COLUMBUS — Beginning in October, Ohio middle- and high school-aged youth will have the opportunity to track their Ohio 4-H youth development participation and earn digital badges in the skills needed to be successful in the future.
The Ohio 4-H Pathways to the Future initiative partnered with Suitable to design BuckeyeNext, an app in which young people earn points for activities, event attendance, and accomplishments during their 4-H career. Built like a game, youth can easily identify the opportunities available through Ohio 4-H, organize their categories of participation, and track their cumulative progress in real time.
Youth who participate will create a digital portfolio and transcript that demonstrate how their abilities align with the eight career readiness competencies identified by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Ohio 4-H youth from 20 counties piloted the platform during the summer at the Ohio 4-H Spark EXPO to track their learning experiences.
Ohio 4-H members can access BuckeyeNext beginning Oct. 2 at go.osu.edu/buckeyenextoptin. For more information, contact Margo Overholt-Seckel at overholt-seckel.1@osu.edu.
