Thriving Forward

Recently, Ricardo Vela, Claudia Diaz Carrasco, and I had the chance to host a webinar to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and talk about our work with engaging Latino youth in the community through the 4-H positive youth development program.

This past month, 4-H'ers enjoyed participating in the Gold Country Fair in Auburn. Many 4-H'ers shared animals at the fair and demonstrated their leadership and agricultural knowledge through their project. Participating in the fair was definitely a family endeavor.

Recently I [Matt] had a chance to interview 4-H Miner's Ravine Club President Ava from Placer County. The prior week, I had met Ava at the Placer County Gold Country Fair while helping 4-H volunteers set up pig pens. The following are Ava's responses to my questions.

Starting next week, we will offer a series of hands-on workshops for 4-H project leader volunteers. The workshops will focus on four primary areas: Session 1: Best practices in youth development with a focus on youth "sparks" (i.e.

Volunteerism is a public health issue. Research has shown that volunteering for youth programs can increase attainment of skills (Grant, 2020). Further, volunteering can improve well-being and connection with others (Worker, 2020).