The Youth Writers: Developing Curriculum for Their Peers

Curricula designed for youth are often lacking a young person's influence and perspective. In order to provide engaging, "fresh" materials for youth, 4-H professionals can recruit youth as curriculum writers. Youth are given an opportunity to form positive partnerships with adults, produce engaging and creative materials for their peers, and develop leadership skills. Positive youth development is promoted through youth-adult partnerships, involvement in decision making, and contributing to projects. A model for implementing a youth writers program is described in this article.