4-H UNITY: Urban Neighborhoods Improved Through Youth

4-H UNITY (Urban Neighborhoods Improved Through Youth) uses Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Signature Program, Youth Community Action, with a two-generation approach to address poverty, childhood obesity and food insecurity.

The approach focuses on the needs of vulnerable teens and their parents together, with the unifying goal of strengthening family well-being, improving the community and breaking the cycle of generational poverty. UNITY Endicott partners with the Union-Endicott school district and combines 4-H youth development, civic engagement, STEM education, nutrition and parent education to ensure teens demonstrate the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors necessary for fulfilling, contributing lives, and promotes healthy lifestyles among teens and their parents/guardians.

Together, UNITY teen/parent teams become community change agents and conduct community improvement projects addressing critical USDA/NIFA goals. “Visiting professors”, experts in their fields, offer education to the UNITY Teen Leaders highlighting community. 

UNITY follows the "Public Adventures" curriculum, addressing projects to combat childhood obesity, promote healthy lifestyles, increase food access, and improve relationships between youth and law enforcement.  The teen/parent teams will conduct community projects in an effort to build community awareness of issues important to young people. fostering meaningful civic engagement.

UNITY teens will demonstrate improved leadership and workforce development skills as their community projects, job shadowing and internships provide opportunities for real-world skill application. Teens will gain the skills needed to prepare them for college, careers and citizenship. UNITY will establish a strong foundation for long-term sustainability by intentionally engaging school staff, local government leaders, businesses and community organizations in partnerships to ensure UNITY’s continuation. 

Last updated August 7, 2024