Leadership Life Skills Development in 4-H Teen Leadership Programs

This study introduces a framework for 4-H leadership competencies and explores the relationship between 4-H leadership programs and participant leadership life skills development. Illinois 4-H members aged 15-18 completed an online survey about their 4-H experiences and skills. Participants reported local programs exhibited the characteristics in the leadership competencies framework. Members participating in leadership competency programs reported higher leadership life skills scores than those in other 4-H non-leadership oriented programs. Females reported higher leadership life skills scores in comparison to males. However, spending more years in leadership programs was only related to a significant change in skills development for some participants.

The Impact of Wyman’s Teen Leadership Program on College Achievement and Retention

Low-income, first-generation college students face a host of obstacles on their journeys toward degree completion. Providing effective supports for these students as they navigate their postsecondary experiences is an important determinant of success, the implications of which can be far-reaching. The purpose of the current study discussed in this article was to examine the impact of Wyman’s Teen Leadership Program (TLP) on positive college outcomes for low-income, first-generation students pursuing higher education at Missouri State University (MSU). TLP is a community-based, postsecondary access and success program comprising three developmentally progressive phases that begin when teens are ninth graders and ends after their second year of postsecondary education. During the postsecondary phase of the program, TLP works in close partnership with higher education institutions like MSU to effectively support students through caring relationships and coordinated services. Using a mixed-methods approach, the authors analyzed the college retention rates and grade point averages (GPAs) of 39 TLP participants attending MSU and 82 comparison students with similar background characteristics. Findings revealed statistically higher retention rates and GPAs for TLP participants compared to non-participants. Focus groups were also conducted to better understand the perceptions of TLP participants (n = 15) and TLP staff members (n = 6). Using Schlossberg’s (1989) theory of marginality and mattering as a framework, the authors analyzed focus group responses, from which three overarching themes emerged: relationships, intentional experiences, and self-efficacy. The study findings suggest that postsecondary access and success programs are most effective when their curricula and program experiences are supported by strong and consistent student-adult relationships.

The Good, the Bad, and the #BestOfIslaVista: Community Data Gathering and Research by Our Youth Leadership Group

In this article, we present our teen leadership group and projects. We describe our “I’m a Student, Too!” campaign and why it is important to raise awareness about Latino/a children and families that live in Isla Vista, California, which has the reputation of being a college town. We outline our group’s mandate to create a better, safer, and healthier place where youth and families can grow up. We then describe how we collected data on people’s opinions of Isla Vista over the past two years and how we shared this information at town halls, University of California Santa Barbara orientations, and community conferences to make positive changes in our community.

Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse with Yoga

This article outlines the rationale and best practices for helping young people recover from the trauma of sexual abuse using integrative and therapeutic Yoga practices. As a model for such work, we describe a specific program, Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse with Yoga, currently offered by the authors in the Portland, OR area. The program serves both girls and boys and has a teen leadership component to allow older youth to serve as role models for preteens. This article outlines the necessary steps for working with this population, including self-inquiry, training, program design, teaching strategies, and integration with other therapies and services. A full eight-week curriculum is described, with focal points for each class, as well as suggested poses, mantras, creative activities, and mindfulness practices. The article also addresses specific contraindications and risk factors and ways they can be mitigated. Finally, it covers observed outcomes from two sequential eight-week sessions of the Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse with Yoga program.