The 4-H Thrive Model: Positive Youth Development Outcomes in Adventure Day Camp Participants and Volunteers

Southern Region

Pueblo 

County 

Primary Topic:

Youth and Family Development

Other Topics:

Health and Well-Being

Lead Mentor:  

Jennifer Loewen

Pueblo County 4-H Youth Development Agent

Internship Overview:

The CSU Internship will focus on the effectiveness of the Adventure Day Camp (ADC) programming on local Pueblo County youth aged 6 – 11 years old in the areas of personal wellbeing, civic engagement, and experiential learning, in relation to the 4-H Thrive Model. Through qualitative and quantitative data obtained before, during, and after Adventure Day Camp, the CSU intern will also closely examine developmental content, planning, and evaluation of ADC held in June of 2023.

Goals, Scope and Objectives:

Colorado State University Extension in Pueblo County plans to conduct a three-day 4-H Adventure Day Camp for 50-100 at-risk, low-income, non-4-H youth in kindergarten through 5th grade in June of 2023.

Adventure Day Camp (ADC) was first conceived in 2006 as a low-cost way for Pueblo youth to be introduced to Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs and practices. Sponsored by Colorado State University Extension and Pueblo County 4-H, this 3-day camp grew to be a Pueblo community favorite and has served thousands of youth aged kindergarten through 5th grade since its conception. After a six-year hiatus, Adventure Day Camp will return to its annual program rotation in Pueblo County 2023.

CSU Extension and 4-H provide youth-positive, targeted programming in areas of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM), health and wellbeing, nutrition, civic engagement, and experiential learning. Adventure Day Camp supports the 5 “Cs” of Positive Youth Development; Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character & Caring; while providing youth in Pueblo County a valuable learning experience at low cost.

With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?

The internship will involve collaboration with local County partners including the Pueblo City-County Library District, Pueblo Zoo, Colorado State University – Pueblo, local school districts, and Pueblo County Health Department.

What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?

With guidance and program support from CSU Extension, the student will gain valuable opportunities in the area of experiential learning, hands-on engagement, problem solving, critical thinking, program evaluation, qualitative and quantitative data collection, a focus on elementary-aged program development, teamwork, local partner collaboration, and interviewing . A student with a professional interest in the areas of youth development, elementary-aged programming and education, Extension service and program development will find this internship opportunity valuable.
Scroll to Top