On July 10-13, 2017, the Cooperative Extension Program’s 4-H & Youth Development unit and STEMULATION for Youth held their first Jr. Youth Leadership Lab on the main campus in Prairie View. Jr. YLL was day camp that gave 16 youth from Waller, Harris and Fort Bend counties hands-on learning experience in STEM activities such as food and plant sciences, geospatial technology, robotics, college planning, and real world simulation games. The four-day camp gave the youth a focus on developing plan in STEM careers, the agriculture field and entrepreneurship. This camp educated the youth on how to develop a platform to make informed decisions about their future.
Fifteen youth responded to a retrospective post-test. Eighty percent of participants are more likely to enroll in higher education, which would result in increased wage earners that contribute to the economic stability of their communities. One-hundred percent of youth increased their awareness of entrepreneurship, while 93% improved their leadership skills. Eighty-seven percent increased their awareness of careers in agriculture and related STEM majors, while 73% are more likely to choose a STEM major or field of work as a result of their participation.
Youth participants display ice cream made in the hands-on workshops in food science with Dr. Milton Daley and the drones with Dr. Ripendra Awal and Mrs. Nakita Bowman
Rukeia Draw-Hood, Ph.D.
Program Leader, 4-H and Youth Development
(936) 261-5130
rdraw-hood@pvamu.edu