Impact of youth program membership on youth program life skills development, youth program experiences, adult community participation, and personal characteristics related to 4-H volunteerism

Abstract

It was the general purpose of this study, a part of a nationwide effort entitled The 4-H Alumni Study (Ladewig and Thomas, 1987) to investigate the variables (youth life skills, personal characteristics, and community participation) that influence 4-H alumni to become 4-H volunteer leaders. A telephone survey was developed to measure respondent perceptions of their 4-H and/or youth program experience. A path model was developed for 4-H alumni, non 4-H alumni, 4-H alumni who belonged to no other youth organizations and 4-H alumni who belonged to both 4-H and another youth program membership, and another youth organization. Standardized regression coefficients were used for comparisons between different variables within a causal model applied to a mutual group of respondents. The following is a summarization of the major multiple regressions findings: (1) youth leadership programs (4-H and others) are effective/visible means of developing/contributing/responsible/ involved adult members of a community, (2) being a club officer or committee member develops youth life skills, (3) attending youth program club meetings and participating in a community service project develops competency and contributory life skills, (4) those 4-H alumni who developed youth life skills tended to enter the program at an earlier age and have a longer period of membership, (5) for those who have been involved in the 4-H program, 4-H program experiences developed competency life skills while sources of 4-H project information tends to develop contributory and social life skills, (6) those 4-H alumni who developed competency life skills tended to participate in community organizations as an adult, (7) those 4-H alumni who develop coping and contributory life skills tended to use the services of the Cooperative Extension Service, and (8) the interaction with a county Extension agent is a critical variable in the development of interpersonal and social life skills in 4-H youth.