4-H Sustainable Food Systems Resource Management

  • Date: Summer 2021 (flexible start date)
  • Location: State 4-H Office, Caldwell Hall Cornell University Campus
  • Intern: Roy Kim (Roy's blog)
  • Faculty sponsor: Andy Turner, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR)
  • Campus-based mentor/supervisor:  Mingla Charoenmuang, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR)
  • Stipend: $5,000
small group of girls looking at art at NYS fair
Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement (PRYDE) Scholars visit the NY State Fair with PRYDE faculty and staff.

This project aims to identify existing youth development programs and resources across New York State, collect data of what materials are needed, and organize appropriate resources on current and emerging topics regarding sustainable food systems for 4-H programs. The purpose of the internship is to set up the system for collecting data from the associations across the state. The student will work closely with the NYS 4-H Food Systems Specialist to learn about the nature of the 4-H programs and instructional frameworks of the topics. The student will also work collaboratively with several county collaborators in the process to understand the existing activities and the needs for the resources. The intended outcome is a system for resource management on the NYS 4-H website.

Roles and responsibilities 

The student will meet with the Specialist weekly to discuss 4-H programs in New York State, key stakeholders to communicate with, and instructional frameworks of sustainable food systems. The student will be asked to set up a system that helps with the data collection process across the state and collect data from 2-4 associations in each region. The student will then process the information to organize existing resources appropriately on the NYS 4-H website and propose resources needed to the Specialist for the future process.

Qualifications and previous coursework

This opportunity is available to students in Cornell University's College of Human Ecology.

  • Interests in the work regarding sustainable food systems education and 4-H youth development
  • Willingness to communicate with stakeholders to collect the data
  • Comfortable with organizing information.

Learning outcomes 

The student will gain an understanding of 4-H programs across New York State and get to network with 4-H educators from different regions. The student will engage in the sustainable food systems educational resource management and can apply the skills to the resource development process. The student will get to improve effective communication and leadership skills through the main tasks.