Community Initiatives

Boston 4-H Urban Stewards

The Boston 4-H Urban Stewards (BUS) is a hands-on community based tree stewards training program for Boston youth, ages 13-17. This program meets identified urban community forestry needs in select Boston neighborhoods while building a skills, knowledge and experience base from which these youth can move toward natural resource, conservation and green industry related training, careers and higher education. Through hands-on community based work, educational workshops and field trips featuring green industry professionals at the state, municipal and community based level, groups of 5-12 youth working with an adult advisor focus in three major arenas:

• Assessing and improving the physical condition of public trees and urban green space in collaboration with the Boston Parks Department and other responsible parties
• Increasing public awareness of urban forestry issues
• Increasing community participation in stewardship activities and the adoption of stewardship values, ethics and behavior

Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) New Communities Projects

The Expanding 4-H Youth Development in the North Adams Community Project

This venture works with both males and females who are either on probation or involved with a CHINS (Children in Need of Services) petition. The goal of the project is to reduce the recidivism rate of youth re-entering the juvenile justice system and to enhance their employment seeking and retention skills. The Extension Educator, probation officer, judge and school officials are working together to enhance the social and interpersonal skills of the young people involved. Youth meet for a period of ten weeks with an Extension Educator and are involved in workshops on decision-making, conflict resolution, problem solving, communication, goal setting, aspiration building, character building and workforce readiness. A second component of the project is a summer employment opportunity.

The Expanding 4-H Youth Development in the South End/Lower Roxbury Project

This program incorporates workforce readiness as a unifying focal point to bring together youth ages 13-18 from different neighborhoods through cooperating youth-serving agencies to learn useful skills, work together and accumulate relevant experience that will then prepare them to be successful in seeking initial jobs related to youth work and/or environmental stewardship. Extension staff will continue to collaborate with the youth programs that have participated in the various program modules over the past several years and will include additional collaborators as well.

Operation Military Kids

UMass 4-H Program received a $100,000 grant over two years to create a community of support for military youth whose parents or guardians are suddenly deployed to Iraq or elsewhere due to the Global War on Terrorism.

Since 9/11 there have been 9500 individual deployments among National Guard, Army Reserve and other military members living in civilian communities in MA. Children in these families find themselves “suddenly military” and their usual support systems may no longer be adequate. Extensive media coverage of on-going military operations creates daily anxiety. These “suddenly military” youth need to connect with people who can empathize and help them cope with their new world. Schools and communities need to be informed of the effects of deployment on youth and families and provide support where they can.

To that end, the 4-H Program will:

• Create state and regional community support networks called “OMK (Operation: Military Kids) Teams”
• Deliver recreational, social and educational programs for military youth and families through FRG’s (Family Readiness Group meetings) and other community venues.
• Acknowledge the strengths and sacrifices of military youth as everyday home front heroes through the distribution of Hero Packs and special recognition events.
• Educate the public on the impact of the deployment/redeployment cycle on Soldiers, families, youth and the community.
• Train staff, OMK team members, volunteers, and teens to operate the Mobile Technology Lab; use it statewide.
• Establish 4-H clubs on Hanscom Air Force Base; provide support; connect to the state & national 4-H program
• Connect “newly military” youth to the MA 4-H Program.
• Prepare teens to speak on military life and deployment through “Speak Out for Military Kids”
• Provide support to the MA National Guard as it develops a teen leadership program.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact:
Gretchen May at: gmay@umext.umass.edu