Improving Leadership Skills
Empowering Community Leaders
Lawrence Caudle, Valerie Stewart
Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association
Kentucky Extension Leadership Development (KELD): Developing Core Leadership Skills
Leadership 4-H Core Curriculum
Communications and Expressive Arts 4-H Core Curriculum
Programs at the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service are leader driven. Building the capacity of volunteer leaders within counties is critical for the sustainability of a community infrastructure that supports long-term commitment to strengthen families. Volunteers share their expertise and time with youth and families in the community. According to national statistics, 44% of all American adults volunteer in some capacity. Extension programs provide individuals the opportunity to cultivate talents, leadership skills and the opportunity to utilize those talents and skills with others.
Community problems can be solved through active engaged local leaders. Extension leaders gain knowledge and leadership skills that will be utilized throughout the community to improve health and economy.
Individuals will practice leadership skills in clubs, schools and community. They will improve skills in communication, problem solving or group process in addressing organizational issues and needs.
Leaders will increase knowledge and skills in personal, organizational and community leadership.
Initial Outcome:
Indicator: Increased knowledge and skills in organizational leadership programs.
Method: Evaluations, surveys and observations
Timeline: Year long
Intermediate Outcome:
Indicator: Increased participation of individuals.
Method: Observations
Timeline: Year long
Long-term Outcome:
Indicator: Individuals learn communication and leadership skills that will be utilized throughout the community.
Method: Evaluations and observations
Timeline: Year long
Audience: Adult
Project or Activity: Homemaker Officer Training
Content or Curriculum: Area Officer Training Materials
Inputs: KEHA Materials, UK/FCS Publications and Programs
Date: August 2016
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Extension Homemaker Council and Homemaker Club Meetings
Content or Curriculum: KEHA Materials, UK/FCS Publications and Programs
Inputs: Extension Agents, Volunteers
Date: All Year
Audience: Adult
Project or Activity: County Extension Council, Extension District Board, Program Councils
Content or Curriculum: State and local information, UK publications, KELD materials
Inputs: Extension Agents, local leaders
Date: Year Long
Audience: Adult
Project or Activity: Assisting Farm Commodity Groups and Agencies
Content or Curriculum: Powell County Livestock Producers Association, Powell County Beekeepers Association, Powell County Soil Conservation District, Powell County Farmers Market Association
Inputs: Extension Agents, Volunteers
Date: Year Long
Audience: 4-H Teens
Project or Activity: 4-H Teen Club Activities, Community Service Projects, Volunteering,
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications, 4-H Leadership Curriculum, "Unlock Your Leadership"
Inputs: Extension Staff, Volunteers, Teachers
Date: Year Long
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Communications Contests, Workshops, Lessons, etc.
Content or Curriculum: Communication Curriculum, Communications Contest Rules
Inputs: Extension Staff, Volunteers, Teachers
Date: Year Long
Author: Lawrence Caudle
Major Program: Bees/Beekeeping
The Powell County Beekeepers' Association is a group of beekeepers whose members skills vary greatly. Beekeeping itself is a very diversified industry, with no two producers doing the same thing alike. With multiple ways of reaching the same goal, the Powell County Beekeepers' Association wanted to learn more of each other's operations to learn different techniques to take bake to their operation. The Swangos of the Powell County Beekeepers' Association decided to host a field da
Author: Lawrence Caudle
Major Program: Ag Marketing
The Powell County County Extension Council wanted to develop a program that showcased everything Powell County's Extension Service had to offer. This program would be a recruiting tool to recruit more volunteers and participants in Extension programming. The CEC developed the Powell County Extension Community Celebration Day. The day was planned for October 21st, 2017. The CEC decided that each program area would have booths so that they could demonstrate some of their activities such as sew
Author: Valerie Stewart
Major Program: Leadership 4-H Core Curriculum
Kentucky 4-H aims to engage youth through hands-on leadership experiences where they can build leadership competencies at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of 4-H involvement. The Kentucky 4-H State Officers represent the entire Kentucky 4-H Program, engaging youth, adults and stakeholders throughout their term in office. It is a goal of Kentucky 4-H that youth who are interested in applying to run as a Kentucky 4-H State Officer have state level opportunities to fully develo
Author: Valerie Stewart
Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming
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
Author: Valerie Stewart
Major Program: Leadership 4-H Core Curriculum
Through the 94th Annual Kentucky 4-H Teen Conference, 4-H’ers from across the Commonwealth developed leadership and teamwork skills, improved communication skills, became involved in civic life, expanded knowledge related to a 4-H core content area: communication/citizenship, health, natural resources, agriculture, expressive arts, family consumer sciences, and science, engineering, and technology. The participants fostered a sense of belonging through networking, engaged in youth-adult pa
Author: Valerie Stewart
Major Program: Kentucky Extension Leadership Development (KELD): Developing Core Leadership Skills
4-H youth development programs within Extension depend heavily on adult volunteers and provide extensive education to volunteer leaders. 4-H traditionally focuses on positive youth development, but adult volunteers are the mainstay of the programs. A study of Ohio 4-H agents revealed that they believed orienting volunteers is important but lack information on whether their training programs or teaching strategies are effective (Deppe & Culp, 2001). Non-systematic training and the lack of vol