The 4-H Citizenship Project

Helping Youth Become Responsible Citizens:

Surveys of civic knowledge, attitudes and actions reveal serious deficiencies in the citizenship education of young Americans. Reports on civic learning by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), for instance, indicate that about two out of three American students in grades 4, 8 and 12 have a basic knowledge of civics. The civics assessment portion of the NAEP measures how well American students are being prepared for citizenship. Recognizing that individuals do not automatically become responsible, participating citizens but must be educated for citizenship, the LSU AgCenter's Department of 4-H Youth Development is making education for citizenship a core part of its mission, equal to workplace preparation and character education.

Louisiana’s 4-H citizenship education initiative helps youth form attitudes and behaviors that employers repeatedly report they seek in potential employees. Research indicates that youth who experience high-quality civic learning are more tolerant of others and more willing to listen to differing points of view and take greater responsibility for their actions. Through the initiative, youth receive sustained and systematic citizenship education to help them become more knowledgeable about their government and how it affects them; more interested in politics, the news, current events and government; and more capable of identifying public policies that do or do not serve their interests and the common good.

To spark a statewide movement to enhance 4-H citizenship education programs, the 4-H department is partnering with the Electric Cooperatives Youth Tour, National 4-H Conference and the Citizenship Washington Focus Program; Louisiana Commission on Civic Education; Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education; and the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives to sponsor and encourage participation in a series of statewide and national conferences that demonstrate the critical role civic education plays in fostering civic engagement.

One such program, 4-H Citizenship Louisiana Focus is designed to help youth develop an understanding of the legislative process. Youth learn about interactions within the legislature; about relationships among legislators, party leaders and special interests; and about how citizens participate in the legislative process.

Youth involved in Louisiana's service-learning initiative are becoming better prepared for success in the workforce. Being a good citizen means caring about the good of society and participating actively to make things better. Research reveals that participating in service-learning programs and learning about the importance and value of serving others can be a powerful influence on positive character development and active citizenship.

Patriotism is an important part of good citizenship. Our Operation Military Kids project promotes patriotism by involving youth in accepting the responsibilities of good citizenship, such as helping to create a smooth transition through the deployment process by offering fun and educational experiences to military children -- focusing on guard and reserve -- to help them better understand and cope with military life, family-member deployment and reintegration, as well as the challenges of maintaining family integrity.

In addition, through our “Reading to the HEART” youth literacy program, we have found that literature can be a very powerful teaching tool. Sharing selected books with youth is proving to be an important way to help youth learn about and develop the ideals of strong character and good citizenship. The program, funded through the USDA's CYFAR, Sustainable Community Project, incorporates professional development and support for staff members and community partners on research-based reading strategies.

The most important benefit of the 4-H citizenship initiative is that we are helping youth acquire ideals and skills that they can rely on throughout their lives. In doing so, they will have the best chance to lead balanced lives as individuals and as citizens of their communities and of Louisiana.