Leadership & Community Engagement

Helpful Resources

Activity Ideas

Leadership Skills You Never Outgrow Level 1

Leadership skills are not developed overnight. Leadership Skills You Never Outgrow 1 will help you build your leadership skills by completing a series of leadership activities. You can do the activities individually or with a Project Helper. You will work with another person or a group of people to complete many of the activities.

These leadership activities will help you gain skills in seven different areas: Understanding self, communicating, getting along with others, learning to learn, making decisions, managing, and working with groups

These skills will be helpful throughout your life. You will use them at home, at school, and in your clubs or groups. By learning and practicing these skills, you and your groups will be able to accomplish the goals you set.

Leadership Skills You Never Outgrow Level 2

Leadership Skills You Never Outgrow Level 3

Finding Your Voice: Public Speaking Made Easy

Want to learn a skill you can use for the rest of your life? This project shows members with little or no public speaking experience how to prepare and deliver speeches in front of crowds with confidence. Take a look at how the pros manage this skill, then learn how to handle various speaking situations, deliver different types of speeches, and resolve problems you may experience along the way. Your confidence builds with each activity!

True Leaders: Culture, Power and Justice

The True Leaders: Culture, Power and Justice curriculum was designed to engage youth in critical dialogue and collective action in order to contribute to a more empathetic and just society. Youth have an incredible opportunity to see the world as bigger than themselves. This curriculum offers dynamic opportunities for youth to explore their identities, different cultures, new perspectives, and the histories that have shaped power and privilege within our communities. Youth will engage with peers, adult support systems, and communities to increase the resources and tools they need to advocate for positive community change. These lessons are rooted in a social justice youth development framework. Additionally, as a facilitator, it is important that you use these lessons as a guide but allow for adaptations to ensure each discussion and activity is culturally relevant for your audience.

iThrive Leadership U

iThrive 4-H Leadership Development Program is a program developed by the University of California 4-H. In this youth workbook, iThrive Leadership U, youth in grades 7-12 explore leadership through a variety of activities as they explore dreams, goals, and aspirations for the future. In the 4-H Leadership Project, youth have opportunities to feel valued, to develop leadership skills, to reach their fullest potential and contribute to their communities. These skills can be applied to a lot of different areas of life, and the lessons help guide youth through many decisions they face. These lessons focus on how youth can thrive and be a good leader while learning how to lead themselves and others.

iThrive Leading Healthy

iThrive 4-H Leadership Development Program is a program developed by the University of California 4-H. In this level, iThrive Leading Healthy, youth in grades 7-12 explore leadership through a lens of healthy living and nutrition. This youth workbook is about making healthy choices and through these experiences, becoming a thriving person! In a 4-H Leadership Project, youth have opportunities to feel valued, to develop leadership skills, to reach their fullest potential and contribute to their communities. These skills can be applied to different areas of life, and these lessons focus on how youth can thrive and be a good leader while developing healthy lifestyles and learning how to lead others and contribute to their community to help those around them live healthier lives.

iThrive Leadership, Science & Me

iThrive 4-H Leadership Development Program is a program developed by the University of California 4-H. In this level, iThrive Leadership, Science & Me, youth in grades 7-12 explore leadership through a scientific lens. This youth workbook is about experimenting and designing and, through these experiences, becoming a thriving person!

In this 4-H Leadership Project, youth have opportunities to feel valued, to reach their fullest potential and contribute to their community. This project is also about participating in the practices of science, engineering and technology where youth may:

• Experience excitement and interest to learn about phenomena in the world
• Manipulate, test, explore, predict, question, observe and make sense of the world
• Reflect on science and engineering as a way of exploring the world
• Think about yourself as a scientist or engineer!

iChampion – iThrive Facilitators Kit

iThrive 4-H Leadership Development Program is a program developed by the University of California 4-H. iChampion is the facilitator guide to accompany the iThrive program. The iThrive program guides youth through developing leadership skills within themselves, and the confidence to lead in groups of their peers and beyond. This facilitators guide kit allows a facilitator to guide youth in grades 7-12 through all three books within the series.

4-H Teen Corps Facilitator Guide

The goal of Teen Corps is to strengthen communities and increase leadership opportunities for youth from 12 to 18 years old. The curriculum includes eleven lessons in three focus areas: Youth and Community Development, Workforce Readiness, and Environmental Science, and it is highly adaptable to the needs and interests of each community. The curriculum contains a printed Facilitator Guide as well as a download of the eleven PowerPoint training presentations (one presentation for each lesson).

4-H Teen Corps Facilitator Guide – Spanish Edition

Leadership Road Trip:  Where Are You Going?

Are you interested in learning about what it takes to become a good leader? Begin your leadership adventure by answering questions about yourself and the people close to you, by setting goals, by practicing communication, and by making a commitment to lead. Intended for youth old enough to explore the nature of leadership.

Washington Specific Reference Material

Washington 4-H County Teen Leadership Opportunities

Other Reference Material

From 4-H Programs

4-H Backpack to Adventure: Youth Leaders in a Global World – Michigan State University Extension

4-H Backpack to Adventure: Youth Leaders in a Global World is designed for adult and teen volunteers, parents, professionals and others to use in working with young people aged 9 to 19 to develop the knowledge and skills they need to become youth leaders in an interconnected, global environment.

Little Leadership Lessons – University of Minnesota Extension

Little Leadership Lessons is a series of nine short lessons you can use to enhance your leadership training events and programs. Most of these lessons are between 10 and 20 minutes and can be used in any order and either individually or in conjunction with others.

366 Community Service ideas – University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension, Lancaster County (PDF)

From Higher Education Institutions

From Related Organizations, Journals, and Professionals