According to the National 4-H Council website: https://4-H.org, the 4-H program is the youth development organization of the nation’s Cooperative Extension System and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). To me this exemplifies collaboration versus competition. Our teaching-learning methodology assumes an adult-youth partnership approach to achieve all our goals, objectives, and outcomes. It is a non-formal education system whereby; each educational experience is achieved by completing a 4-H project and incorporating the Experiential Learning Model. You may ask, what is a 4-H project? A 4-H project is a way to discover what you are good at doing through a hands-on learning experience. Upon enrollment, a youth may sign up for a project based on interest, spark, or hobby. To succeed in a chosen project, the 4-H youth will partner with caring adults such as parents (guardians), teachers, coaches, mentors, 4-H project leaders, club leaders (volunteers), or Extension professionals.

A 4-H Project may become a Workforce Preparation and Career Exploration Pathway  

The 4-H project (spark/ interest) compared to a subject (in school) or a course or major in (in college) may cost little or nothing. Still, it could be expensive, and those involved will soon realize that success can only be achieved through collaboration versus competition. This is where a network of supportive, caring, collaborative partnerships commit to a set of aligned goals, missions, and visions. Again, negating collaboration versus competition which becomes a 4-H strategy and operating principle. This adult-youth or Extension 4-H – school-community partnership may lead to some meaningful collaborations.

Fostering Human Capital and Community Resources

Other civic engagements with sponsors (individuals or businesses), departments, agencies, institutions, and organizations with similar missions or visions for Positive Youth Development (PYD). A 4-H project is therefore used as a means by which various life skills are taught and developed. Each 4-H youth is expected to use their project to create leadership and community service-learning opportunities and to display their project achievements through competitions, exhibits, presentations, or demonstrations. Most importantly, all parties involved should have a sense of belonging to ensure that such achievements are celebrated, the 4-H youth is awarded, and everyone involved is appreciated and recognized.

4-H Association: Collaboration versus Competition  

The 4-H Association, with an active 4-H Advisory Board, should represent and reflect the community or the audience we serve. St. Lucie County 4-H program is demonstrating this by doing the following:

• Focusing on collaboration versus competition towards a shared mission, vision, goal, and outcome.
• Analyzing the 4-H membership by geographic area.
• Conducting a needs assessment of our target audience (adults and youths), including the underserved population.
• Expanding the program to reach new audiences by increasing communication, youth advocacy, stakeholders’ awareness, and accountability.
• Supporting Positive Youth Development (PYD) through the 4-H Thriving model and Workforce Development through Science, Citizenship & Leadership, and Healthy Living.
• Facilitating group support funds for program development, scholarship, awards, and recognition.

Shadow the Commissioner Program

The UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County 4-H Association recently forged a unique partnership and collaboration with District 4 County Commissioner Jamie Fowler. We both support the shared vision for Workforce Development through Citizenship & Leadership. This partnership allows 4-H County Council members to Shadow the Commissioner as an interim for a day in the life of a commissioner. See the TV interview, Inside St. Lucie, September 2024, for more information. I appeal to the business community to let us know how we could provide more job shadowing or internship opportunities to more of our 4-Hers.

St. Lucie County 4-H Awards and Appreciation

The UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County 4-H Association held its annual awards and appreciation dinner on August 22, 2024. The venue was the Havert L. Fenn Center to celebrate the proud accomplishments of the county’s various 4-H clubs. Our stakeholders and Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) applauded the efforts of integrating two end of year celebrations. The celebrations are the annual BOCC appreciation (previously done in December) and the first 4-H Awards and Appreciation Ceremony). There is value in collaboration versus competition, especially when we realize there is strength in unity. Most importantly, we are all working together to achieve a standard of excellence in every 4-H project, club, county, and state-wide program.

2023 – 2024 St Lucie County 4-H County Council

I am indeed proud of the 2023-2024 4-H County Council who produced and presented a complimentary 4-H yearbook to the BOCC, friends of 4-H and other Stakeholders. This was done under the direction of Emma Wickham (President), other officers Adrianna Spotts (Vice President), Cole Wickham (Treasurer), Summer Wayne (Secretary), Isabelle Saldivar (Historian), Elizabeth Keys (Reporter), Allura Leighton (Recreation), Gigi Saldivar (Parliamentarian). Thanks also to all 4-H staff, County employees and other County Council members who made it all possible. See the brief video clip of this event (teamwork can definitely achieve stronger partnerships): https://youtu.be/yYL7TrYQS3o

For more information, contact the 4-H Extension Agent @ john.ferguso@ufl.edu, 4-H Program Specialist Candace Wickham @ wickham.c@ufl.edu, Terri Zuidema @ tzuidema1@ufl.edu, or Wren Underwood @ e.underwood1@ufl.edu.

Prepared by John Ferguson (4-H Extension Agent).

An Equal Opportunity Institution. UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Andra Johnson, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Single copies of UF/IFAS Extension publications (excluding 4-H and youth publications) are available free to Florida residents from county UF/IFAS Extension offices.

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