About Mary Arnold

I am a professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences, and a youth development specialist working with the 4-H Youth Development Program at Oregon State University. Recently, I have been working on the development and testing of a model for 4-H youth development called the 4-H Thriving Model. This blog is dedicated to building a space where youth development educators can share how they are putting the model into practice in their work with youth.

When I first began work on the 4-H Thriving Model I thought about the ways in which the 4-H Program stands alone in its approach to youth development, and how youth are attracted to the program. One way that 4-H stands out is through its emphasis on project-based learning, and providing opportunities that match a young person’s interest in a particular topic. Ah-ha, I thought, this is a really important and unique aspect of 4-H and I began to search the research literature to identify how this practice of building programs around youths’ interests can contribute to their positive development.

it didn’t take me long to come across the concept of youth Sparks, an idea Continue reading

Food for Thought Friday

By Guest Blogger Dr. Nia Imani Fields

4-H Specialist, University of Maryland Extension 4-H Youth Development

My name is Nia Imani Fields and I am a 4-H Specialist in Maryland. I am passionate about increasing access to positive youth development opportunities for youth who have historically been overlooked. There is a popular saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know”. This is true both in childhood and through one’s adult life. The ‘who you know’ can be described as social capital—the networks and relationships that allow one to better navigate the world we live in.

4-H provides new opportunities for young people to increase their networks and self-efficacy—the ‘I can do it’ and ‘I have the support I need’ feeling! These experiences can help youth thrive into adulthood. Continue reading

As I write this blog post, a somber scene is playing out 3000 miles away in Washington DC as our country says goodbye to its 41st president, George Herbert Walker Bush. Since his passing last Friday, the news has been filled with remembrances of this man who led our country, many of them reminding us of the great dignity, humor, and kindness he brought to the highest leadership post in the country.

One story, told last night on our local news was of a young woman who was part of a grade school class that traveled out to the Portland airport to say farewell to President Bush after a visit to Oregon. Now an adult, she showed the watch the president had taken off his wrist and given to her when she admired it. She also shared the story of a fellow classmate who was taken in awe by the fighter jets Continue reading

Oregon 4-H Youth playing in the Olympic Ring Fountain at Centennial Park in Atlanta while at National 4-H Congress

As I write this, Thanksgiving weekend 2018 is drawing to a close. To be honest, I needed this long weekend more than I ever remember as I my travel and work schedule had me on the road and on an airplane more weeks than not since late August. But this weekend was nothing but time to rest and relax at the beautiful Oregon Coast, and after a few days of good times with family, I am thriving again!

It is only in recent years that I have enjoyed Thanksgiving at home. For the first 15 or so years of my tenure as a 4-H specialist at Oregon State University I was working on Thanksgiving – heading off to Atlanta with a group of well deserving Continue reading

I took my first dressage lesson when I was 18 years old. This was eight years after buying my first pony “Stormy” for $35 when I was 10. There was a little issue with my parents when the pony arrived unexpected, but I will be forever grateful for my brother who helped me withdraw the money from my savings account to buy him. The unexpected arrival of the pony in our backyard is still something of family lore, but I do think it was the moment that my parents realized I was SERIOUS about this riding thing.

I took my latest dressage lesson a week ago Friday, wedged between two out of state trips. Part of me thought, “oh, why do you want to add this to everything you have on your plate right now?” But the bigger part of me said “you are making so much progress all of a sudden, it is worth the effort.” So I loaded up Little Scholar (yup that is really his name) on a Friday night and drove 47 miles Continue reading