4-H patterns on the land initiative: A case study of environmental education volunteers in Michigan.

摘要

This study investigates volunteerism and community linkages in Environmental Education (EE) projects, using a qualitative evaluation of the 4-H Patterns on the Land Initiative (POTL). The study consists of personnel interviews with up to three volunteers, and one 4-H staff in each selected county. This study examines characteristics of local program staff and participants. This study concentrates on participants' perceptions of the flexibility of the program (4-H POTL Initiative), participants' expectations of the program, and types of participants who volunteered.;The desired outcome of the 4-H POTL Initiative is to have a self-sustaining volunteer base, and EE programs through community collaborations and coalitions.;In the results, counties that formed Service and Action Teams to facilitate projects through collaborations with other community groups (i.e. Boy Scouts), achieved a high degree of success in implementing their projects. In addition, the results demonstrated that people who participated in the projects were interested in the environment, had youth involvement, and were given the opportunity to volunteer (asked to volunteer). Evaluation of the 4-H POTL Initiative projects at the county level (grass roots) demonstrated that counties are very unique in their needs for EE projects. One major recommendation is to increase county-to-county communication between the Service and Action Teams. Yet county-to-county networking can help implement programs.