Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
The 4-H Military Extension Educator Programprovides technical assistance to Department of Defense (DoD) Child and Youth Programs (CYP) staff, and works collaboratively with 4-H and Extension faculty and staff throughout the Land-Grant University system to support and develop positive youth development programs and activities on and off military installations around the world. This includes working with The Ohio State University to enhance Virtual Lab School offerings for DoD youth development professionals, with Purdue University's Military Teen Adventure Camp Grant Program, and with DoD's Office of Military Community and Family Policy to increase awarenessof programs within DoD. This project also focuses on planning, coordinating, and organizing teenleadership opportunities such as the Joint Service Teen Council and attendance at National 4-HConference. Additionally, the program supports efforts to strengthen community support for military families to access opportunities to support military-connected youth and teens in their emotional, social, and practical development. Other activities focus on DoD CYP special initiatives such as Month of theMilitary Child, Military Youth of the Year, National Youth Science Day, Operation Megaphone,Childcare programming, and National 4-H Conference.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
The purpose of this program is to provide technical assistance to DoD CYP staff and coordinate with 4-H Extension faculty and staff throughout the Land-Grant University system to support and develop (establish, expand, and/or enhance) positive youth development programs and activities on and off military installations around the world. The following goals and objectives will support successfully achieving this purpose.Goal 1: To create strategies for communication and capacity-building that will better support and link military-connected audiences to existingand expanded resourcesObjective 1: Collaborate and strategize with youth development specialists from Army, Navy, and Air Force to support newsletters, bulletins, social media postings, and other opportunities provided within each of the services for youth development professionalsObjective 2: Participate in bi-monthly 4-H Military Partnership Military Working Group and 4-H Military Partnership Outreach and Support Programs meetings with State 4-H Military Liaisons to share information with representatives from the Extension regions and to engage in conversations about needs and opportunities for supportObjective 3: Identify opportunities and create resources to support greater community involvement with local military-connected families on and near installations by engaging with Extension professionals for planning and sharing informationGoal 2: To further develop and implement programming that promotes participation of military-connected children, youth, and teensObjective 1: Support efforts to train Extension faculty regarding military culture to more effectively reach military-connected familiesObjective 2: Use existing networks and create additional avenues to share information about Extension sponsored or supported opportunities for military-connected youth (e.g., Purdue University's Military Teen Adventure Camp, various camp programs, club activities, 4-H Conference)Objective 3: Assist in designing, marketing, implementing, and evaluating activities specifically targeting military-connected youth (e.g., Month of the Military Child, Military Youth of the Year, National Youth Science Day, Operation Megaphone, National 4-H Conference, National 4-H Congress, Joint Service Teen Council)Goal 3: To enhance opportunities for professional development and technical assistance for DoD youth development professionals via existing and expanding opportunitiesObjective 1: Assess existing professional development programs for DoD youth development professionals to identify gaps and needs in current opportunities (e.g.,, The Ohio State University Virtual Labs School)?Objective 2: Collaborate with DoD's Office of Military Family Readiness Policy and The Ohio State University's Virtual Lab School team to address gaps and needs in available programmingObjective 3: Partner with CYFAR 4-H Military Partnership Professional Development and Technical Assistance Project to develop and offer joint opportunities for training that will incorporate Extension staff members with DoD youth development professionals for opportunities to incorporate best practices for implementing 4-H curriculumObjective 4: Within DoD, market and promote youth programs support with MOS articles, promotions, webinars, podcasts or using other means available to increase awareness and participation
Project Methods
The methodology for achieving project goals will include participating in existing networks, developing new strategies for information dissemination, and collaborating with experienced professionals at the local, state, and national levels to evaluate and design needed programming.Stakeholders will be involved throughout the process to ensure approaches and activities are appropriate and effective. Stakeholders will include DoD Office of Military Family Readiness Policy staff members who have specific knowledge of the desired program outcomesand outputs as well as experience in managing partnered activities at the federal level. Another stakeholder involved in the process will be the 4-H youth development specialists from the military components who bring many years of experience as facilitators of professional development, Extension programming, certifications in various training programs, and connections to each military component's offices of program and policy regarding child and youth services. Their networks and experiences will be valuable in assessing current offerings and in working to design or enhance professional development opportunities. Additional stakeholders will be members of the 4-H Military Partnership Working Group who represent state 4-H military liaisons and can help with understanding challenges and opportunities encountered at the state and local levels as Extension professionals work to serve and engage military-connected families. Another stakeholder group will be the 4-H military liaisons from the 54 states and territories who help share information within their states.Other stakeholders would include military child development professionals and Extension professionals working at the local level as these individuals can articulate the very specific needs they encounter as they work to implement programs at the most granular level. This includes both CONUS and OCONUS youth program staff. Another stakeholder group that would be involved would be the young people who attend programs on bases and installations and those that participate in specifically designed programs and activities like adventure camps, summer camps, teen councils, and other similar events. Giving teenagers a voice in designing experiences and discussing their needs will allow for the creation of more meaningful programs and increased participation, as they will have a greater sense of ownership over the programs they helped to design. Every facet of this position requires a collaborative approach. Meeting with various stakeholders, either in groups or individually, will support data collection and needs assessment to identify potential gaps in programming. It will also strengthen the network and shared leadership between USDA and DoD to foster a stronger Inter-Agency Agreement and to build a foundation for continued partnership between the two federal agencies in support of military-connected youth.