Extension
It Starts With Us
Skills for a Better Life
Teaching Life Skills
Tashjian, FCS Agent
Science, Engineering and Technology 4-H Core Curriculum
Nurturing Families (general)
Real Skills for Everyday Life
Communications and Expressive Arts 4-H Core Curriculum
Young people who participate in programs through 4-H, are less likely to do drugs, drink alcohol, and smoke cigarettes and are more likely to be civically active than kids who don't participate in its programs, according to a study by researchers at Tufts University (US News and World Report, 2011). 4-H emphasizes the three components of a successful youth program: mentoring, skill building and leadership. These components represent essential skills for ensuring that students attain marketable life skills for success in today’s global society. In short, 4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential, through fun and engaging programs. As schools serve to increase a student's general knowledge base, so 4-H serves to provide youth with opportunities to learn and develop self-confidence and self-discipline as well as skills related to goal setting/achievement, empathy, problem solving, time management, record keeping, teamwork and critical thinking. 4-H offers hands-on learning experiences about the world in unique and enlightening ways. Through citizenship programs, communication events, entrepreneurial clubs and career exploration students receive opportunities that are not available in traditional classroom settings.
Healthy couple and parenting relationships and resulting family stability benefit the well-being of adults and children. Co-habiting, same-sex, divorced, widowed and single households are the new majority. In 2013, 25 percent of Kentucky children lived in poverty, ranking Kentucky 40th in the nation. Children who live in poverty are more likely to have learning disabilities and developmental delays. 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.
Healthy couple and parenting relationships and resulting family stability benefit the well-being of adults and children. Co-habiting, same-sex, divorced, widowed and single households are the new majority. In 2013, 25 percent of Kentucky children lived in poverty, ranking Kentucky 40th in the nation. Children who live in poverty are more likely to have learning disabilities and developmental delays. 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.
- 4-H alumni will be successful in a global society
- Youth successfully enter the workplace and/or institutions of higher learning
- Youth utilize the skills gained through involvement in 4-H to achieve academic
and career goals.
-Practice parental leadership skills.
-Build personal strengths and self control, interpersonal communication, life
skills including wise decision-making.
-Become volunteers to make their community a better place to live for everyone.
- Youth demonstrate effective decision making processes.
- Youth demonstrate appropriate and effective methods of self-expression.
- Youth learn and develop life skills
- Youth learn steps in goal setting and developing a plan of action.
- Youth write and present speeches and demonstrations and participate in mock
interview and resume writing workshops.
-Reduced stress levels, made time for selves, and/or made wise decisions about
money, time, etc.
- Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships
- Youth learn decision making skills.
- Youth learn communication skills.
- Youth learn life skills.
- Youth learn steps in goal setting and developing a plan of action.
- Youth construct and give presentation
-Intends to manage stress; make time for self; listen, talk, bond with family
members;read with child daily; teach responsibility in use of money, time, etc.
-Intends to participate in volunteer activities
Initial Outcome: Youth learn techniques to write an
introduction, body and conclusion for a speech or
demonstration.
Indicator: Youth turn in completed presentation for classroom grade
Method: Number of students completing assignment
Timeline: Fall or Spring
Intermediate Outcome: Youth learn and practice presentation techniques
demonstrating gestures, eye contact and knowledge of
material without the use of note cards
Indicator: Youth participate in classroom presentation contests
Method: Number of youth able to demonstrate skills taught.
Timeline: Fall or Spring
Long-term Outcome: Youth demonstrate presentation skills with confidence
during public venues (Rotary, City Hall, Fiscal Court)
and County, Area and State Contests
Indicator: Youth volunteer to participate in additional
presentation opportunities.
Method: Number of youth participating beyond the classroom
requirement.
Timeline: Spring
Initial Outcome: Youth learn techniques to write a quality resume and
prepare for an interview
Indicator: Youth turn in resume and copy of interview questions
Method: Number of students that complete assignment
Timeline: Ongoing
Intermediate Outcome: Youth participate in “mock interviews” and job shadowing
experiences with community leaders
Indicator: Youth job shadow individuals in their desired field of
study.
Method: Number of students participating
Timeline: Summer
Long-term Outcome: Youth gain confidence and experience in their area of
interest.
Indicator: Youth share knowledge with peers and junior 4-H’ers
Method: Agent observation and interview
Timeline: Ongoing
Initial Outcome: Youth receive information about governmental principals,
personal roles and civic responsibility
Indicator: Participation in leadership club activities
Method: Agent observation
Timeline: Ongoing
Intermediate Outcome: Youth learn and practice skills to move beyond self-
interest and adopt the attitude and motivation to become
committed to the well-being of a larger group.
Indicator: Youth express ideas and communicate with fellow club
members to create plans of action
Method: Agent observation
Timeline: Ongoing
Long-term Outcome: Youth demonstrate skills learned in citizenship through
community service and civic engagement
Indicator: Youth organize and facilitate projects
Method: Agent observation
Timeline: Ongoing
Initial Outcome: Students use research, oral and written communication,
teamwork and engineering design process skills to
complete requirements for Future City Engineering
Contest (virtual city design, essay, presentation)
Indicator: Students complete virtual city and essay using sound and
logical research
Method: Future City Scoring Rubric
Timeline: Summer – Winter
Intermediate Outcome: Students demonstrate knowledge gained through essay and
organization of presentation for the contest
Indicator: Students complete model design and presentation that
complements the essay and further demonstrates an
understanding of the contest’s theme.
Method: Future City Scoring
Timeline: Summer – Winter
Long-term Outcome: Students demonstrate presentation skills and knowledge
gained during the Regional Contest
Indicator: Students prepare presentation and are able to use eye
contact, gestures and oral communication skills learned
to “sell” their city design.
Method: Agent observation and scoring from FC engineer judges
Timeline: Winter
Initial Outcome:
-Intends to manage stress; make time for self; listen, talk, bond with family
members; read with child daily; teach responsibility in use of money, time, etc.
-Intends to participate in volunteer activities
Indicator:
-Number of individuals (parents or caregivers) reporting improved personal knowledge (such as enhanced knowledge of realistic behavior expectations and positive discipline techniques for children, healthy ways to promote children’s success in schools, and greater understanding of a child’s growth and development)
Method: Participant survey
Timeline: July-June
Intermediate outcome:
-Engaged in community outreach activities
-Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships
Indicator: ?Number of individuals (parents or caregivers) reporting improved personal skills (such as increased discipline and communication skills, effective strategies for helping children manage their behavior and building self-worth and personal power)
Method: Parent interview
Timeline: July-June
Long term Outcome:
-Practice parental leadership skills
-Build personal strengths and self control, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making.
-Become volunteers to make their community a better place to live for everyone
Indicator:?
-Number of parents and/or caregivers who practice parental leadership skills such as parental empathy, proper ways of establishing family rules, and concrete support their child to develop a sense of positive self-worth
Method: Parent interview
Timeline: July-June
Audience: Graves County Youth
Project or Activity: Citizenship
Content or Curriculum: Citizenship publications
Inputs: Citizenship publications, Capitol tour, City and County
Tours
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Graves County Youth
Project or Activity: Communications Lessons and Forensics teams
Content or Curriculum: Communication Curriculum
Inputs: State and National Publications, Classroom workshops,
Civic Groups, Governmental organizations
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Graves County Youth
Project or Activity: Future City Engineering Contest
Content or Curriculum: National Future City Engineering Curriculum supplemented
with State and National 4-H publications
Inputs: Engineers, City of Mayfield, Club meetings, Engineering
lesson plans
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Graves County Youth
Project or Activity: State Fair
Content or Curriculum: State 4-H curriculum
Inputs: State 4-H curriculum
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Parents, grandparents, children, teens and extended family members
Activity: Nurturing Families
Content: Nurturing Families Curriculum
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Youth, Adults
Activity: Basic Sewing
Content: UK publications
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Youth, Adults
Activity: Basic Crochet
Content: UK publications
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Youth, Adults
Activity: Basic Cooking
Content: UK Publications
Date: Ongoing
Author: Tracey Tashjian
Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
Youth shine in the kitchen with Super Star Chef campStudies show that children who help cook at home are more likely to enjoy fruits and veggies than those who don’t cook. This summer the Graves County Extension 4-H program offered twenty junior 4-H’ers the opportunity to work with University of Kentucky SNAP Ed interns and learn how to sauté, dice, chop, roast and whip! The 9 to 12 year olds gained hands-on cooking experience and were introduced to new foods and recipes
Author: Tracey Tashjian
Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming
Graves County 4-H is a valued and respected program in the schools. This year over 1000 students participate in 4-H in the classroom on a monthly basis. The agent works with teachers to deliver lessons in science. In many schools 4-H science is the only science a particular grade receives. This is because teachers have been asked to focus on the topic students will be tested on that pariticular year and drastically limit class time for areas not tested. This is unfortunate because science
