4-H Delivers

National Youth Science Day In San Diego County

San Diego County 4-H Youth Development Program in partnership with the Reuben Fleet Science Center conducted the National Youth Science Day experiment. This was part of an ongoing effort to promote science literacy through nonformal educational activities. The experiment focused on how a person’s daily activities influence the amount of CO2 in the environment, the role of CO2 and the concept of the carbon footprint. The event was held at the Reuben Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park at the end of National 4-H Week in October. Children and their parents who were attending the Reuben Fleet Science Center for their educational activities were invited to participate in conducting the experiment along with 4-H members. There were one hundred and eighty participants at this particular event. It was also an opportunity to showcase the 4-H Youth Development Program to the general public.

After conducting the experiment each participant was given the project workbook and additional materials to take home and replicate the activity and conduct additional projects with his or her family.

The 4-H members who conducted the experiment with the public were recruited and trained at the County Officers’ Day and County Teen council meeting prior to the event. For San Diego County 4-H this event helped highlight the diversity of what 4-H does and deflected some of the traditional  stereotypes of what the program offers. It also started a new partnership with the staff at the Rueben Fleet Science Center and has led to requests for 4-H participation in other community events. For those 4-H youth conducting the experiment as well as the volunteers observing this event it has helped recreate excitement about SET 4-H programming and is contributing to a renewed interest in a Countywide SET programming effort.

Author: Steve Dasher, San Diego 4-H Youth Development Advisor