By Laryn Flikkema

The 4-H Teen Action Through Citizenship, Leadership and Service VISTA Project is a statewide effort designed to involve 2000 teens in increasing their commitment to learning, developing employment skills, participating in service activities and becoming involved in the democratic process to build the capacity of low-income communities.

“To help stem the tide of disengagement from civic life, we believe that Michigan 4-H can engage youth and adults as partners in making decisions to improve their communities. We are pleased to partner with AmeriCorps*VISTA to create more opportunities for teens in Michigan,” said Cyndi Mark, 4-H program leader.

The project has 15 AmeriCorps* VISTA members serving in 12 counties across the state. Just over half of the participants live in households where the family income is at or below the federal poverty level.

The project involves teens in out-of-school-time activities such as youth advisory councils, teen leadership academies and service-learning institutes. They participate in mentoring, citizenship, teen leadership, literacy, foods and fitness, and environmental education activities.

Nearly 150 of the 715 teens involved in the project to date have each participated in more than 20 hours of 4-H activities. Almost 80 community volunteers have volunteered with the project for a total of 788 hours.

The 4-H VISTA project is serving as a valuable mechanism to implement existing 4-H programs and curriculums. As a result of the Agrium Teen Leadership Grant, many 4-H AmeriCorps*VISTA members are teaching teens to be leaders and mentors by using the 4-H “Jump Into Foods and Fitness” program with younger youth.

Many 4-H AmeriCorps*VISTA members have also participated in Community-Based Service Learning 101, an online course offered by Michigan 4-H Youth Development. By participating in the course, the VISTA members received “Unleashing the Power of Youth” grants that were funded by Learn and Serve America. They used the grants to involve teens in service-learning activities and to develop junior leadership programs to teach teens essential leadership skills.

Author info. Laryn Flikkema is the former state coordinator of the 4-H Teen Action Through Citizenship, Leadership and Service VISTA project.

VISTA involvement makes project possible

One cornerstone of the 4-H Teen Action Through Citizenship, Leadership and Service VISTA Project is the involvement of full-time AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members provided to Michigan 4-H through the Corporation for National and Community Service.

For 35 years, AmeriCorps*VISTA members have been helping bring communities and individuals out of poverty. Today, nearly 6000 AmeriCorps*VISTA members serve in hundreds of nonprofit organizations and public agencies throughout the country. They’re working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, increase housing opportunities or bridge the digital divide.

As part of the 4-H Teen Action through Citizenship, Leadership and Service VISTA Project, county 4-H staff direct the work of 4-H AmeriCorps*VISTA members who collaborate with local partners to build the capacity of low-income communities.

To find out more about AmeriCorps*VISTA, visit http://www.cns.gov.