Developing Leadership, Life Skills, and Volunteer SkillsPlan of Work

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Hancock County CES

Title:
Developing Leadership, Life Skills, and Volunteer Skills
MAP:
Leadership and Life Skill Development
Agents Involved:
Lisa Hagman, 4-H
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Leadership
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Volunteer Development
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association
Situation:

Leadership is a needed and important programming emphasis in Kentucky 4-H.  The Cooperative Extension Service provides opportunities for youth and families to help improve their leadership ability and create a positive impact on their future.  Leadership opportunities for youth create a setting that reduces the access of youth to risk factors that can negatively impact their success. 

Basic leadership knowledge & skills are essential for success in almost any field.  The skills associated with leadership are necessary when working in a group or communicating with others.  Employers look for leadership skills in future employees.   Developing leadership in the youth and adults who are involved in the 4-H program is a priority.  By assisting the development of leadership skills in today’s youth, we improve their ability to face the challenges of tomorrow (Unlock Your Leadership Potential, University of Florida, 2017). 

Kentucky 4-H provides opportunities for youth to actively engage locally and globally to promote life skills [such as leadership] that prepare them for the global marketplace. Through 4-H youth exercise critical thinking skills, learn to appreciate diversity, practice tolerance, develop socio-emotionally, and strive to contribute to their environment (United States Department of Education International Affairs Office of International Strategy).  4-H participants rate their leadership life skills above average, have a positive view of their leadership ability, and have a positive attitude toward diversity and acceptance of others (Locke, Boyd, Fraze, and Howard, 2007).    


Many leadership scholars and youth development professionals agree that leadership development is an important, but often overlooked facet of youth development and education (MacNeil,2000). The development of leadership contributes greatly to the positive development of young people and their

communities. Leadership skills, such as goal-setting, problem-solving and sound decision-making, are not just necessary for leaders -these skills are needed for success in today's world (MacNeil,2000).

Furthermore, helping young people develop leadership competencies makes them better able to solve community problems and enhances their civic participation (O'Brien & Kohlmeier, 2003). Young leaders also demonstrate higher career aspirations, increased self-esteem, and improved high school completion rates (Bloomberg, Ganey, Alba, Quintero, & Alcantara, 2003).

Long-Term Outcomes:

*Youth will serve as teen and adult leaders for local 4-H Clubs and 4-H camps and in their communities, community organizations, and as mentors for younger youth.

*Youth will be productive,contributing adults in the future.


Intermediate Outcomes:

*Youth will demonstrate leadership, teamwork and communication skills in their day to day lives.

*Youth will utilize leadership skills learned during their time in 4-H in clubs, activities and other venues with 4-H and other community organizations.

*Senior 4-H members will become leaders or co-leaders of a 4-H project club, day camp, overnight, or other project based group of younger 4-H members.

Initial Outcomes:

*Youth will learn the communication, leadership and procedural skills that will allow them to run a meeting.

*Youth will increase their knowledge about leadership and how to be an effective leader, team player and communicator.

*Youth will learn about leadership styles and will be able to identify positive and negative leadership characteristics.

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Youth will learn about leadership styles and will be able to identify positive and negative leadership characteristics.

Indicator: Youth will participate, discuss, and evaluate leadership styles.

Method: observation, discussion

Timeline: September 2021-April 2022


Intermediate Outcome: 4-H Teen Club members will utilize leadership skills in the 4-H Camp Setting.

Indicator: leadership skills displayed while working with younger 4-H members

Method: observation, self-evaluation

Timeline: June 2022


Long-term Outcome: 4-H youth will attend camp and serve as adult and teen counselors.

Indicator: Camp attendance

Method: observation

Timeline: June 2022

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: 4-H Camp Volunteer Adult and Teen Leaders

Project or Activity: 4-H Camp

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Camp Leader Training materials

Inputs: 4-H Camp, State 4-H Office

Date: June 2023


Audience: 4-H Campers

Project or Activity: 4-H Camp

Content or Curriculum: overnight camp

Inputs: 4-H Camp, State 4-H Office

Date: June 2023


Audience: 4-H Shooting Sports Certified Coaches

Project or Activity: Shooting Sports Practices and Competitions

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Shooting Sports Coaches' manual per each discipline

Inputs: State 4-H Office, County 4-H Council,  Volunteer Coaches

Date: July 2022-June 2023


Audience: 4-H Members, Livestock Club Members, 4-H Rabbit Club Members, Afterschool Members

Project or Activity: Speeches/Demonstrations

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Communications Core Curriculum

Inputs: Hancock County Public Schools, Afterschool programs, Volunteer Leaders

Date: September 2022-April 2023


Audience: High School, Middle School, and Afterschool 4-H Club Members, Livestock Club, Rabbit Club, Cloverbud Club

Project or Activity: Leadership Skill Development, 4-H Summit, 4-H Teen Conference, Green River Area Teens, 4-H Teen Council

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Leadership Core Curriculum

Inputs: Hancock County Public Schools, State 4-H Office

Date: September 2022-May 2023


Audience: 4-H Culinary Arts Club

Project or Activity: cooking and nutrition

Content or Curriculum: Family and Consumer Sciences and Health Core Curriculum

Inputs: Hancock County Middle School, Hancock County High School, Youth Service Center, Community Education

Date: Spring 2023


Audience: Homemaker Club members

Project or Activity: Homemaker Leader Trainings

Content or Curriculum: Homemaker Leader Training

Inputs: Green River FCS Agents

Date: October 2022-May 2023


Audience: All 8th and 10th Grade Students

Project or Activity: 4-H Reality Store

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Family and Consumer Sciences Core Curriculum

Inputs: Hancock County Middle and High Schools, Youth Services Center and numerous community volunteers

Date: October 2022


Audience: 4-H Livestock Club Members

Project or Activity: Speech/Demonstration and Record Book

Content or Curriculum: Speak Up publication, How to Give a 4-H Demonstration publication, and the Hancock County 4-H Livestock Record Book

Inputs: Hancock County 4-H Livestock Club leader, Hancock County Fairboard, 4-H Volunteer Leader

Date: July 2022-June 2023


Audience: 4-H Cloverbud Club

Project or Activity: 4-H Public Speaking

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Communication Curriculum

Input: Volunteer Leader

Date: November 2022


Audience: 4-H Rabbit Club

Project or Activity: Parliamentary Procedure

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Leadership Curriculum

Input: Volunteer Leader

Date: September 2022-June 2023


Audience: 8th-12th Grade Students-4-H Teen Club members

Project or Activity: Green River Area 4-H Teen Leadership Academy

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Leadership

Input: 4-H Agents, State 4-H Office, 4-H Camp, 4-H core curriculum areas, etc.

Date: September 2022-April 2023


Audience: 8th-12th Grade Students-4-H Teen Club members

Project or Activity: 4-H Teen Conference

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Leadership

Input: State 4-H Office

Date: throughout year



Success Stories

4-H Camp Feels like Family

Author: Lisa Hagman

Major Program: Camping

A typical 5-day 4-H Camp session offers upwards of 96 hours of direct, uninterrupted contact between youth and their cabin leaders/counselors.  That’s the equivalent of a family sitting down at the dinner table for 30-minutes, 196 days of the year.  The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting is so important to youth, especially considering the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The time we spend with youth in the camp setting offers opportunit

Full Story

4-H Teen Leadership Academy: Graduate to Assistant Club Leader

Author: Lisa Hagman

Major Program: Leadership

4-H Teen Leadership Academy: Graduate to Assistant Club Leader

Leadership education builds several important assets in Kentucky youth and provides critical elements of youth development (Search Institute, 2004; Pittman, Irby & Ferber, 2001.) Youth who participate in leadership development opportunities are exposed to a variety of opportunities for personal development. Leadership activities help youth:-develop confidence in their leadership potential and their own sense of identity-improve their self-esteem-enhance their communication skills in sharing,

Full Story

Jekyll Island 4-H Environmental Education Camp

Author: Lisa Hagman

Major Program: Natural Resources

Jekyll Island 4-H Environmental Education Camp

Environmental education promotes critical and creative thinking skills and inspires kids to become more engaged with their communities. It helps kids understand why the environment is important and provides them with the building blocks they need to live eco-friendly and sustainable lives. (https://www.rubicon.com/blog/environmental-education-for-kids)  Many times youth do not have or take advantage of education opportunities in their own communities, let alone get to experience a diverse o

Full Story

4-H Teen Leadership Academy Sets the Stage for Leadership Skill Development

Author: Lisa Hagman

Major Program: Leadership

4-H utilizes high school students in a variety of settings to help them develop their leadership skills as well as life skills. For this reason UK Cooperative Extension 4-H programs from Hancock County, Ohio County, Henderson County, Daviess County, Webster County, and Union County partnered to offer a 4-H Teen Leadership Academy (TLA) for 8th-11th grade members. Under the direction of the county 4-H agents, four/five delegates were selected, through an application process, from each county to p

Full Story

Sewing with 4-H

Author: Angelia Swihart

Major Program: Apparel and Textiles (Non-Master Clothing Volunteer)

Sewing with 4-H

Sewing is a life skill not taught daily as in times past. This is a helpful skill that children; teens and adults need to know. Sewing improves hand/eye coordination, improves critical thinking skills, and serves as a creative outlet.  (" 5 Health Benefits of Sewing and Why You Should Try It (mindfood.com) ")The “Sewing Day Camp” taught students basic sewing procedures, parts of the sewing machine, how to thread the machine, how to read and layout a pattern, how to saf

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