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4-H marches to a different drummer

A group of Windsor, Calif., teenagers have combined a primal beat, a shrill whistle and synchronized movement to create Windsor Bloco, a novel 4-H project that helps youth avoid gangs, appreciate ethnic diversity and find purpose while filling empty after-school hours.

Bloco, the Portuguese word for block, has its origins at the famed Brazilian Carnavál, where raucous revelers associated with particular neighborhoods or suburbs parade through streets in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday. Bloco drum corps hammer out a rhythm while an entourage of dancers move to the beat.

Windsor Bloco has shown this tradition can be successfully adapted in California schools to form a community that addresses many problems facing today’s youth. For example, Bloco can help beat down the childhood obesity crisis. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than one in six U.S. adolescents ages 12 to 19 were overweight in 2003-2004. Bloco’s performances and after-school rehearsals get teenagers on their feet and moving.  

As an extended family, the Bloco can also fill young people’s basic needs for self worth, recognition and companionship. In the absence of a fun, nurturing environment, at-risk youth may join criminal gangs for a sense of belonging. The 2007 Crime in California report from the California Department of Justice found that total juvenile arrests topped 200,000 in 2007, a 2.5 percent increase from 2002. In that time frame, felonies increased 7.6 percent. This growing prevalence of youth violence calls for positive and productive alternatives.

Windsor Bloco's inspiration

Windsor Bloco was inspired by Loco Bloco, a San Francisco Bloco established in 1994 in response to the ever-growing funding cuts to school art programs. After viewing a Loco Bloco performance, Windsor Middle School student advisor Dennis Boné and his son gathered a handful of interested students after school to begin developing drum and dancing skills. The students learned and perfected Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Cuban and world hip-hop rhythms and moves. Recognizing the health and cultural potential of the Bloco program, the 4-H Youth Development program in Sonoma County embraced the concept in 2002.

“We started with only 14 kids. Now there are 50,” Boné said. “We’ve had wonderful kids come through the program. Last year, we lost a lot of them to college, jobs and graduating from high school, but we didn’t lose one to violence, drugs or alcohol.”

UC Cooperative Extension 4-H advisor Evelyn Conklin-Ginop organized the group into a non-traditional 4-H club and galvanized the concept with a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Children, Youth and Families At Risk Initiative. The funding permitted Windsor Bloco to attract professional dance and percussion teachers; purchase quality drums, mallets, whistles and other supplies; cover the group’s travel expenses and pay festival entry fees.

4-H Windsor Bloco's effectiveness proven in four-year study

Windsor Bloco is effective at improving the lives of youth, according to a four-year study Conklin-Ginop conducted. Each year, Conklin-Ginop surveyed the students before and after participating in the Bloco after-school program. At the end, significantly more teens were physically active and practicing better nutrition habits. Teens participating in the Bloco program expressed appreciation for other cultural groups. They reported it was important for youth their age to spend time with youth of other cultures to build understanding and acceptance. Many of the teens said they viewed Bloco as a gang alternative.

“The message is clear,” Conklin-Ginop said. “Young people see this after-school program as something that will help them resist gangs.”

Windsor Bloco’s success was also recognized by the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, which named it a “program of distinction” earlier this year. Windsor Bloco was one of five programs nationwide to be so honored.

4-H now aims to spread this effective youth development program to other counties. Conklin-Ginop is writing a manual outlining steps for establishing an after-school Bloco program. The publication will explain how any county can use the non-traditional 4-H concept to prevent gang participation, promote cultural diversity and encourage a healthy lifestyle.

October 2008

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