Teen-Works - Washington, United States

Teen-Works involves youth in professional development through four company divisions: computer technology; television video production; medicine, health and nutrition; and expressive and performing arts. Participating teens have a change to pursue an interest and learn technical and creative problem solving skills through monthly or weekly training sessions every month or every other week in computers, TV-video, or both.

Students in Teen-Works must commit to at least 6 to 10 hours of participation each week. For example, participants must attend weekly meetings that focus on education and work-force preparation (not job placement). Each meeting begins with a request that attendees interview someone present whom they don't know very well; they then report back to the group. In these meetings, and through associated activities, students learn about the professional world of work. They have personal files and project journals to document their progress through photos, financial summaries, and journal entries. Participants craft resumes and business cards and learn to behave professionally while working as a team.

Volunteers are key to the functioning of Teen-Works. For example, the head of the video production division is a young woman who works with a group of 8 to 10 teens who are learning how to script, shoot, and edit video productions. The students are completing 30-second Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that focus on one aspect of their life, something they are particularly proud of and want to share. These PSAs will air on Thurston Community Television (TCTV), and perhaps other locations. In the words of this volunteer, "It's not just about them learning technical skills or developing a career path. It's about allowing them the space to have a voice in the community, to see they have something to contribute."

High school students who meet a set of special requirements in the programme can also receive US$500 per year in tuition credit at Washington State University (WSU) for up to US$2,000 over four years as part of the 5-STAR 4-H Program. Teen-Works members can also take field trips to places such as the WSU-Vancouver campus and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland. In 2002, Teen-Works participants attended a 3-day conference in Everett, Washington, where they built computers for the Teen-Works lab in Lacey. A technology grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported this initiative. Teen-Works also sent a team to film, edit, and produce a documentary about the conference. "We want to give students a chance to interact with people actually in the field," said Michael Holroyd, director of the county extension.

Youth, Job Training, Education, Health.

There are approximately 20 youth enrolled in Teen-Works; more than 450 youth in Thurston County are enrolled in 4-H.

Local 4-H clubs, which are guided by a national council, pair adults and children with similar interests to pass on knowledge and experiences. Clubs focussing on farm topics emerged in nearly all the existing states between 1905 and 1914. The 4-leaf clover emblem was adopted first in Iowa in 1906, representing the 4 "squares" of the clubs: educational development, fellowship development, physical development and moral development.