Extension
It Starts With Us
Increasing life skills education and leadership excellence for youth and families
Developing Leadership, Volunteers, and Life Skills
Cabrina Buckman, Dennis Morgeson, Melissa Schenck, Laura Milburn, SNAP-Ed
Community Leadership Development
21st Century Skills (Career & Workplace Development)
Results from the 2019 Kentucky Extension Community Assessment identified the following as top community issues: providing more youth life-skills training, better youth and adult career readiness, and more qualified leaders to prepare community for the future. Advisory councils contributed to this assessment.
Participants of leadership programs will serve as volunteer leaders and/or mentors to others.
Clientele will gain and maintain employment through life skill development.
Families and individuals will make responsible and productive life choices that will contribute to home and community.
Participants will collaborate with coalitions, councils, programs, and other leaders.
Clientele will set and achieve goals through Extension programming.
Extension participants will apply skills learned through Extension programming at home, work, and in their community.
Develop adequate perceptions of leadership due to training opportunities for organizational and community leaders
Clientele will develop an understanding of goal setting
Participants will acquire decision making skills and gain an appreciation for civic engagement
Initial Outcome: Develop adequate perceptions of leadership due to training opportunities for organizational and community leaders
Indicator: Teen Leadership participants will apply lessons in leadership through completing assignments in the program
Method: verbal presentation
Timeline: spring
Intermediate Outcome: Participants will collaborate with coalitions, councils, programs, and other leaders.
Indicator: Participation on advisory councils and in programs
Method: sign in sheets and leader trainings
Timeline: throughout the year
Long-term Outcome: Participants of leadership programs will serve as volunteer leaders and/or mentors to others.
Indicator: return of program alumni to facilitate program
Method: observation
Timeline: continuous
Audience: youth and adult Extension clientele
Project or Activity: Talk Meet, 4-H clothing and food projects, money management classes, meal planning and preparation lessons, safety programming, 4-H Teen Programming, horticulture programming
Content or Curriculum: Extension curriculum
Inputs: Extension resources, community partners, volunteers, and participants
Date: continuous
Audience: 7th grade students, high school juniors and seniors, council and board members, community participants
Project or Activity: Junior Leadership, Teen Leadership, Master Gardeners, Homemakers, 4-H Council, Agriculture Development Board, WC Cattlemen's Association, Washington on Wellness Coalition
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Core Curriculum, Positive Employability Curriculum, other Extension curriculum
Inputs: Extension resources and specialists, community and civic organizations
Date: yearly
Author: Cabrina Buckman
Major Program: Family Development General
To promote continued learning and family enrichment during Covid-19, the Holidays at Home series was offered from October 19 through December 11, 2020. This series was a state-wide Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) effort. Each week, the Washington County FCS Agent offered grab and go bags with materials provided by the UK FCS Staff, supplemental activities, and Plate It Up Kentucky Proud recipes. Each Thursday, a webinar from FCS Specialists was shared locally on Facebook. &n
Author: Melissa Schenck
Major Program: Science, Engineering, and Technology
With continued restrictions and uncertainty it became clear that a consistent opportunity needed to be provided to young people in Washington County to keep learning by doing. The Science, Engineering, and Technology Box club was developed through a partnership between the Washington County 4-H and the Washington County Family Resource Youth Service Center (FRSYC) coordinators. Each month for three consecutive months, 16 registered families were provided with a monthly subscription box containin
Author: Cabrina Buckman
Major Program: Family Development General
Financial education programs often highlight financial literacy skills such as budgeting and managing credit card debt; however, these skills do not tap into the emotional and practical issues that cause people to react irrationally with money. Financial decisions are most often motivated by emotional need as opposed to logical knowledge. To address this concern, the Washington County Cooperative Extension Service utilized the Money Habitudes program to emphasize the importance of developing a h
Author: Melissa Schenck
Major Program: Leadership
When the word “leadership” comes to mind it is usually accompanied by ideas of large groups of people, teamwork, and high fives however the 2021 Junior Leadership Washington County was forced to think outside that box. Due to the continued restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic, Junior Leadership Washington County took on a hybrid approach with most days involving youth joining via Zoom from home.
Author: Cabrina Buckman
Major Program: Community Leadership Development
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted many aspects of life, including the physical and mental well-being of the students in the Teen Leadership program. Students expressed negative stress due to online school and lack of in-person social interaction. In order to address these issues and promote positive well-being, Teen Leadership Wellness Day was held on April 28, 2021. The Teen Leadership program, led by the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Agent, 4-H Youth Development Agent and S
Author: Melissa Schenck
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
