USDA’s Division of Youth and 4-H within the National Institute of Food and Agriculture is the federal partner for the nation’s landgrant Cooperative Extension System positive youth development program, 4-H. 4-H is the positive youth development 

programmatic outreach and engagement of Cooperative Extension which reaches into the3100 counties across the states and 

territories. The mission is to translate the research into practice within communities. Being responsive to local community needs is a 

key feature for Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program. Here are few examples of how 4-H and Cooperative Extension are 

collaborators and community partners for youth in transition: 

Michigan Extension 4-H program in 1988 convened the first 

meeting of the Campus Kids 4-H Club at the Lenawee 

County’s Maurice Spear Campus Detention Unit, a courtoperated juvenile detention and treatment facility. 

In 1988, the first meeting of the Campus Kids 4-H Club was 

called to order at Lenawee County’s Maurice Spear Campus

Detention Unit. The “Campus” is a court-operated juvenile

detention and treatment facility directed toward 13 to 17 

year-old court adjudicated delinquents of both genders with 

educational, emotion and behavioral problems. Monthly 

meetings are held 10 months out the year, with an average of 

12 students attending. Last year, approximately 108 

incarcerated boys and girls learned about 4-H through crafts, 

animals, cooking and recycling projects, in addition to 

benefitting from the knowledge of special guests speakers.

The benefits of the program are evident when one hears 

about the students who used their 4-H cooking experiences 

and accompanying certificate to get a job in a restaurant or to 

earn credit in their home economics class, a valuable 

achievement they can put to use once they complete their 

incarcerated time and return to their high schools.

In the 24 years of existence, more than 2,000 teenage youth 

have recited the 4-H pledge and promised “to make the best

better” during a very troubled time in their lives. As each 

youth is released from their incarceration, they leave with a 

connection to a positive youth development program that 

will embrace their involvement if they choose to continue on 

a path of positive youth behavior. The goal of this program is 

to reach youth during a challenging time in their lives, and 

make a connection that will make a difference. Youth that 

have been incarcerated are a prime example of the motto of 

4-H, “To make the best better.” Youth are the best –

sometimes they just need redirection to make them better!

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/4_h_programs_in_michigan_

juvenile_institutions

USDA NIFA’s grant program, Children, Youth and Families at 

Risk (CYFAR) has demonstrated application and replicability

such that as one of the three programs National 4-H Council 

promoted for replicability and scalability was the University 

of Missouri Extension 4-H L.I.F.E., (4-H Living Interactive 

Family Education) program for OJJDP National Mentoring 

Program. The overall objective of the 4-H LIFE Program is to 

promote a strong, healthy, and nurturing family environment 

for children of incarcerated parents, while helping 

incarcerated parents and trained 4-H volunteers become 

positive role models and mentors. Attached is a table of the 

adaptability of the program by the 1890 land-grant extension 

partner, Alabama A & M. – see separate table 

Rutgers offers community support as a partner to the

Juvenile Justice Commission of New Jersey such as 4-H 

through the Rutgers Transitional Education and Employment 

Management (T.E.E.M.) Gateway which is a systems-based 

support service and logistical facilitator of Positive Youth 

Development, to support at-risk and disconnected urban 

youth across the state of New Jersey. The Youth Education 

and Employment Success Center (YES Center) of Newark is 

their flagship collaborative located in the heart of 

downtown Newark. A second Youth Success Center is located 

in our state capital - Trenton and two additional sites have 

been opened in Camden. 

http://www.teemgateway.rutgers.edu/

The Wake County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, North

Carolina: Using research-based curriculum, community 

service learning and the experiential learning model, 4-H 

BASES provides small group facilitation and mentoring 

relationships to help youth develop and maintain life skills 

and protective assets. These experiences may be structured 

as activities, explorations, or community service projects.

Charlotte County Youth One Stop Center, Fort Myers, FLA, 4-

H is a community partner for reentry. 

http://www.charlottecountyfl.com/HumanServices/FamilySer

vices/CommunityResources/SharedYouthVisionReport.pdf

From the August 2002 Journal of Extension article titled 

“What Incarcerated Youth Say Would Help Them Succeed: 

Can Extension Play role?” there were several areas where 

extension professionals could provide essential programming

and collaborative support. Some items listed at that time 

were job training, computer skills and having a safe place to 

go when needed with prosocial youth and adults to support 

youth. The conclusion at that time was that “programming 

with incarcerated youth, as well as community reentry 

programs and parole supervision, should focus more on the 

importance of the experiential component of the program 

cycle, which is the foundation and strength of Extension’s 

youth development programs.” 

http://www.joe.org/joe/2002august/iw2.php

http://www.nifa.usda.gov/youthdevelopment4h.cfm @USDA_NIFA

DIVISION OF YOUTH AND 4-H (D Y & 4-H)