Tech Wizards Overview

4-H Tech Wizards is a highly original tiered mentoring project involving over thirty community organizations focused on assisting Washington County under-represented youth to bridge the digital divide! The 4-H Tech Wizard project involves youth participants in experiential learning activities focused on science, math, and technology education and careers. 7-12th grade youth participate in after-school mentoring activities, and 3rd-12th grade youth participate in summer camps and conferences.

The 4-H Tech Wizard project enables 3-12 grade youth to:

• Learn the importance of math, science, and technology education achievement,
• Develop Industry and career awareness
• Meet new people,
• Engage in their communities through completing service learning activities
• Acquire emerging technology skills,
• Build self-confidence through leadership on local, state & national technology teams,
• Learn responsibility, and accountability through working on real-world projects
• Set and achieve goals!

4-H Tech Wizards builds the leaders of tomorrow.

Youth can participate in 4-H Tech Wizards from grades 3 to 12.

4-H Tech Wizards starts at a local level, then provides opportunities on a county, district, state, national and international level.

Parents, Hi-Tech and Community Mentors, community leaders, and Extension staff share their time and talents with 4-H Tech Wizard youth.

The 4-H Tech Wizard Project (hereafter Project) addresses an 86% high school drop-out rate and low participation of under-represented youth in MATH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY education and careers. Seven principal organizations, with thirty additional supporting business and nonprofit partners, are using a multi-year multifaceted, systems approach encompassing in-school, after-school and summer MATH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY enrichment experiences and opportunities to help 80 middle and high school aged and 300 elementary aged youth annually explore related education and career paths. The Project also provides family education to ensure critical parental awareness and support. The partner organizations include community-based organizations, public schools, local government agencies and departments, and corporations.

The Project uses youth interest in emerging technologies to reach the youth, engage them in learning, and encourage them to apply their learning to their MATH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY academic instruction and future life path.

Mentors provide one-on-one attention in a non-formal, experiential (explore-do, reflect, apply) learning model delivered using culturally appropriate methodologies. Youth, under the guidance of their MATH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY adult mentors, learn to use emerging technology tools, work on real-world projects, and contribute 15 hours of community service teaching others in their communities. Youth learn decision making, goal setting, higher order critical thinking skills, teamwork, personal accountability, and presentation and effective communication skills.

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