Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Samantha Gamblin
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
Middle school and high school can be some of the most stressful times of life. Between the pressures of school, social life, and other activities, teens have a huge amount on their minds, at all times. Mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real and widespread. Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide and rates have increased over the past decade. Before the COVID-19
Author: Tracie Goodman
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services reports that 10% of adolescents self-report illicit drug use in the past month across Kentucky. Substance use prevention programming is critical to the prevention, delayed onset, and/or early identification of substance use. The Life Skills Training (LST) program, developed by Botvin and colleagues, is one of the most successful substance use prevention programs available for use. It teaches a variety of personal self-management ski
Author: Shannon Farrell
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
Farmers and farmworkers consistently report high levels of stress associated with commodity production and rural living. The culmination of rural living, farm work, and stress is associated with elevated rates of suicide in farming occupations. The BARN: Farm Dinner Theater was developed as a strategy to address and explore the difficult topics of mental health and suicide within a rural community. UK Cooperative Extension agents from Harrison County recruited youth participants to experien
Author: Ryan Spicer
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
According to the CDC, If cigarette smoking continues at the current rate among youth in this country, 5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than 18 will die early from a smoking-related illness. That’s about 1 of every 13 Americans aged 17 years or younger who are alive today. To combat this issue in Breathitt County the 4-H agent for 4-H Youth development designed an educational program to deliver information to youth about the different types of tobacco, and their effects on the
Author: Molly Jordan
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
According to the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the CDC 18% of students in Kentucky have been a victim of cyberbullying. The Bracken County 4-H teamed up with School Resource Officer to provide 5th grade students a better understanding of cyberbullying. The SRO reported that the majority of issues he deals with in the middle school stem from cyberbullying. Therefore, we approached 5th grade teachers with the idea that this lesson will better prepare the students for the transition
Author: Emilee Bryant
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
Starting in September of the 2022-23 4-H program year, Powell county received a grant to help with the cost of the Health Rocks! curriculum. This grant was obtained with help from Dr. Isaac Hilpp. Health Rocks! is designed for middle school students, along with using high school teen leaders as the facilitators. After receiving the grant, Powell 4-H was able to work in partnership with the Powell County High School FRC Student Council and the Powell County Middle School Health
Author: Jessica Morris
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
For 4th and 5th graders in Wolfe County schools, they look forward to experiencing sessions taught with Health Rocks. This program utilizes our Teen Leadership ambassadors to teach the session to the elementary school. For our students they receive 8 hours of education through this program concentrated on drug, tobacco and alcohol, and vape prevention. For our area, drug, tobacco, alcohol and vape usage has been problem that has plagued our community for a long time. Through this program we are
Author: Dana Anderson
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
Health Rocks! is curricula for a healthy living program targeted at young people to educate youth on the consequences of tobacco, alcohol, e-cigarette/vaping, and drug use. The program focuses on youths' decision-making philosophy. It empowers them with the self-confidence and communication skills necessary to make responsible decisions and develop the skills to resist risky behaviors. Mercer County 4-H partnered with Mercer County and Burgin Independent Schools site-based committee to offer
Author: Amy Branstetter
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
According to our recent County Extension Community Assessment, “issues related to drugs and substance abuse in Metcalfe County”. There has been a large number of youth that have started vaping at an early age. This is a gateway to other abuse issues. There is a strong need for continued substance abuse prevention and intervention in Metcalfe County. Substance use/abuse issues continue to negatively impact a number of families in our local community. To address the variety of sub
Author: Julie Brown
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
Last summer, the Warren County Extension Office conducted the BARN dinner theater to Bring Awareness Right Now to Mental Health in the rural community. It was such a successful event; the Warren County Extension Council initiated a follow-up program dedicated to mental health awareness called Harvest Festival. Agents, council members, and community partners worked together to host an event filled with educational information and health screenings for participants.
Author: Calyn Colston
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
The Alpha Upsilon chapter of Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority, of Murray State University, hosts their annual Bale Buddies philanthropy event every year in the spring. 2023 is the second year the Calloway County Extension Office has participated. The proceeds from participating in this event are donated to Bright Life Farms in Princeton, KY. Bright Life Farms is a nonprofit organization that provides housing and learning opportunities for mentally or developmentally challenged adul
Author: Sharayha Clingenpeel
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
Bullying has been recognized as a pressing issue in the local middle schools. The 4-H Agent and Extension Program Assistant were asked to create and present a lesson on bullying to 7th graders. The program utilized the Safe & Caring Schools: Activities for Building Character and Social-Emotional Learning curriculum. Activities and exercises were put together so youth were up and moving as well as sitting and thinking. They were given a safe space to discuss bullying. The program included a d
Author: Staci Thrasher
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
There is a strong need for continued substance abuse prevention and intervention in Clinton County. The number of diverted prescriptions and illegal drugs, overdoses, thefts, arrests, court cases, and medical/financial consequences of drug abuse continue to negatively impact a large number of families in the community. To address the variety of substance abuse issues impacting our community, the Fleming County Cooperative Extension Service partnered with other local agencies to organize Truth or
Author: Lena Mallory
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
There continues to be a strong need for substance misuse prevention and intervention inMarshall County. The number of diverted prescriptions and illegal drugs, overdoses,thefts, arrests, court cases, and medical/financial consequences of drug abuse continuesto negatively impact many families in the community. To address the varietyof substance misuse issues impacting our community, the Marshall County Cooperative Extension Service partnered with the Youth Service Center (YSC) and other loca
Author: Louis Milligan
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
Guttermuth Elementary in partnership with various community organizations hosted a Transition Middle School Camp on June 3, 2022. Ms. Ramona Sands the Family Resource Youth Services Center at Guttermuth Elementary contacted Louis Milligan 4-H Agent about presenting lessons to their students during the camp. The week long camp allowed fifth grade students transitioning to middle school a closer look s like attending middle school and give them tools for success as they transition to middle school
Author: Wade Raymer
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
Substance abuse (legal & illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco) continues to be a concern for youth in Webster County. The children living in Webster County have experienced losses because of drug use, activity and violence in and out of their homes. To address this need, the Webster County 4-H Youth Development program introduced Health Rocks! to students in 6th grade at all four local elementary schools.5 Webster County Teens from Webster County were trained in the Health Rocks Curriculum.  
Author: Mary Beth Riley
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
According to data released through the Kentucky Incentives for Prevention study 17% of 10th graders and 24% of 12th graders reported using an e-cigarette or a “vape” in the past 30 days. Unfortunately, more and more teens in our area are using vapes and encouraging their peers to use them. It is never too early to start teaching young people about the consequences of tobacco use. The Lyon County 4-H teen club members are passionate about putting a stop to tobacco use and making
Author: Lawrence Caudle
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
Kentucky State University’s 4-H Youth Development program held the 2023 4-H Ignite Conference on April 21st. The conference drew in 100 middle school youth participants, 40 volunteers, 10 chaperones, and 10 extension staff members. During the conference, the participants got the opportunity to participate in 3 of the 6 available workshops of their choosing. One of the workshops offered was a workshop based on Mental Health, which was led by one of 4-H team members. This workshop exposed th
Author: Carissa Miske
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
The Lee County Extension Office has implemented a new program for their county. The Botvin Lifeskills program is a program that covers a wide range of topics from substance abuse to social skills. The Agents and staff involved taught this program to help focus on substance prevention and middle schoolers are such a vulnerable audience. In 2022 Lee County was featured on LEX18 for six deaths and 21 overdoses in just three weeks have been reported.Substance use prevention programming is critical t
Author: Sharayha Clingenpeel
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
After a meeting with the new Youth Service Center Coordinator at a local middle school, several programs were listed to be of interest to bring into the school. With more discussion, vaping moved its way to the top of the list as being a major problem within the school which needed to be addressed. According to the 2019 study done by the National Institute on Health (NIH), “17.6% of eighth grades have vaped in the past year.” The American Lung Association put out this information: &l
Author: Bernita Cheirs
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
The Health Rocks curriculum is aimed at eight to sixteen year olds reducing tobacco, alcohol, and drug use. 4-H has worked for decades to help youth develop skill such as communicating with others, being responsible decision makers, and developing an internal strength to resist risky behaviors. The Health Rocks curricula is designed to use teen volunteer leaders for effectiveness. Thanks to a grant through the State 4-H Office for putting this issue at the forefront. The 4-H Agent contacted two
Author: Chanda Hall
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
No one really wants to relive the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 and 2021. However, we are finding that since that stressful time in our nation, our youth has been more stressed than before. Today’s children are under a massive amount of stress, and it is well-documented that heavy stress has negative effects on their mental development (Columbia University). According to Columba University College of Engineering, coding combined with elements of visual language, use o
