Tag Archives: Jackelyn Martin

Understanding personalities: What color is your personality?

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Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Jackelyn Martin, Michigan State University Extension

 

Any adult or youth who has participated in an interview can recall the ever-popular question, “Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses.” But how do youth gain insight into those characteristics without on-the-job experience and feedback from superiors? The Real Colors personality inventory can be a helpful tool for youth to explore their personality traits and potential individual strengths and weaknesses.

 

Real Colors is an assessment and training rooted in the work of well-known social science researchers including Carl Jung, Isabel Myers, Katharine Briggs and David Keirsey. The Real Colors personality inventory uses self-assessments to break down personality types into four basic color groups, making the tool easy to teach and remember in future applications. The training helps youth and adults discover their primary “colors,” each associated with a personality type, and gains insight into areas their personality type may excel or struggle in their work in groups. The training is conducted over the course of two hours to a full day and is carried out by trained instructors.

 

By participating in a training, youth and adults gain perspective about the tasks they may consider easy in their lives, but present challenges to others based on the way others think or approach the task. For example, organizational skills and meeting deadlines may come naturally to some people, but others may need to work harder at achieving the same results. Likewise, some people can read and analyze numbers or see how a problem fits in with a broader context, while others may not draw those connections as easily. Similarly, some people excel in groups and teamwork, and others prefer to work alone.

 

Understanding what makes individuals unique can help groups identify individual strengths and areas that they could improve. It also provides perspective into how individuals participate as part of a team. Michigan State University Extension educators are trained in facilitating the Real Colors personality inventory, appropriate for adults and youth. Contact your local MSU Extension office or the 4-H Leadership and Civic Engagement Work Team at 4-hleadership@msu.edu for more information.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Are youth equipped to make real change in policy?

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Past participants of the 4-H Capitol Experience in Lansing, Michigan. Photo by MSU Extension.

By Jackelyn Martin, Michigan State University Extension 

 

Across the nation, youth are finding their voice in change-making and expressing it across a variety of platforms. Fed up with what they perceive as ineffective policy-making, youth are using their voices to make change. From walkouts to protests to editorials, youth are making their voices heard.

 

But are youth equipped with the knowledge needed to make a difference in politics and government? The answer may vary depending on the youth you ask, their experiences and the quality of their government and civics education in high school. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, “Students who recall having received better civic education are more likely to be engaged.”

 

At least one youth feels under-prepared for participation in government. Despite attempts in her high school government class, Mackenzie Hubbard used her voice to write an editorial in the Ludington Daily News on her lack of understanding of government. Is Hubbard’s experience an anomaly? Or does it point to a broader problem? Are there better ways to engage youth in civic education and find their voice to be effective change-makers?

 

4-H Capitol Experience is a pre-college program that takes youth out of the classroom, providing a hands-on experiential opportunity to learn more about state government in Michigan. The four-day program held annually in Lansing, Michigan, engages high school youth throughout the state in exploring the process of making public policy. Youth who participate in this program learn about our state’s public policy through multiple experiences including mock bill writing, committee meetings, and house and senate “votes,” as well as visits with legislative aides, lobbyists, and state and community agencies.

 

Consider inviting a youth you know to attend 4-H Capitol Experience April 15-18, 2018, equipping them with confidence and knowledge to make a difference. The event is $350 for Michigan 4-H members and $370 for all other youth. For more information on 4-H Capitol Experience, please visit the 4-H Capitol Experience website. Online registration for the 2018 4-H Capitol Experience is open until March 16, 2018.

 

Any questions on this program can be directed to Jackie Martin at marti623@msu.edu or 734.222.3877.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. Reprinted with permission.For This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888.678.3464).more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888.678.3464).