4-H and Youth Development
Thomas W. Broyles, Ph.D. Cooperative Extension State Program Leader, 4-H/Youth Development
Tennessee 4-H Members, Volunteers, Stakeholders and Extension Supporters: Greetings. My name is Thomas Broyles and I am the new State Program Leader for 4-H/Youth Development at Tennessee State University. Since starting in February 2013, I have witnessed the hard work and dedication our youth have “To Make The Best Better.� Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee have developed a collaborative model to ensure the youth of Tennessee are successful in their endeavors. This is an exciting time to be working with Tennessee State University. Currently, we have twenty-five agents and program assistants across the state with 4-H appointments who are working hard to meet the needs of the youth. In the coming months, we hope to add nine more county agents to reach an even broader audience. I am very proud of each agent and programming assistant for the hard work and dedication they have put toward developing the youth of Tennessee. In 2012, over 39,000 youth were reached in schools and over 2,100 club programs. These numbers are great, but we're not satisfied. We will continue to strive to reach as many youth as possible. None of what we've already done or what we hope to do in the future would be possible without the hard work and dedication of the agents, program assistants and over 2,500 volunteers. Volunteers play an instrumental role in our programs, and I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you. We've put together this section of the publication in an effort to show some of the work being done with youth both on campus and in the counties. Please take a few moments and read through the exciting programs that are taking place. In the months to come, we will work as a team to keep reaching more youth and develop more programs to prepare them for the future.
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