A First-Generation 4-H Youth Member Intervention Framework to Support Members to Enter, Engage, and Persist in the Program

The First-Generation 4-H Youth Member (FG4-HYM) Intervention Framework is an organizational management perspective for preparing 4-H youth programs that supports the welcoming of youth and families that have no previous experience with the organization. Using the Bronfenbrenner ecological model, we explore the multiple layers of 4-H program management that support the participation of FG4-HYM in the 4-H club program. This framework provides a tool for 4-H professionals to use when assessing their program’s readiness to provide high-quality programming to all audiences, regardless of their families’ previous experience with the organization. This framework represents the foundational requirements that an organization must offer, either prior to or in conjunction with, specific culturally responsive program adaptations for minority and underserved audiences, in order to support successful youth participation. The use of the terminology of 4-H pathfinder for all new 4-H members is proposed.