At its core, 4-H is an explosion of childhood. It honors the joy of youth while attempting to equip kids with real, tangible tools to succeed. And those tools might be shaped like cupcakes or paintbrushes or sewing needles, but they give kids a purpose, something to be proud of.

While PRYDE’s 2024 Youth Investigators in Action Summit was undoubtedly important for these high school researchers, the Summit had a similar impact on Lucas Li, Justus Jenkins, and Ayushi Kapoor: three undergraduate and graduate student members of the Summit team, responsible for organizing and facilitating the three-day event. 

Although challenging at times, conducting youth participatory action research is extremely important for youth development, relationship building, and research outcomes.

To acknowledge and celebrate the 4-H Contribution Projects, two PRYDE Scholars — Promise Woods ‘25 and Jennifer Navarro Chavez ’25 — coordinated a virtual showcase that was held on Aug. 18.

The Contribution Project, an initiative that helps college students make a difference in ways they find meaningful, is expanding to teenagers throughout New York state through a new partnership with 4-H.

This summer, Tobie Bertisch ‘25 (Cornell Cooperative Extension [CCE] and PRYDE Intern) spent six weeks in Rochester, helping to facilitate the Cultivating Community program for youth.