Mizzou 4-H Program Empowers Missouri Students for College and Careers

In St. Louis, a partner middle school took a step no one expected: it renamed one of its classes to include “4-H.” It is the kind of small, telling detail that signals something larger shifting in how Missouri prepares its young people for life after high school, and it sits at the center of a statewide effort now reaching thousands of students.

Through a partnership between the University of Missouri’s College of Education & Human Development and MU Extension, faculty are running 4-H Youth Futures Hopeful Paths for Youth Futures, a program designed to help middle and high school students build the confidence, connections and skills they need to pursue college and careers. The Mizzou College of Education & Human Development reported that the initiative, led by Kellie Seals and Clay Hurdle — faculty jointly appointed to the college and MU Extension — connects educational research and evaluation with hands-on experiences and mentorship. Since September 2024, the team has grown the Youth Futures model in Jackson and St. Louis counties, providing more frequent meetings and more comprehensive mentorship than the original program.

From Vision to Paychecks and Diplomas

Imagining a future beyond high school is the first step toward achieving it. The program aims to help young people develop their college and career knowledge, aspirations, confidence and sense of identity while forming relationships that support their success.

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Working alongside 4-H Youth Development Specialists Melissa Scheer and Justin Strickland, Seals and Hurdle help students explore their options and take practical steps toward their goals. The results are already visible in Kansas City, where high school seniors have secured paid internships and scholarships, with some crediting Youth Futures for helping them reach those milestones.

“The most rewarding part of this work has been witnessing our high school seniors in Kansas City land paid internships and scholarships and hearing their success stories attributed to Youth Futures,” Seals said. “This year, a partner middle school in St. Louis renamed its class to include ‘4-H.’ The unintended outcomes have been invaluable.”

Those unintended outcomes matter.

Expanding Youth Futures Program Statewide

The initiative builds on a broader commitment to preparing Missouri’s young people for what comes next. Since 2023, Youth Futures programming has reached more than 150 students in Jackson and St. Louis counties and more than 3,100 students statewide.

In 2024, MU Extension received a five-year, $607,115 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture via its Children, Youth, and Families at Risk program. The grant enables the development and implementation of Hopeful Paths for Youth Futures, allowing the team to strengthen the program and assess its effectiveness.

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That combination of direct service and research is central to the work. Seals relies on program evaluation to see what is working, pinpoint opportunities for improvement and train staff and volunteers to enhance outcomes for young people and the communities they serve. Lessons learned through Extension programming can also inform college and career initiatives across Missouri.

“The work being carried out as a part of the 4-H Youth Futures Hopeful Paths project provides high-impact experiences, educational inputs and meaningful adult support for young Missourians as they seek to position themselves for success in college and career settings beyond their time in the 4-H program,” Hurdle said.

The Money Behind the Mentorship

When families, schools and community partners witness how programming helps young people, they gain a reason to commit their time, resources and trust.

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What Comes Next for Missouri’s Families

Looking forward, Seals aims to examine how youth development programs can assist not only individual students but also their families. Recognizing those wider connections could enable the team to discover further ways to reinforce the support systems young people need to thrive.

By combining faculty expertise, research, Extension resources and community partnerships, Mizzou is helping Missouri’s young people get ready for their next chapters — while investing in the future of the families and communities they will help shape. A renamed class in St. Louis and a paid internship in Kansas City are, for now, the visible proof.