By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
LITTLE ROCK — Technology skills are critical for both everyday life and career readiness. To set 4-H members up for success, the Arkansas 4-H Tech Changemakers program equips participants with practical knowledge — and teaches them how to share their skills with the community.
HANDS-ON LEARNING — Amanda Berryhill and Landen Floyd use science activity kits at the Arkansas 4-H Tech Changemakers summer training, held June 25-26 at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock. The program teaches participants technology skills, and 4-H members then teach skills classes in their communities to help bridge the digital divide. (Division of Agriculture photo.)
The program hosted its 2024 summer training June 25-26 at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock. Participants learned how to take photos and write captions for social media, how to operate drones and their applications for agriculture technology, how to create stop-motion videos and more.
In addition to teaching 4-H members about technology, the Tech Changemakers program requires participants to lead digital skills classes for adults in their communities. To help bridge the technology gap, 4-H members teach lessons in identifying phishing scams, setting secure passwords, basic internet safety and more. Since 2021, the program has grown from 30 participants in 11 Arkansas counties to 75 participants in 24 counties.
Cindy Phillips, extension program technician for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the program helps 4-H members develop independence through learning to teach.
“Tech Changemakers learn to plan and set up classes,” Phillips said. “They are responsible for the location, teachers and necessary materials. They teach the lessons. Some of them teach from the front of the room, and some of them teach one-on-one to help participants with the new skill. Our team’s adults are there to support and supervise, while our teens are in charge of all of the areas of the program.”
Michelle McVay, extension 4-H STEM instructor for the Division of Agriculture, said 4-H members enjoyed the variety of lessons and activities offered at the training.
“The kids are really loving it,” McVay said. “This is where the world is going anyway, to being more tech-based. Any opportunity you can get to have the kids engaged, interested and excited about technology, the better."
Learning by teaching
Lynn Lanthrip, Drew County extension 4-H program assistant for the Division of Agriculture, said the program’s teaching element helps participants better master the material.
“I love getting the kids involved with technology and getting a group of kids excited about teaching,” Lanthrip said. “I think this is very much needed. It’s awesome watching them find their spot in the thing they like to teach.”
Lanthrip’s son was a member of the first group of Tech Changemakers in 2021. She said he benefited from connecting with adult students in the digital skills classes.
“He was 17, and he never liked public speaking,” she said. “But he loved working with people one-on-one, especially with teaching older people. He would go in, and he would be the one at the back helping individuals, instead of leading at the front. It does give the kids who are not strong speakers a way to improve, and it gives them a good way to help and teach.”
As part of the summer training, Phillips brought voice coaches to lead participants in vocal exercises — helping 4-H members project their voices and speak confidently. Phillips said she was inspired by a third-year Tech Changemaker participant, whose public speaking skills and confidence improved through his involvement in community theater.
“They led our kids through some fun, kooky games that helped them understand how to make their voices heard all the way at the back of an auditorium,” Phillips said. “And when we were making s’mores by the campfire, they helped show the kids that if there are noise distractions — like the sound of the cicadas — then they need to accommodate for those.”
Discovering their True Colors
Debbie Nistler, assistant vice president of 4-H and youth development for the Division of Agriculture, led Tech Changemakers through the True Colors personality assessment. Nistler said the test provides valuable insights into the individual traits participants bring to their teams.
After completing worksheets to identify their strongest color, participants split into four groups: Blues, known as the peacemakers; Greens, known as the analyzers; Golds, known as the organizers; and Oranges, known as the activators.
“I wanted to do this activity with you because you will be working on your Tech Changemaker teams in your counties all year,” Nistler said. “I want you to think about not what you are, but what your teammates are, and taking someone for who they are. That is one of the hardest things to do. When we work with people who are different than we are, we often think, ‘Well, they’re not like me.’
“I’m hoping you can take this True Colors training and think about your teammates as Blue, Gold, Green and Orange, and where they fit,” she said. “In a successful team, you need all of those colors to be present.”
Nistler also noted that the late Hope Bragg, former extension instructor in 4-H youth development for the Division of Agriculture, who helped start the Arkansas 4-H Tech Changemakers program, would be proud to see the program’s growth.
“I am super excited that we have such a great group of Tech Changemakers here today,” Nistler said. “Hope would be very excited to see the number of folks here. Hope’s True Colors were Blue and Green, and she would be very excited to see all of you doing this. You are doing well in honoring her, and I am excited to see what this iteration of Tech Changemakers does over the next year.”
Phillips said that in 2024, the Arkansas 4-H Tech Changemakers plan to teach original lessons on internet responsibility, how to search for information, email basics, video conferencing and more.
“Our team members complete many hours of service while helping members of their community cross the digital divide,” Phillips said. “Our team motto is ‘Once a changemaker, always a changemaker,’ and I believe they are forever changed by the difference they make in their communities.”
To learn more about Arkansas 4-H Tech Changemakers, visit 4h.uada.edu/programs/science/engineering-technology/ or contact Cindy Phillips at cdphillips@uada.edu.
4-H is a youth development program operated by the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the Division of Agriculture. The program teaches participants life skills through the “learn by doing” model. Program participants gain knowledge through non-formal, science-based, experiential education activities.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.