The four Essential Elements of Positive Youth Development work together to ensure that youth work towards a better future for themselves and their world. The four Essential Elements are:

• Belonging—Youth feel like they belong in a program that is safe and a positive environment.
• Independence—Youth have an opportunity to influence their lives, and the ability to see a path for their future and how they can work towards a positive future for themselves.
• Mastery—Youth have an opportunity to build on skills and knowledge over time that will work towards mastering a certain subject.
• Generosity—Youth can practice generosity by giving back to the larger community in some way through their service.

Belonging is a huge piece of supporting new families in the 4-H program.  4-H Educator Tracy Keifenheim held a New Family Orientation on January 14.  Families registered to learn about the 4-H program, ask questions they had, and meet other new families. Relationship building and connecting were a large portion of the orientation.  After building connections, Keifenheim then focused on the content.  Families learned about opportunities in the 4-H program, the difference between a project and an exhibit, different communication pieces, and some hands-on learning stations.

Many of the reflections shared that evening focused on learning about projects and all the opportunities 4-H has to offer.  Another new family orientation in the Spring of 2026 focusing on other topics.