Youth Development

Cooperative Unit Systems: 3. Swine Facilities

Alyssa Schortinghouse

Promoting Healthy Relationship Development in Teens, Part I: How Dating Smart in Youth Can Foster Better Relationships in Adulthood

Victor W. Harris, Gilon Marts, and Martie Gillen

Recommendations and Best Practices for Youth Environmental Education Programs

Colleen E. Gariton, Matt Benge, Sadie Hundemer, Meredith S. Berry, and T. Grady Roberts

Research shows that youth who interact with natural environments are physically, mentally, behaviorally, and socially healthier (Zhang et al., 2018). Environmental educators, youth professionals, and organizations can implement simple strategies and practices to foster youth interaction with the environment in youth education and programming. This publication is based on research conducted in 2024 focused on environmental education at a 4-H camp in Florida (Gariton, 2024). Written by Colleen E. Gariton, Matt Benge, Sadie Hundemer, Meredith S. Berry, and T. Grady Roberts, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, January 2026.

School-Based 4-H Programming Series: Designing Programs Based on Time Involvement

Vanessa Spero

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Youth development

School-Based 4-H Programming: Getting Started

Vanessa Spero and Susan Munyan

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet for Academic and 4-H/Youth audience(s). in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Developing organizational and volunteer systems to support youth development.

School-Based 4-H Programming: Middle and High School–Age Youth Programs

Vanessa Spero-Swingle

All youth, regardless of age, are at risk for engaging in negative behaviors that can get them into trouble during the afterschool hours when parents and other family members are at work. Middle and high school-age youth are at an age where they can most benefit from increasing opportunities to participate in programs with a positive adult role model, gain necessary life skills, and increase their knowledge of accessible opportunities. Middle and high school programs have the potential to support graduation rates and increase post-secondary school success. This publication of the UF/IFAS Florida 4-H Youth Development Program provides strategies for success in developing these programs in your community.

School-Based 4-H Programming: Working With Partners Effectively

Vanessa Spero

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Developing organizational and volunteer systems to support youth development

Introduction to Youth Online Peer Support: A Guide for Teens

Angela Nielsen and Larry F. Forthun

This publication provides information about adolescent mental health and suicidality, ways that adolescents can provide empathetic support to a friend they met online, ways that adults can help, and the importance of self-care. Written by Angela Nielsen and Larry F. Forthun, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, August 2022.

Promoting Healthy Relationship Development in Teens, Part II: Three Key Qualities to Foster Better Relationships

Victor W. Harris, Gilon Marts, and Muthusami Kumaran

Getting married and staying married require a complicated calculus of factors that must come together to produce healthy and satisfying relationships. While couple interactional processes tend to be the most predictive of whether or not they will stay together and find happiness, background and contextual factors and individual traits also factor heavily into the equation. Finding two socks that match (and don’t wear out) is much more likely to occur when the relationship is based upon a deep and enduring friendship. Asking the question, “Will this choice enhance or diminish my marital friendship?” and then choosing to make the choices that will enhance the marital friendship more often than not are healthy strategies for success.

Discovering Spirituality: A Guide for Teens

Larry F. Forthun, Tyler Nesbit, and Angelica Shaw

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Foster Care Youth in Transition: How to Help Mitigate Risks of Homelessness Faced by Teens and Emerging Adults in the Foster Care System

Francesca Michelini, Kate Fogarty, Randall Cantrell, and Marilyn Swisher

This article discusses multiple problems that youth encounter after they exit foster care, and the ways that almost anyone can work to help these young people. Written by Francesca Michelini, Kate Fogarty, Randall Cantrell, and Marilyn Swisher, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, November 2022.

Cooperative Unit Systems: 1. Introduction and Raising Market Animals in a Group Setting

Alyssa Schortinghouse

A UF/IFAS numbered peer reviewed Fact Sheet. Published by Youth development

Understanding Extension for School-Based Agricultural Education #3: FFA and 4-H—A Comparison

Debra Barry, Alyssa Shepherd, Jennifer Patton, and Stephen Gran

A UF/IFAS numbered peer reviewed Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: ==Special Handling==

Helping Your Teenager Discover Spirituality

Larry F. Forthun, Tyler Nesbit, and Angelica Shaw

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Introduction to Youth Online Peer Support: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers

Angela Nielsen and Larry F. Forthun

The purpose of this publication is to inform the reader about online friendships between teens, mental health and suicidality in teens, ideas for supporting a teen whose online friend discloses thoughts of self-harm and suicide, and the importance of safety and self-care. Written by Angela Nielsen and Larry F. Forthun, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, January 2024.

4-H Afterschool Resource Guide: Teens as Volunteer Leaders

Sharon K. Junge (original lead), Vanessa Starr Spero (lead); Niki Crawson, J. R. Davis, Tara Dorn, Beth Rasa Edwards, Stacy Hall, Karen Henry, Heather Janney, Beth Kerr, Andrea Lazzari, Abby Morgan, Kristie Popa, Cindy Smalley, Melinda Souers, Katel

This resource guide is designed to be used by Extension/4-H professionals to deliver teen-led curricula in after-school programs. It includes an overview of program delivery, recruitment processes and training outlines. The original educational material was edited and revised for this edition by the National Association of 4-H Youth Development Professionals Afterschool Working Group, led by Vanessa Spero. Published by the 4-H Youth Development Department, UF/IFAS Extension, April 2023.

Substance Use and Rural Populations

Erin Kersey, LaToya J. O'Neal, Ashlyn Michael, Beatrice Pierre, Tyler Nesbit, and Larry Forthun

This article aims to describe the impact of substance use on rural communities, to share knowledge of the unique challenges rural populations face, to highlight the need for prevention efforts geared towards adolescents, and to inform Extension professionals about current UF/IFAS initiatives. Written by Erin Kersey, LaToya J. O’Neal, Ashlyn Michael, Beatrice Pierre, Tyler Nesbit, and Larry Forthun, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, February 2023.

Cooperative Unit Systems: 2. Organizational Strategies

Alyssa Schortinghouse

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. Published by Youth development

School-Based 4-H Programming: Incorporating Family Engagement into Your Program

Vanessa Spero-Swingle

Family engagement in 4-H programs allows family members, youth, and the community to become more aware, cohesive, and invested in youth development. This fact sheet discusses how to incorporate family engagement into your 4-H school programming. For the purposes of Florida 4-H, a school-based program can be defined as school enrichment (offered to groups of youth, taught by Extension staff or trained volunteers, and designed to support the school curriculum), an in-school club following a more traditional club approach during school hours, or an after-school club operating directly after school hours.

Teaching AI Literacy to Youth

Vanessa Spero, Elaine Giles Simfukwe, and Tara Dorn

There is a growing need for youth to learn how to use artificial intelligence (AI) in a way that will positively impact their careers and their everyday lives. To effectively use AI, familiarizing oneself with AI is crucial. This is known as AI literacy. This publication provides background for educators to increase their understanding of AI in youth educational settings and offers practical tools to better prepare themselves and their youth for responsible AI use.  

Promoting Positive Outcomes in Children Affected by Parental Alcohol Use Disorder

Courtney Pritchard and Victor W. Harris

This publication contains some useful information regarding the variety of risk factors that children exposed to parental Alcohol Use Disorder may face and protective factors that can help to promote positive outcomes and resilience. Written by Courtney Pritchard and Victor W. Harris, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, February 2025.