1. WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
4-H Project Transforms
Southwest Washington Town
“Engaging Youth, Serving Community”
in Cathlamet, Wahkiakum County
Background
In early 2011, Wahkiakum County 4-H was awarded funding to complete a project proposed for the town of Cathlamet as part of the Engaging Youth, Serving Community (EYSC) initiative within the USDA Rural Youth Development Grants Program in collaboration with the National 4-H Council. Jan Klein, Washington State University (WSU) Extension Adolescent Leadership Specialist, and Dale Larson, WSU 4-H Youth & Families Extension Educator, developed the grant application as an opportunity for local participants to complete the national objectives for EYSC:
1. Youth will gain the life skills and experience needed to emerge as effective leaders and contributing members of society.
2. Youth and adults will develop more positive attitudes toward the roles of youth in communities.
3. Youth and adults will learn to collaborate with diverse community members to identify and address local issues.
In June 2011, 7 youth and 3 adults attended training conducted by the Washington State leadership team at the Wahkiakum County Extension office. The initial local team learned about meeting facilitation and issue identification in the context of healthy youth-adult partnerships.
Cathlamet was chosen as the focus community because it is the county seat but also met the population requirement of less than 10,000 inhabitants and risk factors of poverty and educational achievement.
Local Program Focus
From the start the youth involved were concerned about lack of community pride. The EYSC teens liked living in Cathlamet, but they felt surrounded by fellow youth as well as adults who couldn’t wait to get away. After confirming the community’s sense of gloom and hopelessness by documenting the empty storefronts, litter along the roadways, and shrinking population, the youth team members held a public forum in the school cafeteria on what could be done to restore the image of and pride in Cathlamet.
Plan Implementation and Revision
The initial action plan called for a Main Street cleanup, development of enlarged historical photos to fill vacant storefronts, hosting family movie nights at the community center, and creating a “good neighbor” award column in the Wahkiakum Eagle. The full EYSC team carried out the Main Street cleanup in November 2011, and it received so much positive feedback that other public spaces quickly became the focus of similar future efforts. The courthouse grounds were addressed in 2012 and 2 city parks received attention in 2013, all with help from Cathlamet residents.

2. Community Impact
By strengthening the environmental and built capital of Wahkiakum County, local youth demonstrated several social and financial capital improvements in Cathlamet that former Mayor George Wehrfritz recognized as transformative:
■ Main Street Cleanups: The student support was critical. People who saw the groups out weeding and sweeping up were supportive. Some were business owners who followed the students’ lead and got more involved in keeping their storefront area cleaner on a daily basis. This was very helpful for downtown Cathlamet.
■ Dog Waste Stations: Their impact was very important. As a dog walker, I passed through Erickson and Strong Parks often and noticed a significant decrease in the amount of animal waste after the stations were installed. Making doggie bags convenient was only part of the benefit, I think. The stations also showed that there are people who care about how these parks look—and take pride in our community. We often talk about how vandalism is contagious; once someone uses a magic marker to scrawl nasty comments in a bathroom stall, others follow. Yet the contagion effect also can be positive when a local effort to beautify a park inspires other people to take corrective action. I think the dog waste stations did that in both parks.
Both projects were smart and well-executed. Keep up the good work!
Among the concerns expressed in September 2011 were out-migration and business depression. The population of the county had fallen 2.2%, from 4,062 in 2009 to 3,971 in 2010. Membership in the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce was at 107, which was unable to fill 8 storefronts in the downtown corridor of Cathlamet.
At the end of 2013, population estimates were 4,021, an increase of 1.2%. Six new businesses had been opened in or relocated to downtown (a 75% decrease in vacancies), and chamber membership was up to 125 (a 16.8% increase).
This EYSC project was made possible by the Rural Youth Development Grant Awards 2005-45201-03332, 2008-45201-04715, and 2011-45201-31092 provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the National 4-H Council. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect USDA views.
EXTENSION
WSU Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local WSU Extension office.
Project Information
• Jan Klein, 509-358-7937, jlklein@wsu.edu
• Dale Larson, 509-962-7507, dale.larson@wsu.edu
• Caroline Backman, 360-795-3278, carrie.backman@wsu.edu
Return on Investment
In three years the grant provided $6,500 in support of the EYSC Cathlamet project. Youth, adults, community groups, and local businesses donated in-kind gifts of time and materials valued at $5,958 during the same period. For each $1 contributed by the USDA, $0.92 was added to the effort as a result of the leadership demonstrated by our youth.