June 2, 2020
Shout Out: Matt Young
This week’s Shout Out comes from 4-H Youth Development specialists Aliah Mestrovich Seay and Diane Mack. Their nomination goes to K-State Research and Extension Brown County agent Matt Young. Aliah and Diane wrote:
“Matt Young, Brown County, deserves this week’s Shout Out for having a positive impact on students at the Kickapoo Nation School and the entire community. As part of National 4-H Council’s Mentoring grant, Matt collaborated with the school principal and hired a site coordinator who already worked at the school part-time who had already developed a supportive relationship of trust with the youth. When reaching indigenous youth, having time to build rapport and trust is especially important.
To build community and trust among the students, the high school students mentored the middle school students.
School Principal Elma Brown, said the grant assisted the school in bridging the families and communities together through family nights. Family nights were something she had wanted to provide and with grant funds and this being part of the grant requirement, the Kickapoo school was provided with additional financial and Extension support to get them scheduled and carried out.
Matt’s trust within the community, his understanding of culturally responsive teaching and his ability to engage the local community in this mentoring endeavor led to successful grant outcomes. We are appreciative for the collaborative opportunities with the Kickapoo National School thanks to Matt's perseverance, determination, and his purpose-driven work within this under-represented community.”
Matt, thank you for all you do for the people you serve, your colleagues, and K-State Research and Extension!
If you know of a colleague or team of colleagues that deserves a Shout Out, please send their name(s) and the reason for the Shout Out to ghadley@ksu.edu.