Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5611 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Amanda Outlaw

Regional Extension Agent, Urban

September 15, 2009

Positive Youth Development an Asset for the Community

Good citizenship starts with positive youth development and reinforcement at an early age. Positive youth development comes in all forms. For many youth growing up in the south, it may have started with being a member of a Sunday school class or Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or being a member of a local 4-H club.

 We celebrate all of the adult volunteers that gave up their Friday afternoons or Saturday mornings to work with the youth in their community. But the positive youth work must continue. Even through budget cuts, where everyone is striving to make ends meet , children still need positive reinforcement from caring adults.

Positive youth programs play a vital role in the lives of young people. Almost everyone can relate to an adult from their childhood that made an impact on their lives, someone who either corrected them or  congratulated them on a job well done.

Adults can serve as a trusted and stable contact outside of the immediate family. Adults outside of the family can also play a role in helping youth to become more resilient during periods of change. When youth learn new skills they often share that skill with peers and family members.

When youth participate in structured activities outside of the school environment they have the opportunity to develop skills that will be with them throughout their lifetime. Skills that can be developed include character traits, like being a caring, responsible and concerned person. The development of these character traits provides structure, routine and purpose and supports a child’s self efficacy. This will hopefully give them a reason to achieve reasonable academic success or go beyond what is expected.

Youth may choose healthy lifestyles that will lead to school success. They can also develop resilience and become engaged in their communities.  Caring adults outside the family unit can help by bridging the gap in services provided to the community. Volunteer today, on a Friday afternoon or a Saturday morning, be the one that made the difference in the life of a youth.

Extension workshops that are offered this month and October at the Daphne Public Library, located at 2607 US Highway 98 are, Consumers Score with Credit in Check, September 28 from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., Smart Homebuyer Education – session 1, October 12 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Smart Homebuyer Education – session 2, October 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Smart Homebuyer Education class requires participation in both sessions to receive credit for homebuyer education. To register for these workshops or to get more information, please call 251/574-8445 or send an email to

References:Used with permission of Dr. Steve Cozza, Associate Director, The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences, LINN training,  August 2009.

The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD),

http://4-h.org/d/Pages/Layouts/GroupPageedc5.html , Retrieved September 2009.

Positive Youth Development

Health Rocks Camp

Welcome to the Real World Elberta Middle School, Wendy Stacks, volunteer, Vision Bank.

Email address: aoutlaw@aces.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.