Building Life Skills in YouthPlan of Work

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Daviess County CES

Title:
Building Life Skills in Youth
MAP:
Building Life Skills in Youth
Agents Involved:
Boone, Higginbotham, Potts, Heisdorffer, Hardy
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
4-H Youth Development Programming
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Communications and Expressive Arts 4-H Core Curriculum
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Agriculture 4-H Core Curriculum
Situation:
Historically, 4-H is known as a program that teaches life skills. Millions of people have taken advantage of these 4-H programs. According to the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development skills individuals gain through 4-H participation play a vital role in helping them achieve future successes. Learning basic life skills is still as important as ever, however, many schools no longer include family and consumer sciences classes in the curriculum. Additionally, today’s youth and adults are busier than ever. As a result many of the basic life schools such as cooking are not being taught. 4-H is also one of the only organizations teaching communication skills to youth ages 9-13. The development of communications skills is one of the preeminent skills necessary to grow as an individual, a community member and a leader.
Long-Term Outcomes:
Youth will grow into responsible and contributing individuals and family members.
Youth will utilize the skills gained through education and involvement in 4-H programs to serve as leaders in 4-H and other organizations.
Intermediate Outcomes:
Youth will utilize and practice life skills in projects and life situations.
Youth will construct a speech that has a clear introduction, body and closing.
Youth will demonstrate an increased level of confidence when presenting in front of groups.
Initial Outcomes:
Youth will learn to read and follow instructions.
Youth will gain knowledge and develop skills in Family & Consumer Sciences projects and programs.
Youth will research and create a speech using a written outline.
Youth will be prepared to present before their family, a group of their peers, and a school or county qualifying event.
Evaluation:
Long-term Outcome: 4-H Alumni will grow into responsible and contributing individuals and family members. 4-H Alumni will utilize the skills gained through involvement in 4-H programs to serve as leaders in 4-H and other organizations.
Indicator: 4-H Alumni using 4-H skills as adults
Method: Personal testimonials
Timeline: All year
Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Youth ages 9-18

Project or Activity: 4-H Communications Lessons, 4-H Communications Contest

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Speeches publication, 4-H Demonstrations publication, 4-H Communications – Picking up the Pieces, Putting in Together and The Perfect Fit.

Inputs: 4-H Agents, 4-H Program Assistant, teachers

Date: School Year 2017-18


Audience: Youth ages 9-18

Project or Activity: Cooking, Food Safety, Nutrition

Content or Curriculum: Super Star Chef, Fantastic Foods, Luv-an-Egg, Put it up! Food Preservation, Cooking 101-401

Inputs: 4-H Agents, 4-H Program Assistant

Date: School Year 2017-18 and June 2018


Audience: Youth ages 9-18

Project or Activity: Sewing

Content or Curriculum: Keeping 4-H in Stitches Notebook, Kentucky 4-H Needlework Notebook, STEAM project books

Inputs: 4-H Agents, 4-H Program Assistant

Date: School Year 2016-17 and June 2017


Audience: Youth ages 9-18

Project or Activity: 4-H Camp

Content or Curriculum: West KY 4-H camping curriculum

Inputs: 4-H Agents, West Kentucky 4-H Camp facility

Date: June/July 2018


Audience: Youth ages 9-18

Project or Activity: 4-H Jr. Homemaker Club

Content or Curriculum: approved curriculum

Inputs: 4-H Agents, 4-H Program Assistant, Homemaker Volunteers

Date: School Year 17-18


Audience: Youth ages 9-18

Project or Activity: 4-H Photography Club

Content or Curriculum: approved curriculum

Inputs: 4-H Volunteer Leader

Date: School Year 17-18


Audience: Elementary School 9-12

Project or Activity: Progressive Agriculture Youth Safety Day

Content or Curriculum: Progressive Ag Safety Materials, approved curriculum

Inputs – Extension Agents and volunteers

Date: September 2017


Audience: Youth ages 9-18

Project or Activity: 4-H Garden Club

Content or Curriculum: Raised Bed Demonstration Garden, 4-H Horticulture Curriculum

Inputs: Horticulture Agent, Horticulture Technician, Master Gardeners

Date: Monthly 2017-2018


Audience: Youth Ages 9-18

Project: 4-H Natural Resources Club

Content or Curriculum: Approved 4-H Natural Resources Curriculum

Inputs: Extension Staff, 4-H Volunteer

Dates: School year 17-18


Audience: Youth 9-18

Project: 4-H Homeschool & Homeschool Cloverbud Clubs

Content or Curriculum: Approved 4-H Curriculum, LEAP program

Inputs: 4-H Volunteers

Dates: School year 17-18


Audience: School age youth

Project: Science

Content or Curriculum: STEM curriculum

Inputs: 4-H agents & assistants

Date: School year 17-18



Success Stories

4-H Teaches Communication Skills

Author: Stacey Potts

Major Program: Communications and Expressive Arts 4-H Core Curriculum

Providing youth with the ability to enhance and develop communication skills is of great importance in Kentucky.  The development of communications skills is one of the preeminent skills necessary to grow as an individual, a community member and a leader.  Using age appropriate activities selected from the approved Kentucky 4-H Communications & Expressive Arts Curriculum, educators can maximize the ability of youth to develop their writing, reading and personal communication capaci

Full Story

Girls Discover and Plant Spring Flowering Bulbs in the Girls Inc. Landscape

Author: Annette Heisdorffer

Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming

Gardening benefits youth through the application of knowledge gained in math and science according to Dun Munn from the Michigan State University Extension.  In addition, gardening provides moderate exercise.  The Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service partnered with Girls Inc. to teach gardening skills that can be used throughout life to the girls.  The girls in this program have limited access to gardening locations.  In the area at the Girls Inc. building where garde

Full Story

Progressive Agriculture Youth Safety Day

Author: Stacey Potts

Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming

Unintentional injury, while declining, remains the leading cause of death among children ages 19 and under.  (Source: Safekids.org)  To raise awareness and show children ways to prevent these types of injuries, the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service applied for and received a grant from the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to host a Progressive Agriculture Youth Safety Day.  The grant provided access to training, along with educational and planning materials.  It

Full Story

Achievement Award Particiaption

Author: Lindsey Dunn

Major Program: Leadership 4-H Core Curriculum

Participation in the Kentucky 4-H Achievement Awards process can be very rewarding. In this process, 4-H youth learn the skills and importance of record keeping. Daviess County has had low participation in this process for several years, even after offering incentives of a vest and jacket for junior and senior 4-H’ers who excel in completing the Awards application. In recent years, 4-H Agents and Staff in Daviess County have brainstormed to find other ways to boost 4-H’ers involvemen

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4-H Summit

Author: Stacey Potts

Major Program: Leadership 4-H Core Curriculum

Research suggests distinctive characteristics of young adolescents (middle school aged youth) regarding their physical, cognitive, moral, psychological, and social-emotional development, as well as spiritual development (Scales, 2010). Young adolescents (middle school aged youth) warrant educational experiences and schools that are organized to address their physical, intellectual, emotional/psychological, moral/ethical, spiritual, and social developmental characteristics (Caskey & Anfara, 2

Full Story

Poultry BBQ Day Camp

Author: Stacey Potts

Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum

Cooking is a valuable life skill that teaches children about nutrition and food safety, as well as building math, science, literacy and fine motor skills.  Retrieved from http://www.homefoodsafety.org/kids/teaching-kids-to-cook.  The 4-H Chicken and Poultry Barbecue Project is designed to teach youth the basic principles of food safety and to help youth develop food preparation skills.  Daviess County 4-H offered a Poultry BBQ Day Camps in June 2018 as part of the summer 4-H progr

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#adulting teaches teens to live independently

Author: Stacey Potts

Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming

Daviess County 4-H offered a six-part program entitled #adulting during March and April of 2018.The program was geared towards juniors and seniors in high school.  Nine teens completed the program, four of whom were residents of the local girls group home.  Lessons included hands on learning and activities with the topics of car maintenance, employment and etiquette, being a smart consumer, kitchen know-hows, money smarts and laundry and clothing repair.  Instruction was provided

Full Story
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