Success StoryDeveloping Teen Leaders



Developing Teen Leaders

Author: Mary S Averbeck

Planning Unit: Kenton County CES

Major Program: Leadership

Plan of Work: 2021 Adult & Youth Leadership Development

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down programming in March 2020 youth, families, and communities experienced long-term isolation and alteration of their typical lives related to in and out of school activities. Youth out-of-school time programs, such as 4-H, are essential ecological assets and their disruption during the pandemic may have a major impact on youth’s development according to Ettekal & Aganas, 2020. For many youth COVID-19 will be the defining issue of their lives and affect them in ways that will mark the course of their life-long development according to Bartlett & Virette, 2020. As society emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that programs, communities, and families that are involved in the lives of youth make a diligent effort to restore and rebuild opportunities that provide experiences to develop interpersonal life-skills. Hosting the Kentucky 4-H Teen Conference in June 2021 was an attempt to provide a typical cumulative experience for senior-level 4-H members. Due to COVID-19 capacity restrictions the conference was open to only those senior-level youth who participated throughout the program year in a Kentucky 4-H leadership board or the Kentucky 4-H Achievement Program.  Kenton County Agents working together on the achievement program and teen conference had six youth attend the conference for the first time.  All six youth were achievement winners and were able to attend through their achievement scholarships and 4-H council Support.  The Kenton youth reported back to 4-H council they learned new leadership and life skills and enjoyed their time at teen conference.






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