The 4-H Volunteer Continuing Education Academy was developed to provide 4-H club leaders a continuing education opportunity, to assist them in developing and enhancing the skills and knowledge necessary for their volunteer role, and to provide a means for 4-H livestock and horse club leaders to recertify. All participants reported satisfaction…

Stakeholders in Mississippi perceived that Extension could lead volunteer management and donations management after a natural disaster. In response, Mississippi State University Extension professionals developed a training on volunteer management and donations management to supplement the existing Incident Management System/Incident Command System…

The California 4-H Science Leadership Team conducted a statewide assessment to evaluate the needs of county-based 4-H programs related to the key areas of the 4-H Science Initiative: program development and design, professional development, curricula, evaluation, partnerships, and fund development. The use of multiple qualitative data sources…

We explain in this article the need for board training in rural America irrespective of industry or government sector. We discuss how an assessment of training needs has led to the launch of a new project called the National Board Basics Curriculum (NBBC) project. In this project, we have identified four key core competencies that every board…

Needs assessment survey of 114 junior high school students in Louisiana identified 4-H program topics of interests: unemployment, dating, fashion, and computers. 4-H members also identified interest in programs on teen pregnancy, suicide, and drugs; nonmembers in fitness, jobs, and health. (SK)

Discusses the importance of determining the educational needs of a group before implementing a program. (JOW)

A sample of 197 incarcerated youth (n=197) responded to a survey designed to assess perceptions of the facilities, staff, and programming. Job training, computer training, arts and crafts, and recreation were highly rated for inside-facility programming. A safe place to go was one of the most highly rated programming options for outside of the…

Surveys sent to 233 extension agents in New York received 112 responses; 21% had natural resources as a primary responsibility. There was greater interest in water resource topics than in forest management topics; rankings differed by agents' programming responsibilities. Several new areas were identified for which there is no current Extension…

Reports an interview survey of 200 community leaders in Louisiana regarding the general quality of life, government, economy, human development, and physical facilities. Special attention is given to implications for extension programing. (JT)

Discusses various factors/activities to be considered in developing effective extension programs: consider multiple inputs to the planning process (including the needs of the people at the grass-roots level and legislative action), design a program considering these diverse factors, and implement the program in such a way that the clientele have…

Three hundred Four-H adolescents were surveyed to determine their attitudes toward the aged and the relationship of these attitudes to selected personal and situational factors. Results showed that these youths generally held positive attitudes toward older persons. Those having a positive sense of purpose in their own lives held more positive…