The 4-H Program Leaders Working Group for Access, Equity, and Belonging (AEB) supports the 4-H Youth Development system in reaching our 4-H Grows Vision. 4-H will embrace the rich diversity of youth, families, and communities that comprise our nation. We will grow our organization in ways that leverage that diversity to improve the economic, environmental, and social conditions in which people live. Cooperative Extension and 4-H have an opportunity to close the gap in well-being and economic mobility as we undertake our bold goal to engage 10 million youth, reflecting the diversity of the communities we serve by 2027. Uniting toward an inclusive, diverse, and equitable 4-H is the fuel we need to increase access for all youth, families, and communities—in every town, every city, and every corner of America. The AEB Committee (AEBC) aims to increase the capacity of 4-H Youth Development and Cooperative Extension to equitably engage underrepresented and marginalized populations across the country. The AEBC committee is composed of the following champion groups:
- Immigrant and Refugee Youth
- LGBTQ+ Youth/Community
- Mental Health and Well-being
- Youth Experiencing Homelessness
- Youth in Foster Care
- Youth Living in Poverty
- Racial and Ethnic Youth Groups:
- African American Youth
- Asian American Youth
- Native American/Pacific Islander Youth
- Latinx Youth (Latinx Advisory Committee)
- Youth with Disabilities
The following is a quick snapshot of each of the Champion Groups. Clover Clips will highlight one of these champion groups each month of the coming year.
AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH: Black or African American refers to a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It also includes Afro- Caribbean people, such as Haitians and Jamaicans.
▪ African American youth between the ages of 5-17 are 18.3% of the black population (41,393,491).
▪ Social and educational inequities are systemic issues due to high rates of poverty. 36% of Black children live in poverty.
▪ More than 75% of Black children born between 1985 and 2000 grew up in “high disadvantage” neighborhoods.
IMMIGRANT YOUTH: Youth under the age of eighteen residing in the United States who were not U.S. citizens at birth.
▪ In 2016, more than 17 million immigrants lived in the U.S.
▪ By 2050, immigrant youth are projected to make up 1/3 (33M) of more than 100 million U.S. youth.
▪ Immigrants are important to US international competitiveness, especially in technology-intensive and service industries.
LGBTQ+ YOUTH: Youth who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/ Questioning, and all other marginalized sexes, gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations.
▪ 8% of high school-aged youth identify as LGB
▪ 0 .7% of high school-aged youth identify as transgender.
▪ 2.7% of high school-aged youth identify outside of the male/female binary (including transgender)
▪ LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to be assaulted, bullied, experiment with alcohol and drugs, attempt suicide, & experience homelessness.
▪ LGBTQ+ youth thrive, are resilient, and are more likely to experience positive health outcomes when they have supportive and accepting families; they have access to culturally competent and affirming mental health care; and they participate in programs with inclusive curriculum, policies, and practices, and are supported by trained and competent staff.
LATINX YOUTH: Latinx youth are very diverse and may identify with racial, ethnic, or cultural groups from Central, South, and North America and the Caribbean.
▪ Hispanics constituted 18.3 percent of the nation’s total population, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority.
▪ Latinx culture places family at its center, creating strong bonds to support all members. Over the past decade, high school and college attendance rates have increased for Latinx youth.
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING: Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps to determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make decisions. Biological factors, life experiences, and environments all contribute to mental health.
▪ 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience mental illness each year. 35% of individuals with mental illness started experiencing symptoms by age 15.
▪ Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in individuals aged 10-34.
YOUTH LIVING IN POVERTY: Children ages 0-18 who live in families with income below the Federal Poverty Level.
▪ In 2017, 18% of children (13 million) lived in families with incomes below the poverty line.
▪ This rate fell from 21% (15 million) in 2015.
YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS: Youth under age 18 who lack adequate nighttime residence at some point during the school year. This could include youth living in homeless shelters and transitional housing, hotels or motels, unsheltered settings, and also couch surfing, doubling up, or sharing housing with others due to a loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason.
▪ In 2018, 1.36 million students (1 in 38 students) were identified by schools as youth experiencing homelessness.
▪ While rural and urban youth experience similar rates of homelessness, subpopulations of youth, specifically youth of color, parenting youth, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth are at a disproportionately higher risk for homelessness including LGBTQ youth (120%), as well as African American (83%) and Hispanic (33%) youth.
YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE: Children are placed in foster care when a child protective services worker and a court determine that it is not safe for the child to remain at home because of the risk of maltreatment, including neglect and physical or sexual abuse.
▪ Foster care arrangements include nonrelative foster homes, relative foster homes (also known as “kinship care”), group homes, institutions, and pre-adoptive homes.
▪ 25% of youth become homeless after exiting foster care, and only 3% of youth in foster care graduate from college.
YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES Disability is defined as someone who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more “major life activities,” (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.
▪ 13.2 percent of individuals aged 3-21 are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
▪ Adolescents with disabilities, like all adolescents, thrive when they believe they can meet challenges. Providing opportunities for adolescents to act and overcome obstacles can help adolescents increase self-efficacy.
Excerpted from National Trends & 4-H Snapshot, from the 4-H Program Leaders Working Group of Access, Equity, and Belonging
