Success Story 

2019-2020

Olmstead Rambassador 4-H Leadership Club

Carrie Derossett

Youth need opportunities to develop social skills, civic and leadership skills, create strong connections with caring adults, have access to safe places to interact with their peers, and support services to allow them to become more independent adults (Blank, M.J., 2017). 

Youth need the opportunity to exercise or develop creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration skills (21st century skills, 2009). 

Youth success is situated around four foundational components: self-regulation, knowledge, and skills, mindsets, and values (Nagakoa, et al., 2015).

4-Hers are four times more likely to give back to their communities (Learner, R.M., & Learner, J.V., 2013).

The Olmstead Rambassador 4-H Leadership Club began as a partnership between their school guidance counselor, Family Resource Youth Service Center, and the Cooperative Extension Service. Together we hoped to provide students with unlimited opportunities to lead in their school and community.

We hoped to see initial outcomes that would carry over and change the lives by developing lifelong leaders. This group has done just that. We began the program by providing programs to develop leadership skills. We focused on brainstorming problems and possible solutions or ways that they could help. These were ways the students could help within the school and throughout the community. The leaders were able to hold leadership positions within the club. They learned how to serve as an officer and committee chairman. They learned how to serve effectively on a committee and they learned how to hold an effective meeting through the use of parliamentary procedure. 

Youth were able to develop and advance their leadership skills by doing. They designed and implemented a new program called Lead to Read within their school. They organized the program by providing a theme related to a book, developed a hands-on craft for the students, and a healthy snack. They coordinated leaders in the community and school to come in and help them facilitate the program. 

This program was designed to bring older students and leaders in the school into the elementary classrooms to build relationships and serve as a role model. It did just that. As I stood back and watched the program unfold, the best part of the program for me was seeing the mentors interact with the students. One student in particular was a special needs, non-verbal student. The mentors jumped right in and built a trusting relationship. It began with them helping him make a puppet, but he continues to look to them as mentors and friends. 

Another project that this group identified and took on what thanking first responders in our community. At Christmas, they focused on thanking those individuals that spend time away from their family to take care of others. They made thank you cards and baked cookies for the first responders in our community and delivered them to them. 

These young people are actively engaged local leaders. They are equipped with the passion to want to serve and the knowledge to know how to take it on. They know how to call on others in their school or community to help carry out their projects. Our community will be more prosperous because of these young leaders.