Extension
It Starts With Us
Leadership Development and Recruitment of Volunteers
Community and Leadership Development
Hixson, Comley, Hettmansperger
Business Retention and Expansion
Community Strategic Planning
Kentucky Extension Leadership Development (KELD)
Volunteer Development
According to national statistics, 25% of adults volunteer. With volunteer work valued at more than $24.00/hour, the economic impact and reduction of the strain of resources on non-profits to produce staff supported results is immense. The critical importance of volunteerism is found in the time committed to exploring and developing skills to contribute back to the local community. The Garrard County Extension Council (CEC), although not recognizing the need to train leaders per se for roles in the Extension Council system, did recognize the need for growing and developing leadership in educational endeavors such as agriculture, youth life skill development and programming, drug abuse education, growing energy crisis with alternative sources, local business enhancement, senior issues, built environment issue, and parenting issues.
Extension leadership development efforts will translate into improved leadership efforts in the community-at-large with leaders addressing public issues and running for public office. Participants will serve as mentors for future leaders.
People will participate in a variety of local through national leadership training opportunities. People will engage in public debate on local, regional and national issues. Participants will take on formal community leadership roles.
Participants in Extension programs will learn how and be encouraged to seek officer positions in extension-related organizations. Extension leaders will increase their knowledge about how to be an effective leader, build their team leadership abilities and learn how to be better at leading a group or an effort to fruition.
Initial Outcome: People taking leadership roles in the community and on extension councils and committees.
Indicator: Formal and informal surveys and person to person contact
Method: Survey program participants, observing extension committees and councils
Timeline: Year Round
Intermediate Outcome: People participate in leadership trainings and engage in public issues.
Indicator: Formal and informal surveys and person to person contact
Method: Survey program participants, observing extension committees and councils
Timeline: All year
Long-term Outcome: Leaders engaging in public issues and running for public office
Indicator: Formal and informal surveys and person to person contact
Method: Survey program participants, observing extension committees and councils
Timeline: All year
Audience: County Extension Council members, Extension District Board members, FCS council, 4-H Council
Project or Activity: Initial training meetings for new members, regular meetings of the different Extension groups
Content or Curriculum: State Extension Council training materials, FCS/KEHA materials, Councils 101
Inputs: Agents and Extension Specialist
Date: Year round
Audience: Extension Homemakers
Project or Activity: Extension Homemaker Leader Trainings, Area/county Homemakers events, Extension Homemaker Council meetings
Content or Curriculum: KEHA/KELD materials
Inputs: Agents and Extension materials
Date: Monthly meetings
Audience: club members and potential club members in FCS special interest clubs
Project or Activity: regular meetings with leadership training
Content or Curriculum: KELD materials
Inputs: FCS Agent / resource persons when appropriate
Date: year round
Audience: 4-H Members
Project or Activity: attendance of local, district, and state-level events
Content or Curriculum: Unlocking Your Leadership Potential
Inputs: 4-H Youth Development Agent, Volunteer, Local Funding Sources, 4-H Council, and Grant Development
Date: Year Round
Audience: In-School Programming
Project or Activity: Participation in local, area, and state-level communications events
Content or Curriculum: National 4-H Communication Curriculum and Expressive Arts Curriculum
Inputs: 4-H Agent, Volunteer, Curriculum, 4-H Council funding sources, materials
Date: January, February, March, April
Audience: 4-H Volunteers
Project or Activity: Continued Education or New Volunteer Education
Content or Curriculum: Kentucky Volunteer Forum, Southern Region Volunteer Conference, Volunteer Leader Horse Certification, Volunteer Leader Livestock Certification, Certified Leader Shooting Sports Certification
Inputs: 4-H Agent, Designated Curriculum, Local Funding, Materials, Volunteers
Date: Year Round
Author: Eric Comley
Major Program: 21st Century Skills (Career & Workplace Development)
The challenges of the COVID-19 are varied and many. Traditional programmatic opportunities are met with an unfortunate reality of postponement or cancellation. One such program is Career Days at our local Elementary, Middle, and High School. These days serve our youth population to give them a glimpse of the career options within our local community. In a recent post by America's Promise, the organization stated, "Students who are involved in career exploration are more likely to plan t
Author: Eric Comley
Major Program: Leadership
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2021 Kentucky 4-H Summit could not be implemented in the typical face-to-face format. Kentucky 4-H Program volunteers, members, and professionals decided, based on current events and fundamental developmental needs, that middle school youth needed the opportunity to connect to others and practice their leadership skills through 4-H. If adolescents are to develop the skills necessary for adulthood, they must learn basic skills for everyday life (Carnegie Coun
Author: Eric Comley
Major Program: Leadership
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down programming in March 2020 youth, families, and communities experienced long-term isolation and alteration of their typical lives related to in and out of school activities. Youth out-of-school time programs, such as 4-H, are essential ecological assets and their disruption during the pandemic may have a major impact on youth’s developmental pathways (Ettekal & Aganas, 2020). For many youth COVID-19 will be the defining issue of their lives
