Special Projects

Springfield Partnerships

The Massachusetts 4-H Youth Development program engages young people in the city of Springfield in the out-of-school-time hours, providing educational enrichment and promoting life skill development.  4-H experiences help prepare youth for success in school while creating connections and pathways between Springfield and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

An area of national and local need that has been identified by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, National 4-H Council and UMass Extension 4-H, is science, engineering, and technology education (SET). Education in these disciplines is critical for preparing a globally and regionally competitive workforce.  The Massachusetts 4-H Program is uniquely positioned in Massachusetts to assist in delivering quality educational programs in out-of-school settings.

The Massachusetts 4-H Youth Development program works with several partnering organizations and programs in Springfield.  A specific focus, “Massachusetts 4-H SET Adventures,” is funded through an annual Congressional appropriation for the national Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Program, the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA allocates funding to land-grant university Extension Services for community-based programs for at-risk children and their families.

The “Massachusetts 4-H SET Adventures” project will focus on working with community partners who offer out-of-school time opportunities for middle school youth ages 11 through 14 in the city of Springfield.   Content will focus on science, engineering, and technology (SET), incorporating a college awareness experience for school-age youth.  Students from the University of Massachusetts Student Bridges will be the tutor/mentors and provide instruction for this program with selected community partners. Collaborating organization program staff will also offer instruction. 

The 4-H Sustainable Communities project will include both university-based and community-based program elements as a means to strengthen UMass Amherst's outreach to youth and provide a college/career connection. From communication skills, to decision making, from teamwork to valuing diversity, Massachusetts youth need a wide variety of life skills to grow into competent, caring, capable, engaged, and well-informed citizens prepared to work and live in the 21st century. Through their participation in community service, which is one of the Massachusetts 4-H areas of focus, youth will become more engaged citizens. 

For more information on the national Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Program, please follow this link:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/nea/family/cyfar/cyfar.html