IMPACT Youth Leadership Experience
IMPACT Youth Leadership Report
September 6, 2012
IMPACT Youth Leadership fits into the 4-H mission of “empowering youth to reach their full potential, working and learning with caring adults. “
4-H learning experiences are based on the principles and practices of positive youth development. Positive youth development views young people as vital resources with assets and potentials to be developed rather than as problems to be managed.
Youth-driven 4-H experiences provide youth access to safe learning environments; challenging experiences that build skills, competencies, and resiliency to address life’s challenges and to actively contribute to society; and partnerships with caring adults to help meet youths’ basic needs of belonging, mastery, independence, and mastery.*
IMPACT Youth Leadership Program Goals and Objectives
The IMPACT Youth Leadership program teaches youth the skills to understand their own leadership styles, how teams work and an understanding of how the group can perform more effectively. A strong component of the IMPACT program is that not only does the program identify leadership skills, but it also teaches those skills to the participants and then gives them an opportunity to put those skills into practice in their community.
Program components:
· Parent and Youth Pledge
· Community Survey completed by youth– target seven community people or groups from various ages and involvement in the community
· IMPACT Youth Leadership Retreat –program includes a sequence of Challenge initiatives to identify and teach leadership, communication, trust and team building skills, sessions on time management and goal setting, stress management (led by Middle School counselor Kerry Griess), Colors Personality ID program (led by NWC Prof. Oliver), How to Conduct a Meeting Role Play, youth write a personal leadership statement
· Northwestern College students are trained and plan the Challenge and Mock Meeting portions of the program (supervised by Prof. Oliver)
· Youth statements – lessons learned are shared in the thank you notes from the retreat
· Leadership in Action: Mentor/Youth activities following the retreat, include attending leadership meetings in the community and implementing the community service project
Leadership in Action Objectives for youth:
· Youth will have the opportunity to see leadership in action
· Youth will build relationships with caring adults
· Youth will share their ideas with adults who can make a difference
Leadership in Action Objectives for Mentors
- Mentors will share their leadership skills and experiences with youth
- Mentors will listen to the ideas of youth in the community and represent them in the community
- Mentors will build relationships with youth in the community and help prepare them to be the leaders of tomorrow
Community Service Project– identified using the results of the community survey completed by the participants putting their leadership skills into practice
IMPACT Youth Leadership
· 2005-2006 Rock Valley 25 youth
· 2006-2007 MOC/Floyd Valley 23 youth
· 2007-2008 Sioux Center 15 youth
· 2008-2009 re-evaluated and changed to offer county-wide each year
· 2009-2010 county-wide, 9 schools represented 25 youth
· 2010-2011 county-wide, 9 schools and home school represented 25 youth
· 2011-2012 county-wide, 9 schools represented 23 youth
Total youth participants 136 youth
Mentors:
· 2005-2006 Mitch Miller, Dennis Mozer, Tom Van Maanen, Dan Breuer, Lisa Schwanke, Maureen Hansen
· 2006-2007 Bruce Jellema, Dan Roghair, Tom Kiernan, Rob Vande Lune, Justin Schrock, Jason Vore
· 2007-2008 John and Kathy Koerselman, Mike Seda, Benj Van Donge, Barb Vermeer
· 2009-2010 Mick Snieder, Chad Hofmeyer, Kathy Koerselman, Denise Harrison, Randy Van Voorst, Jim Poppema, Chad Hofmeyer, Mary Ohm, Eric Vande Hoef
· 2010-2011 Kathy Koerselman, Scott Post, Jeff Bahrenfuss, Sarah Weber, Cindy Cleveringa
· 2011-2012 Jared Weber, Crystal Snieder, Scott Post, Amber Jaworski, Matt Mellema, Alisha Koedam
Service projects completed:
· 2005-2006 hosted a Walk-a-thon to raise funds for their project to purchase and plant trees and flowers and clean up Kiwanis trails, parks and other areas in Rock Valley
· 2006-2007 cleaned local parks in Alton, Orange City, Maurice and Hospers
· 2007-2008 worked at the Bike Safety Rodeo and helped move from the old library into the new library
· 2009-2010 Constructed and delivered 24 bird houses to local senior living centers
· 2010-2011 assembled and delivered over 100 hot meals to elderly and needy families
· 2011-2012 worked at Zestos, served at Shepherd’s Table and worked at Pizza Ranch Tip Night – donated $886.42 to Relay for Life
I have had the opportunity to be a part of IMPACT since it started in 2005. I have watched middle school students form a community, problem-solve and begin to create plans for community improvement all in about 24 hours. Most of the students wouldn’t be identified as leaders in their schools, but when given the opportunity to be in a leadership situation, they just blossom. When the students actually work with area mentors/businesses to see their community improvement plans to completion, the greatest amount of learning happens. They find they can do it and do it well despite the perception of many that middle school students are not focused or committed. I love working with middle school students, and I love supporting IMPACT. What an awesome way to support youth in leadership development!
Jolynn Oliver, Northwestern College
Submitted by: Cindy Cleveringa
4-H County Youth Coordinator
