A Case Study Investigating Skill Development Through 4-H Livestock Projects

The purpose of this project is to determine what important skills youth gain from participating in 4-H livestock projects. This goal was important not only to 4-H, but to Cooperative Extension as an organization. The theoretical framework for this study was Richard Lerner’s Positive Youth Development (PYD). The participants of this study are all 4-Hers who participated in 4-H livestock projects. A qualitative case study was developed to determine what skills youth gained through livestock projects. A total of five youth participated in the research interviews. Responses to interview questions proved that there are important skills gained from livestock projects. A follow up interview with each participant would be beneficial to gain more detail on benefits that are gained through livestock projects.