National 4-H Recognition Model

Recognition is a significant incentive to further learning.  Recognition properly designed and used can inspire youth to continue participating and learning.  Youth become active in 4-H because they benefit personally; thus, the focus should be on what youth gain from the program and not on the program or organization itself. Youth make choices depending on their need for security, new experiences, response or recognition.

Recognition must be continually revised to meet the needs of individual participants.  Individual progress must be recognized and individual enthusiasm must be encouraged.  There is no one-way of encouraging and supporting youth.  Youth come from varied backgrounds and with different experiences.  Their interests, values, needs, attitudes and aspirations vary.

For some youth, intrinsic or internal recognition is far more powerful than any extrinsic or external recognition.  Motivation is determined by a complex blend of environment, attitude and self-concept.  This is what energizes a person and directs individual activity.

The national model for recognition provides a balanced approach that encourages a variety of forms of recognition to meet the diverse needs and interests of today's youth.

Recognition Purposes

• Recognition can be a motivator for some young people to excel and take risks.
• Recognition can foster self-appraisal skills, providing a strong foundation for each young person to engage in self-reflection and self-evaluation without the need for external rewards.
• Recognition can encourage and support the efforts of young people as they engage in individualize learning, peer competition or cooperation.
• Recognition, used in all its forms, can provide balance to the recognition young people receive as they move through our educational programs to increasingly difficult challenges.

Beliefs about Recognition
The National Recognition Model is a dynamic model for planning, implementing, and developing 4-H Programs.  Several beliefs underlie the principles of the model:

• Recognition is a basic human need with security, new experiences and responses.
• Recognition should be a part of all 4-H learning experiences.
• Appropriate recognition takes many forms.
• Respect for individual differences is essential.
• Recognition must be structures to build self-confidence.
• Opportunities for self-assessment and reflection allow youth to learn.
• A range of opportunities and challenges provide choices to meet individual needs.
• Adult support is essential in youth learning and recognition.
• Everyone should be recognized at some level.
• A balance between all elements of the model is essential.

Reference
National 4-H Recognition Model Design Team. (1993). National 4-H Recognition Model. Washington, D.C.: Families, 4-H and Nutrition, United States Department of Agriculture.