By Jessica Pierson Russo
Working for an institution (4-H) that has been around for more than 100 years, I come across many traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation. Traditions can be a blessing! But they can also be a curse. I could fund all of Extension if I had a nickel for every time I've heard, “but we’ve always done it this way!”
Done right, traditions serve a greater purpose. Done wrong, the traditions become the master, taking over better judgement and practices. Youth programming itself can become a kind of tradition—for good or bad.
The question is, are our programs and approaches serving youth and families? Or are we putting youth and families in the position of serving some long-held tradition that may no longer serve their interests?
Participating in traditions can have a profoundly positive effect on a person’s sense of belonging. They can bring a sense of predictability to a space, can help people feel a connection to the past. Studies also show that participation in group rituals creates increased generosity towards others.
Traditions can also backfire. The United Nations Human Rights Council believe so strongly in the potential dangers of traditions that it drafted a resolution in 2012. “Traditions,” it says, “shall not be invoked to justify practices contrary to human dignity and that violate international human rights law.” The UNHCR also concluded, in a study mandated by that resolution, that, “Tradition is often invoked to justify maintaining the status quo, failing to take into account the reality that traditions, cultures and social norms have always evolved and will continue to change with time.”
To ensure a tradition is not working us but working for us, we must ask ourselves, “What are we doing this for?” Is this tradition or program or way of doing things serving a greater purpose? What is that purpose? Does it reinforce positive youth development? If the answer is no, or even a half-hearted “wellll…” then it’s time to re-evaluate.
For instance, many 4-H clubs recite the 4-H pledge before a meeting. A long-term volunteer once insisted that it was a requirement for all 4-H clubs to recite the pledge. It is not. In fact, at this volunteer’s club, I saw that their recitation of the 4-H pledge (not the pledge itself) had a negative effect on a new family who had religious reasons for not wanting to pledge to anything but their creator. I gently guided the volunteer to think about why they do the pledge. At first, her answer was indeed, “because we’ve always done it!” I persisted. But why?
Eventually, a larger purpose emerged—to foster group identity, to reaffirm the values of generosity, learning, and kindness. All of these reinforce positive youth development. But requiring youth to say the pledge did not. I helped her think of some alternatives, she brought them to the group, and together they created a new tradition which not only made the volunteer happy, but also created a greater sense of ownership and belonging for the entire group, including the new family.
What are your experiences with traditions in youth programming? What traditions do you see that need to be re-evaluated?
You are welcome to comment on this blog post. We encourage civil discourse, including spirited disagreement. We will delete comments that contain profanity, pornography or hate speech--any remarks that attack or demean people because of their sex, race, ethnic group, etc.--as well as spam.
Working for an institution (4-H) that has been around for more than 100 years, I come across many traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation. Traditions can be a blessing! But they can also be a curse. I could fund all of Extension if I had a nickel for every time I've heard, “but we’ve always done it this way!”Done right, traditions serve a greater purpose. Done wrong, the traditions become the master, taking over better judgement and practices. Youth programming itself can become a kind of tradition—for good or bad.
The question is, are our programs and approaches serving youth and families? Or are we putting youth and families in the position of serving some long-held tradition that may no longer serve their interests?
Participating in traditions can have a profoundly positive effect on a person’s sense of belonging. They can bring a sense of predictability to a space, can help people feel a connection to the past. Studies also show that participation in group rituals creates increased generosity towards others.
Traditions can also backfire. The United Nations Human Rights Council believe so strongly in the potential dangers of traditions that it drafted a resolution in 2012. “Traditions,” it says, “shall not be invoked to justify practices contrary to human dignity and that violate international human rights law.” The UNHCR also concluded, in a study mandated by that resolution, that, “Tradition is often invoked to justify maintaining the status quo, failing to take into account the reality that traditions, cultures and social norms have always evolved and will continue to change with time.”
To ensure a tradition is not working us but working for us, we must ask ourselves, “What are we doing this for?” Is this tradition or program or way of doing things serving a greater purpose? What is that purpose? Does it reinforce positive youth development? If the answer is no, or even a half-hearted “wellll…” then it’s time to re-evaluate.
For instance, many 4-H clubs recite the 4-H pledge before a meeting. A long-term volunteer once insisted that it was a requirement for all 4-H clubs to recite the pledge. It is not. In fact, at this volunteer’s club, I saw that their recitation of the 4-H pledge (not the pledge itself) had a negative effect on a new family who had religious reasons for not wanting to pledge to anything but their creator. I gently guided the volunteer to think about why they do the pledge. At first, her answer was indeed, “because we’ve always done it!” I persisted. But why?
Eventually, a larger purpose emerged—to foster group identity, to reaffirm the values of generosity, learning, and kindness. All of these reinforce positive youth development. But requiring youth to say the pledge did not. I helped her think of some alternatives, she brought them to the group, and together they created a new tradition which not only made the volunteer happy, but also created a greater sense of ownership and belonging for the entire group, including the new family.
What are your experiences with traditions in youth programming? What traditions do you see that need to be re-evaluated?
You are welcome to comment on this blog post. We encourage civil discourse, including spirited disagreement. We will delete comments that contain profanity, pornography or hate speech--any remarks that attack or demean people because of their sex, race, ethnic group, etc.--as well as spam.
I am so happy with my 4-H experience as a youth and want my own kids to have that positive experience for them to grow, learn, make connections, and have fun along the way. However, life has taken me out of the Minnesota comfort zone and my spouse has no idea of these traditions and it is taxing to explain them to her. She instantly sees the value - but often gives me a look of ‘why?’ I don’t have an accurate response - other than saying that’s the way it has always been done. We compromise constantly and look to build our own traditions...and maybe they will include a 4-H tradition.
ReplyDeleteI was never in 4-H as a child and did not know what it was; but I did decide to involve my own kids in the program, and they have fun, I think partly because the club we are involved in allows the kids take ownership over what they do and how they do it. A few of the other parents in this group were involved themselves in 4-H as kids, and they sometimes share what their experiences were like, even making suggestions to do things similarly. But they don't push for it if the kids don't want it, which I appreciate. It's that ownership that is the key, I think.
DeleteTraditions just for traditions sake often do more harm than positive good. Youth Development professionals have to continuously question the 'why' behind these traditions and strive to ensure that youth programming is engaging and inclusive.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Anonymous. One of the keys to quality youth programming is reflection. We sometimes forget that this includes not just helping the young people reflect on what they're learning, but also reflecting ourselves on own practice of youth development.
DeleteGreat discussion topic and one that I think is a struggle for all of us. When I first started as a 4-H youth development professional, I felt like I was hearing "It's tradition" on almost a weekly basis. My experience has been that people are willing to re-evaluate "tradition" once they develop a trusting relationship with staff and they trust that the staff person isn't out to ruin their program, but rather wants to make it more relevant for everyone currently and potentially involved in the future. Conversations about traditions can be tricky, but are much needed. One of the traditions that I see that needs re-evaluation in the 4-H program is what a club meeting looks like. Most families probably aren't all that excited about coming to a business meeting (I know my kids aren't), which is a lot of what we do. I think families are looking for a different type of experience today that is more about project learning, activities and connections and less about the business portion of the meeting, which is what often tends to get the most attention. I've had lots of conversations with my county's club leaders about this and really seeking input of 4-H families in their club when planning out their meetings and year.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Darcy, that's a great point about the role of the staff person in helping facilitate these discussions with volunteers and youth. Trust is key--to help all understand that regardless of what we're doing, the underlying reason behind it should be to support our youth. Regarding the business meeting, most of the 4-H clubs I've visited actually don't really have them or they do, but they don't call it that. Instead they'll put on their agenda "talk about service project" or whatever the actual business item is. It keeps the focus on what they need to talk about rather than having a business meeting for the sake of the business meeting, if that makes sense. It also seems to help keep it short and sweet!
DeleteThank you for sharing, Jess. When leading programs with new 4-H members, I have found the pledge can be used as a great reflection tool at the end of the program (or throughout activities) and we can think about ways we use our head to think clearly, etc. Slowly introducing traditions to newer members can aid in welcoming them to programs, allowing them to grow their own connections and meaning.
ReplyDeletethat's a great idea. I didn't get into detail in my example about how the group changed the pledge tradition, but I can here. They simply replaced the word "pledge" for "use." So, "I use my head for clearer thinking." But another group that I didn't talk about translated the 4 "H's" into Lakota and Ojibwe words and then regularly used them in their reflection, much like you describe. Another group completely owned the pledge itself by turning it into a call-and-response, almost like a cheer. They knew the pledge way better than I do. So many ways for them to make it their own!
DeleteThanks for raising this important topic! I've been thinking about how some of the elements of a club meeting design support quality and youth development concepts. For example, a simple meeting roll call allows every member's name to be called out during the meeting. A well crafted roll call questions allows every member the opportunity to voice an opinion, belief, concern, etc. during a meeting where youth practice listening to diverse ideas. Finally, youth who are hesitant to speak in front of others can begin doing this in a limited and safe format. In this case, one simple tradition or practice is filled with really important elements! Our role as a youth worker is to help members and parents understand the reasons and skills learned during these club elements. What are your suggest for determining whether or not new members concerned with certain traditions in the club setting?
ReplyDeleteYes! Thanks Melissa. It all boils down to motive.
DeleteAppreciate this post so much and the questioning of tradition. I would emphasize this consideration to programs that have typically worked with white students who are looking to engage more diverse communities. Traditions can be downright offensive and exclusionary to students and families if they are rooted in whiteness (many are). The same could be true for programs who have mostly served boys and are looking to include girls or non-binary folks. Even if a tradition is working for some participants and families, it is also critical to consider the power dynamics of the group. If, for example, non-English speaking families are always required to hear information sessions second-hand through a translator, why not conduct the presentation in Spanish? Hmong? and require English speakers to hear a translation. Another idea would be to incorporate the traditions that families and participants have in their cultures into the program design.
ReplyDeleteThank you for those great ideas, Liz. I think for those of us who support volunteers and others in doing the direct delivery of the youth programming, it's good practice to engage them in regular reflection about their routines and traditions, to make sure they're not exclusionary. And any resistance to the idea could be met by putting them through an exercise to build some empathy--such as conducting a session in another language for English-only speaking groups--so they can experience what it can be like.
DeleteThank you for this insightful blog and for everyone's comments. I just shared with all my colleagues in our State (New Hampshire). I know it is a topic that impacts all of us.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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