Coconino County Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development

1. Coconino County Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Teens Out Loud 4-H “Creating Change Through Youth Leadership” Teens Out Loud is a 4-H group at Greyhills Academy High School located on the Navajo Nation in Tuba City, Arizona. The goals of the group are: 1) Youth will become involved with the community and develop culturally appropriate “youth voice”; and 2) Tuba City becomes a better place for teens. Teens Out Loud has: • Facilitated a community-wide teen meeting to find out what teens thought they needed in the community and this was followed by a facilitation of community adults - results will be shared with other community groups. • 4 members participated in video taping sessions about diversity for a University of Arizona youth development curriculum. • 2 members taught a workshop at the 2008 CYFAR Conference about their experiences in developing Teens Out Loud. • Teens Out Loud co-hosted a Halloween dance and haunted house for the community. It was the first dance held in 5 years at Greyhills High School. • Future plans include learning how to map assets in their community using GPS and GIS information, providing teen activities for the community, and finding culturally appropriate ways to have “youth voice”. Teens Out Loud will also be hosting a youth conference for Tuba City area middle and high school students in August 2009 with the theme “Know Your Story, Create Your Vision”. The Conference purpose is for teens to build political knowledge and critical thinking skills. Research Component: Very little research is found outside of the health field about Native American populations. Some questions that have been generated and will be studied: • How do local residents define their community and how does that impact teen success? • What are the community “norms” about volunteering – both in structured out of school time youth programs and in non-formal settings such as churches and community centers? • How has the Bennett Freeze impacted children, youth, families, community organizations and institutions in the community? (40 year old tribal land dispute between Navajo and Hopi tribes – new treaty recently signed) • How do adults view teens in the community? How do teens view teens in the community? How do they define “success” for teens in their community? For more information contact: Jan L. Norquest 4-H Youth Development Educator e-mail: norquest@ag.arizona.edu