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Extension Success StoriesView OSU Extension Success Stories by Program Area4-H Youth Development79,000 young Oregonians enrolled in 4-H learn workforce, technical, and leadership skills. Sixty-four percent of today's 4-H members live in cities over 10,000 in population, including 40 percent who live in central cities over 50,000. Only 11 percent now live on farms. In 2002, 4-H members participated in over 205,000 separate projects, ranging from computer science and public speaking to nutrition and animal science. 4-H natural resource education prepares youth to deal with Oregon issues Natural resource-based 4-H projects increased from 3,000 in 1995 to 51,400 in 2002. Extension’s nationally acclaimed 4-H Wildlife Stewards program helps students, teachers, and community volunteers transform portions of barren schoolyards at 55 Metro area schools. Participants are creating gardens, wetlands, and biological runoff filters at the edges of parking lots. Hispanic/Latino outreach brings new youth and their families into 4-H youth development Over 10 percent of Oregon 4-H members are Hispanic, making it the fastest growing segment of the 4-H population. In Washington County, Latino high school students in Extension’s 4-H Web Wizards program learn emerging technologies from their Intel mentors. In return, students teach computer skills to community members. Participants in the 4-H Web Wizards program have a 95 percent graduation rate, and 98 percent pursue post-high school education. The graduation rate for Latinos across Oregon is only 43 percent. The program was recently honored with three national awards, including the Congressional NetGeneration Award. Nutrition education helps disadvantaged youth learn to eat right for high performance 4-H partners with Extension nutrition programs to teach 34,000 youth how to select and prepare nutritious foods. |