I recently had the opportunity to attend a three-day 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Training at the 4-H Training Center in Ballston Spa, New York.  What an awesome experience!  As a Workforce Investment Act Youth Provider and Educator, I am responsible for teaching workforce skills and ethics to the youth in my charge (most of whom have one or multiple disabilities).       

Through completion of the training, four youth from my program developed a greater sense of integrity, responsibility, self-esteem, and (ultimately) self-efficacy. The wonderful balance between class work, hands-on training, social interaction, and actual teaching experience are a recipe, which made their success a reality.  Together, with participants from four different states, they learned to work cooperatively as team members in new and on-going group settings; all the while, honing their listening, speaking, and social skills. 

Special “Thanks”: to the competent and caring instructors, who were aware of these youths’ special needs and were able to differentiate the instruction enough to allow them to succeed, without drawing attention to their disabilities or sacrificing course content; to the energetic and friendly staff, who took a special interest in making their experience memorable for all the right reasons; and to all their fellow participants, who helped them succeed by modeling proper behavior and not treating these “special” youth any differently than anyone else.  Because of these caring adults, their self-esteem soared!   

As this training demonstrated, 4-H Shooting Sports are a fantastic vehicle for the delivery of the skills employers expect in a new hire and the skills society expects of an honorable citizen.

Roland Lavigne, Jr., M.A.,Ed.
YES! Saratoga County Educator
Cornell University Cooperative Extension