Extension
It Starts With Us
Educating, & empowering individuals & families to make responsible choices & develop lifeskills
Developing life skills
P. Adkins, C. Hall, W. Long, B. Pratt, and K. Smith
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Conflict Resolution
Developing life skills and making responsible, healthy choices can have a profound impact on family stability, individual well-being and community sustainability. Budgeting, interpersonal relationships, communication, family management and other skills are necessary for success.
The consequences of the Great Recession and the extended period of slow economic growth which followed, encouraged Kentuckians to become more aware of their financial situation. Kentucky consistently lags behind other areas of the United States in key household economic indicators, including: personal income, population living below the poverty line, unemployment, and revolving debt. These indicators, especially unemployment numbers became more exaggerated during the period of the Great Recession. However, at present economist are cautiously optimistic regarding future economic forecasts. It is important to acknowledge the impact of current economic conditions on family financial management. The goal of the Securing Financial Stability Initiative is to help Kentuckians understand and respond to changing economic conditions, while promoting healthy financial behaviors across the lifespan.
The development of life skills, like leadership, allows youth to cope with their environment by making responsible decisions, having a better understanding of their values, and being better able to communicate and get along with others. (Boyd, Herring & Briers, 1992, Journal of Extension). Almost 30 percent of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are to be involved in bullying as a bully, a target of bullying or both. A troubling statistic that needs to be addressed.
Healthy couple and parenting relationships and resulting family stability benefit the well-being of adults and children. Furthermore, children who start kindergarten with delayed development and fewer assets are by far more likely to repeat grades, get tracked into lower-tier classes and drop out of high school than more advantaged children.
• Youth and adults will demonstrate the understanding of diversity, inclusivity, and multiculturalism in their daily life.
• Youth will use leadership and communications skills needed to be successful in the workplace on a daily basis.
• Create safe homes within environments that promote and support the physical and mental well-being of families throughout the life cycle.
• Youth will develop into competent, capable, contributing adults as important developmental assets are met through their participation in Extension programs.
• Youth and adults will be responsible and contributing individuals and family members, gain and maintain employment through life skill development and contribute to a safe, pleasant and productive home and family.
• Youth and adults will learn to manage personal finances, make wise financial decisions and understand long-term financial stability.
• Youth and adults make more informed consumer decisions that result in increased family economic stability.
• Youth and adults will reduce stress levels by building personal strengths, self-control, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making.
• Reported using preventive and positive discipline techniques in response to misbehavior, and setting and enforcing logical consequences.
• Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships.
• Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle that include making healthy lifestyle choices, not engaging in risky behavior and handling stress.
• Practice healthy lifestyle decision-making that strengthen individuals’ ability to cope with normal life stressors.
• Change in awareness, knowledge, opinions, skills, and attitudes needed to make informed choices regarding healthy aging.
• Commits to using logical consequences for misbehavior.
• Youth and adults will identify healthy lifestyle choices, risky behaviors and their consequences and healthy ways to handle stress.
Initial Outcome: Youth and adults will identify healthy lifestyle choices, risky behaviors and their consequences and healthy ways to handle stress.
Indicator: Ability to identify healthy lifestyle choices
Method: Pre- and post-surveys
Timeline: Before and after program
Intermediate Outcome: Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle that include making healthy lifestyle choices, not engaging in risky behavior and handling stress.
Indicator: Youth and adults adopting and mastering healthy behaviors
Method: Pre- and post-surveys
Timeline: Before and after program and follow up
Long-term Outcome: Youth will develop into competent, capable, contributing adults as important developmental assets are met through their participation in Extension programs.
Indicator: Youth will display skills necessary to be competent, capable, contributing adults.
Method: Observation & interviews
Timeline: End of program
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Community Garden implementation; school garden
Content or Curriculum: Extension publications
Inputs: specialists; content curriculum
Date: July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Community Gardens
Content or Curriculum: CES publications
Inputs: agents, garden space
Date: July 1, 2022– June 30, 2023
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: In-school clubs
Content or Curriculum: Acres of Adventures, What’s on Your Plate,
Exploring Food Science, Step Up to Leadership,
Cooking, Keeping Fit & Healthy, Be SAFE:
Affirming and Fair Environments, STEPS to a
Healthy Teen, Welcome to 4-H: New Members
Guide
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside
funding
Date: September 2022 – April 2023
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Reality Store
Content or Curriculum: Acres of Adventures, What’s on Your Plate,
Exploring Food Science, Step Up to Leadership,
Cooking, Keeping Fit & Healthy, Be SAFE:
Affirming and Fair Environments, STEPS to a
Healthy Teen, Welcome to 4-H: New Members
Guide
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside
funding
Date: September 2022 – April 2023
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Dollars & Sense
Content or Curriculum: Acres of Adventures, What’s on Your Plate,
Exploring Food Science, Step Up to Leadership,
Cooking, Keeping Fit & Healthy, Be SAFE:
Affirming and Fair Environments, STEPS to a
Healthy Teen, Welcome to 4-H: New Members
Guide
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside
funding
Date: September 2022 – April 2023
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Teen Summit
Content or Curriculum: Acres of Adventures, What’s on Your Plate,
Exploring Food Science, Step Up to Leadership,
Cooking, Keeping Fit & Healthy, Be SAFE:
Affirming and Fair Environments, STEPS to a
Healthy Teen, Welcome to 4-H: New Members Guide
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside
funding
Date: September 2022 – April 2023
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Jr. MANRRS
Content or Curriculum: Acres of Adventures, What’s on Your Plate,
Exploring Food Science, Step Up to Leadership,
Cooking, Keeping Fit & Healthy, Be SAFE:
Affirming and Fair Environments, STEPS to a
Healthy Teen, Welcome to 4-H: New Members
Guide
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside
funding
Date: September 2022 – April 2023
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: SPIN Clubs
Content or Curriculum: Acres of Adventures, What’s on Your Plate,
Exploring Food Science, Step Up to Leadership,
Cooking, Keeping Fit & Healthy, Be SAFE:
Affirming and Fair Environments, STEPS to a
Healthy Teen, Welcome to 4-H: New Members Guide
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside
funding
Date: September 2022 – April 2023
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H Embryology
Content or Curriculum: Acres of Adventures, What’s on Your Plate,
Exploring Food Science, Step Up to Leadership,
Cooking, Keeping Fit & Healthy, Be SAFE:
Affirming and Fair Environments, STEPS to a
Healthy Teen, Welcome to 4-H: New Members Guide
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside
funding
Date: September 2022 – April 2023
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Babysitting
Content or Curriculum: Acres of Adventures, What’s on Your Plate,
Exploring Food Science, Step Up to Leadership,
Cooking, Keeping Fit & Healthy, Be SAFE:
Affirming and Fair Environments, STEPS to a
Healthy Teen, Welcome to 4-H: New Members Guide
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside
funding
Date: September 2022 – April 2023
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: 4-H Camp
Content or Curriculum: Acres of Adventures, What’s on Your Plate,
Exploring Food Science, Step Up to Leadership,
Cooking, Keeping Fit & Healthy, Be SAFE:
Affirming and Fair Environments, STEPS to a
Healthy Teen, Welcome to 4-H: New Members
Guide
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside
funding
Date: September 2022 – April 2023
Audience: Extension Homemakers
Project or Activity: Savvy Sellers and Bargain Hunters
Content or Curriculum: KEHA Curriculum
Inputs: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association
(KEHA), Kentucky CES publications and resources
Date: September 2022 – May 2023
Audience: Extension Homemakers
Project or Activity: Creating and Maintaining Family Traditions
Content or Curriculum: KEHA Curriculum
Inputs: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association
(KEHA), Kentucky CES publications and resources
Date: September 2022 – May 2023
Audience: Extension Homemakers and General Public
Project or Activity: Tackling Your Laundry
Content or Curriculum: KEHA Curriculum
Inputs: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association
(KEHA), Kentucky CES publications and resources
Date: September 2022 – May 2023
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: It’s Sew Fine Sewing Expo
Content or Curriculum: Kentucky CES publications and resources
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES)
agents, program assistants, specialists and
volunteers.
Date: July 2022 – June 2023
Audience: General Public and Seniors
Project or Activity: Stand Up to Falling
Content or Curriculum: Stand Up to Falling
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES)
agents, program assistants, specialists and
volunteers.
Date: July 2022 – June 2023
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Accepting and Loving Your Body
Content or Curriculum: Universe of Possibilities, Kentucky CES
publications and resources
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES)
agents, program assistants, specialists and
volunteers.
Date: July 2022 – June 2023
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Personal Finance
Content or Curriculum: Real Skills for Everyday Life, Kentucky CES
publications and resources
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES)
agents, program assistants, specialists and
volunteers.
Date: July 2022– June 2023
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Holiday Finances
Content or Curriculum: Stretching Your Holiday Spending, Kentucky CES
publications and resources
Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (CES)
agents, program assistants, specialists and
volunteers.
Date: July 2022 – June 2023
Author: Chanda Hall
Major Program: Family and Consumer Science
The Kentucky 4-H Passport Kitchen program provided 426 young people from Kentucky the opportunity to experience the food cultures of different countries in a self-paced experience. As part of the 4-H Passport Kitchen program, young people received six country kits in the mail during a six-week window. These kits provided all the needed instructions to complete a recipe, a video explaining the recipe, one ingredient for the recipe, information about the country, and a worksheet to help them explo
Author: Kelly Smith
Major Program: Family and Consumer Science
The Kentucky 4-H Passport Kitchen program provided 426 young people from Kentucky the opportunity to experience the food cultures of different countries in a self-paced experience. As part of the 4-H Passport Kitchen program, young people received six country kits in the mail during a six-week window. These kits provided all the needed instructions to complete a recipe, a video explaining the recipe, one ingredient for the recipe, information about the country, and a worksheet to help them explo
Author: Patrice Thompson
Major Program: Family and Consumer Science
In 2021, I began a cooking program at Western Middle school, with 60 kids participating throughout the school year in groups it proved to be extremely successful. Western Middle School is located in the historic Portland neighborhood of Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. At the conclusion of the program, the Family Resource Coordinator and I met to discuss the needs to the youth and strategized on how to address some of the gaps in regards to life skills that the kids have so the needs coul
Author: Carolina Robles
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
The problem: Individuals who are intellectually or physically disabled do not know how to can food items correctlyThe educational program response: The program response was positive. All of the individuals The participants/target audience: Target Audience is individuals from all ages who are intellectually or physically disabled. Other partners (if applicable): Ruth Chowning, Dare to CareProgram impact or participant response: The program positively impacted the lives of the individual
Author: Von Barnes
Major Program: Local Food Systems
The Habitat for Humanity Families Garden received an overhaul with the help of GE’s Local Inclusion Network Connection program in April. Three families had the opportunity to learn some “gardening 101,” such as soil composition and health, companion planting, and mapping out the sun path. The families were enthusiastic to work with three master gardeners and plant what was for some, their first edible garden. Now, they have easy access to a nutritious diet grown by th
Author: Chanda Hall
Major Program: Health
Sometimes as humans, we forget about the importance of being inclusive to those individuals who are physically challenged. Often, students who are visually impaired miss out on opportunities to learn concepts incidentally as they may or may not be able to observe and effectively interreact with their world. To shorten this gap, it is important to expose those youth to meaningful experiences and interactions that they can touch, hear, smell, and see (if they have some any vision). &nb
Author: Kelly Smith
Major Program: Master Clothing Volunteer
Studies indicate that sewing is not only a productive hobby and life skill, it can reduce stress and increase an individual’s feeling of self-worth. The Jefferson County 4-H Agent served as the Cooperative Extension Service’s Louisville Area Master Clothing Volunteer (MCV) Contact Agent. The Shelby County FCS and Jefferson County 4-H Agent coordinated the Louisville Area Master Clothing Volunteers (MCVs) statewide training attendance and assisted at the statewide MCV Training, organi
