Setting goals helps young people chart a positive direction and discover a sense of purpose.
Research consistently shows that goal-directed habits and behaviors are linked with long-term health, wellbeing and success.
When youth begin building these skills early, they tend to carry them into adulthood, strengthening essential life skills such as critical thinking, perseverance, flexibility and adaptability.
In my role with Minnesota 4-H, I co-developed statewide training for adult volunteers and youth to gather input, reflect and set a goal.
Throughout this training, volunteers explored several reflective activities:
- Looking back on their involvement in 4-H
- Identifying their motivations for participating or volunteering
- Reviewing their club or group profile to understand current strengths and opportunities
Using the goals, strategies, action plan worksheet, each participant identified one meaningful goal and mapped out how they planned to achieve it. Below is a summary of the process presented in the worksheet that can be used by any caring adult to support a youth in setting a goal and managing the steps to accomplish it.
Overview of the goal-setting process
Goal
What do you want to accomplish, and what outcome do you hope to see? Participants were encouraged to write their goal in the SMART format: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based.
Strategies
How will you reach your goal? There might be several ways to reach the goal, but identify the one you plan to focus on.
Action plan
What steps must happen to move toward your goal? Participants set a timeline for each step, outline the resources they may need and the people who could support them along the way.
Goals function much like a map guides a traveler: they point toward a destination and guide the decisions we make along the journey. Thoughtful goal setting encourages us to consider multiple strategies, make intentional choices and take specific steps that move us closer to the results we want to achieve.
Empowering young people with goal-setting skills equips them not only for success today, but for success throughout life.
Tips to promote goal-setting skills in youth
- Encourage youth to set their own goals for what they want to learn or achieve.
- Help them break down big goals into manageable steps, making the process less overwhelming.
- When they encounter challenges, guide them in reflecting and adjusting their strategy rather than giving up.
- Model goal-setting yourself by sharing personal examples and the strategies you use.
More from Extension
Bowers, E. P., Swett, E., Starks, M., and Melton, T. N. 2025. "Navigating to Success: Intentional Self-Regulation and Goal-Directed Skills." In Positive Youth Development: Integrating Research and Practice, edited by M. E. Arnold and T. M. Ferrari, Cham: Springer.