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| The Southern University Ag Center's 4-H Youth Development Team conducted a Zoom series called, “Giving Youth H.O.P.E." from June – August 2020. The series provided youth with social and cognitive support to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Baton Rouge, La. – In
the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, life as we once knew it abruptly changed and
posed a major shift in the way we interacted with each other. Many
uncertainties around the virus likely caused a significant amount of unrest in
our communities. Across the globe, youth and their families missed pivotal
moments in their lives such as prom, face-to-face interaction with friends,
graduation ceremonies, and celebrations.
Naturally, this was likely stressful and unsettling for adults and more
so on our youth.
Dealing with an international
pandemic was new to everyone and holistic adjustments were made emotionally,
physically, and mentally. Therefore, to provide a foundation for support, the Southern
University Ag Center’s 4-H Youth Development team developed a series of five sessions
to provide social and cognitive support services to youth, along with high
school students who were directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The series,
called Giving Youth Healthy Options that Promote Excellence (H.O.P.E.), was
conducted via Zoom from June – August.
The sessions were provided in
partnership with a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and were strategically designed
using a progressive learning strategy. The first session was, “Dealing with
Disappointment.” Ideally, the intent was to acknowledge the feelings of the
youth and offer therapeutic solutions to cope with the unprecedented
circumstances. Other sessions included:
- Preparing
for My Tomorrow: What’s Next for Me? – Making adjustments and setting
attainable goals.
- Vision
Board Party – Putting their visions on paper and discussing ways their
goals may be attained. Feeling accomplished but, understanding it is ok to
adjust their vision to refocus on the original goal.
- Social
Distancing and Teens – As students prepared to return to school after the summer
break, being quarantined and/or isolated, youth learned the importance of
self-management and their responsibility in helping to stop the spread of
infectious diseases.
- I
Made It! – Youth closed the series with a new outlook on how to safely
reengage in their “new normal.”
The team is working to develop more
series for youth and young adults and intends to partner with more faith and
community-based entities to provide meaningful services to youth in
Louisiana.
Southern University Ag Center’s 4-H
Youth Development team is led by Tiffany Franklin, Ph.D., Associate Youth
Specialist and Program Leader, with Assistant Area Agents Kayla Fontenot and Chelsea
Hammond.
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