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4-H and the Smithsonian Institution have announced a new partnership aimed at broadening the access of young people to civic and cultural experiences throughout the United States. The two institutions will provide shared resources, including online content, digital storytelling projects, national 4-H events, and tours of Smithsonian museums, thus enabling young people, particularly those in rural communities, to explore and learn about diverse educational opportunities.
Lonnie Bunch, Smithsonian Secretary, stated in a press release that this partnership aims to reach more people than ever before, inspiring learning across the country through new technology, virtual exhibitions, and resources. The program is designed to foster critical life skills and mentorship among young people while closing the opportunity gap facing American children.
The Smithsonian Learning Lab and Clover by 4-H will house digital educational resources designed to educate young people about the benefits of culture and history and help them to develop an essential life skill set that includes curiosity, leadership, and tolerance. The Smithsonian Museum tours, for instance, will help provide an opportunity for young people to tour the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, which has 19 museums open to the public and two under early planning stages, along with a national zoo, research centers, educational, and cultural centers, and libraries.
To facilitate participation in the program, the initiative will connect 4-H teens from different states with experts in various fields to design projects that benefit their communities through the 4-H programs of Cooperative Extension and the Smithsonian. Over six million youths are empowered each year through such programs in the United States alone.
The program is set to kick-off in June with Smithsonian tours during Citizenship Washington Focus, which is an annual civic engagement and leadership experience that brings high school students to Washington, D.C. to acquire the skills and experiences that will enable them to be effective change agents in their communities.
Jennifer Sirangelo, President, and CEO of the National 4-H Council noted that the initiative is significant as it provides young people the chance to widen their perspective through cultural and historical lenses, leading to the development of critical skills that are crucial to civil discourse.
The partnership is critical as it aims to make the Smithsonian’s vast resources available to all Americans through enhancing access to civic and cultural experiences for thousands of teens across the United States, according to Bunch. The alliance will also provide teens with programs such as Museum on Main Street (MoMS), which brings traveling exhibits, educational resources, and programming to small towns across the U.S., thus bridging the educational and cultural divide between rural and urban areas. Teens attending the National 4-H Council’s annual summits (Ignite by 4-H, True Leaders in Equity Institute, and Citizen Washington Focus) will also receive guided tours and participate in learning sessions that focus on issues of democracy and civics, diversity equity, access and inclusion, STEM, and careers at five Smithsonian museums.
The partnership between 4-H and the Smithsonian Institution is an exciting step towards broadening access to civic and cultural experiences for young people, inspiring a future generation to develop critical life skills, and enabling them to drive positive change in their communities. The bottom line is that the program aims to provide young people with more opportunities to learn, explore, and acquire the skills they need to be effective change agents in their communities.
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