meetings with a focus on tutoring, life skills, and community service.3. Monthly One-on-One Success Coaching and/or Mentoring by an adult who monitors their academics and coaches them to achieve their academic goals.4. Juntos summer programming that includes the Juntos Summer Academy and other local 4-H summer programs and events.According to The Pew Research Center, the "U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.1 million in 2020, an increase of 23% over the previous decade that outpaced the nation's 7% overall population growth" (Passel, Lopez, & Cohn, 2022). (Please note that throughout this proposal, the authors use the terms Hispanic and Latino interchangeably. The authors recognize the differences and the challenges of variation in research and government documents. When working with clientele, we are cautious to use their preferred terminology). Thirty-seven percent of Latinos in Indiana 25 years and older have not completed high school or an equivalent level of education (three times higher than non-Hispanic whites).Fewer than 15% of Latino adults in Indiana have a college or a professional degree (Thelin & Sapp, 2016). The Indiana State Board of Education and Indiana Commission for Higher Education have priorities established to address the achievement gaps that occur among Hoosier youth. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an achievement gap is "when one group of students outperforms another group and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant" (Hemphill, Venneman & Rahman, 2011). While achievement gaps are commonly associated with racial disparities, they can also affect groups such as low-income students and English language learners. Achievement gaps are often seen not only on test scores, but in many aspects of the education system, such as gaps in access to high quality facilities, teachers, resources, and opportunities. Although gaps between racial and ethnic groups have decreased over the last decade, Hispanic youth are still more likely to have dropped out of high school than children of other major races/ethnicities (Heckman & LaFontaine, 2010). In 2015, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (designed to address educational disparities faced by the Hispanic community in the United States) selected Juntos as one of the signature programs models helping to close the achievement gap. North Carolina State University developed the Juntos Program 15 years ago and has worked with states around the nation to train and support their own Juntos Program implementation. Juntos is currently in 16 states across the US. We are very pleased that North Carolina State Juntos faculty and staff have agreed to support our expansion of Juntos in Indiana.We will focus on helping young Latino teens understand the importance of sense of belonging in school and community organizations (Juntos 4-H Club) in addition to the importance of school attendance and grades. We will also create opportunities for increased knowledge, attitudes, life skills and aspirations toward academic success ultimately leading to increased self-advocacy. As we work with parents, we desire to assist with developing their knowledge of the importance of monitoring teens' academic progress and the importance of parental advocacy, ultimately helping them to recognize the skills teens need to successfully transition to high school.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
100%
Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
Desired short and long-term results are based on North Carolina State's prior successes with Juntos program implementation in multiple states. We will focus on helping young Latino teens understand the importance of sense of belonging in school and community organizations (Juntos 4-H Club) in addition to the importance of school attendance and grades. We will also create opportunities for increased knowledge, attitudes, life skills and aspirations toward academic success ultimately leading to increased self-advocacy. As we work with parents, we desire to assist with developing their knowledge of the importance of monitoring teens' academic progress and the importance of parental advocacy, ultimately helping them to recognize the skills teens need to successfully transition to high school. We desire to increase effective transitions and engagement of middle school aged Latino teens and Latino parents' involvement in schools, ultimately resulting in teens' academic success and a reduction in Latino teen high school dropout rates in JUNTOS-affiliated schools. Concurrently, this project will examine the attitudes of institutionalization of Juntos 4-H into Purdue Extension.
Project Methods
Juntos will be implemented in Indiana with Casey Mull serving as the PI/Project Director for the project with fiscal and administrative responsibility in addition to assisting with evaluation and reporting. Dr. Mull has extensive experience with the 4-H Youth Development Program and has established a priority of inclusion and acceptance of new audiences of youth in various 4-H efforts. Juntos 4-H implementation builds on prior successful efforts with programming to attract Latino youth while meeting the needs of Latino teens and their families. Dr. Mull has been a part of three previous CYFAR SCP grants. Dr. Ruiz will serve as a Co-PI and evaluator for the project. Dr. Ruiz has developed a body of research with multi-ethnic teens and has prior experience as the evaluator for previous CYFAR SCP awards. She is familiar with and committed to the importance of evaluation of specific program delivery models. Heather VonDielingen will serve as a Co-PI for the project implementation and as the Technology Specialist. Heather currently serves as the Statewide Juntos 4-H Coordinator and 4-H Youth Educator and County Extension Director in Jackson County. She has extensive knowledge of the Purdue Extension system and has demonstrated success in leading Juntos 4-H efforts in Indiana 4-H. She will guide local extension staff and community partners in St. Joseph, Clinton, and Tipton Counties with partner and local resource development. She will also assist with technical assistance and required reporting. In addition, VonDielingen will identify additional Juntos 4-H sites across Indiana, identifying sites to self-fund Juntos 4-H work to grow sustainability for the program statewide. Purdue Extension staff in the selected communities will provide the day-to-day general oversite of Juntos. Brittni Gendron, Caren Crum, and Brian Howell are 4-H Extension Educators in St. Joseph, Clinton, and Tipton counties, respectively. They will be responsible for identifying and supervising the local Success Coaches and Program Assistant for the Juntos 4-H Club. Success Coaches, local program assistants, and Purdue Extension staff in each county as well as school liaisons and community partners will assist with organizational support for the Juntos 4-H Club as they work collaboratively to assist youth in developing life skills. These individuals will also support the program components for parents and families.Physical and Psychological Safety: Success Coaches and Program Assistants will be hired and will be representative of the demographic makeup of the community. This will provide a stronger connection between parents and Juntos participants thus contributing to psychological safety. All employees and volunteers of Purdue University are required to complete Youth Protection Training before they may conduct programming with youth. Additionally, Purdue Extension guidelines regarding screening and background checks of volunteers will be utilized.Appropriate Structure: Each of the selected site locations has in place clear and consistent structure and appropriate adult supervision. Extension staff will work with the Success Coaches and Program Assistants who will guide 4-H Clubs. They will also provide an orientation to the behavioral guidelines and conflict resolution strategies to be utilized with the students, school and community volunteers. Teens input will be received to assist with program development.Supportive Relationships: Extension staff, Program Assistants, and other volunteers will utilize experiential learning to enhance creativity and teamwork among students. The recruitment of volunteers who have a passion for working with a vulnerable youth population is critical to establishing close staff/participant relationships, ultimately leading to the success of the project.Opportunities to Belong: The after school 4-H clubs that will be formed will focus on tutoring, community service, and life skills activities. Monthly family engagement workshops and other activities for parents will help to connect families to youth. The summer 4-H Academy, Purdue Agribusiness Science Academy, and other opportunities such as field trips and participation in state and national 4-H activities, further enhances teen experiences and sense of belonging. The culturally sensitive nature of the Juntos program contributes to the teens and families' sense of belonging.Positive Social Norms: The 4-H Program, which also encourages contribution to community, will enhance teens' understanding of positive and supportive environments. Teens will gain a better understanding of existing societal norms present in the workforce. We will embrace cultural diversity with activities, guest speakers, and field trips.Support for Efficacy and Mattering: The faculty and staff who will support Indiana Juntos are committed to the engagement of youth within their larger, geographic community. The involvement of school and community volunteers in this project not only builds towards sustainability but will also help engage and connect youth. The project is deliberate and intentional in connecting teens to supportive adults and communities. Additionally, staff involved in this effort view the teens as an asset and resource who will be encouraged to demonstrate their new skills and knowledge to others. Opportunities will be given to youth at the local, state, and national level to increase their self-efficacy and public speaking skills.Opportunities for Skill Building: The inclusion of 4-H club experiences offers teens the opportunity to not only belong to a cultural group they lead, but also provides time focused on building skills in public speaking, writing, teamwork, and service learning. This builds teens' confidence, ultimately leading to shared decision making, improved communication with peers and parents, as well as increased self-efficacy and future aspirations for post-secondary education options and potential careers.