By Karyn Santl A youth worker works with youth, right? They do! But they also interact with adults including parents, volunteers and other staff. In the organization I work with we have adult volunteers that lead various learning opportunities for youth. Our paid staff lead and manage volunteers as part of their position. They also interact with the parents of our youth members. Adult learning principles A youth worker will likely interact with adults in a variety of ways: facilitating group training, serving on a committee with other adults, in one-on-one conversations, or alongside an adult to coordinate an event. Whether you're training adults or working alongside them, a good resource to rely on is the adult learning principles. These principles are known as andragogy , the “art and science of teaching adults”. I’ve summarized these principles from a University of Kentucky Extension article and a National 4-H curriculum . Adults are independent and self-directed learners. They
By Karen Beranek Youth development professionals want to make a difference in the lives of the youth they serve. With so many youth-serving organizations, working together can make a deeper impact in reaching more youth. University of Minnesota Extension partners to deliver local programming throughout the state. Our Minnesota 4-H program greatly values the many youth organizations we have the opportunity to work with including: PreK-12 schools Higher educational institutions Government agencies Tribal communities For-profit businesses Nonprofit organizations Community groups What does a healthy partnership look like? It starts with the idea that we can do more together than separately. My colleagues describe developing a partnership mindset as: Persistent effort Effective relationship skills Transparent communication Adaptability Minnesota 4-H supports successful partnership-building by understanding that each partnership will look unique based on the diverse needs of the youth