Extension
It Starts With Us
Developing Necessary Life Skills
Enhancing Life Skills for Youth & Adults
Shane Bogle, Rhonda Jewell, Ashley White
4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
4-H Communications and Expressive Arts Core Curriculum
Securing Financial Stability (general)
Farm Management
In a constantly changing world, having life skills is an essential part of being able to adapt and meet the challenges of everyday life. Learning to how to communicate with others, create and live within a budget, prepare nutritious meals safely, nurture children, create a safe a pleasant home environment, practice common courtesies, and form relationships with others – are basic to everyday life. Many of these basic life skills are not taught to youth at home or at school therefore they are not prepared to be successful in today’s changing world.
The Kentucky Family and Consumer Science and the 4-H FCS Curriculum equip youth and adults with these skills by giving them hands-on learning opportunities. Kentucky Family and Consumer Science programs often offers basic learning activities on a topic of interest to youth but the addition of activities which support that interest (such as fair exhibits, related subject matter workshops or day camps, field trips, decision-making, and judging contests) significantly increase the development of life skills in youth and adults.
In a study by Olson, Croymans and Ji (2014), 4-Hers reported that participating in 1 or 2 educational opportunities influenced the development of critical thinking and decision making skills, and participating in 6 to 8 opportunities significantly increased the program’s influence by adding development of life skills in leadership, planning/organization, wise use of resources, useful/marketable skills and accepting differences. While many FCS skills can be learned through self-directed projects, club meetings or school enrichment, it’s beneficial for youth and adults to have the added experience and guidance of a trusted volunteer and the opportunity to form relationships with caring mentors and peers. Long-term volunteering is not always possible for many adults, but shorter-term volunteer roles create doable opportunities for more people to work volunteering into busy schedules. Special interest clubs and groups that meet for a few weeks or months broaden the possibilities. The volunteer efforts of multiple adults may be required to take the learning experience from club meetings alone to also include exhibits, field trips and more.
Youth and Adults will:
*Be responsible and contributing individuals and family members
*Gain and maintain employment through life skill development
*Contribute to a safe, pleasant and productive home and family
*Number of clientele reporting improved family financial stability and economic well-being.
*Youth will utilize the skills gained through education and involvement in Extension programs to serve as leaders in 4-H and other organizations.
*Youth become more comfortable sharing their thoughts with others.
Youth and adults will:
*Utilize and practice life skills in projects and life situations
*Project a positive self-image and self-confidence
*Practice healthy eating choices
*Make choices that lead to responsible and beneficial results
*Adopt habits and skills that contribute toward employability
*Demonstrate practical living skills
*Practice one or more resource management behaviors resulting increased
savings or investments.
*Youth construct a speech that has a clear introduction, body and closing.
*Youth use their communication skills to assume a leadership role in 4-H and other organizations.
Youth and adults will:
*Gain knowledge and develop skills in Family & Consumer Science Projects and programs
*Understand the decision-making process
*Gain skills in setting a goal and developing a plan of action
*Learn to read and follow instructions
*Show increased knowledge and skills related to managing available financial resources
*Change knowledge opinions, skills and attitudes to improve employability through practical living skills
*Youth create a formal presentation, speech or outline using the written outline.
*Youth research a presentation topic prior to developing a speech or demonstration.
Initial Outcome: Teen Leadership Academy
Indicator: Increased communication skills
Method: Written evaluation completed by the parents of participants
Timeline: April 2020
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Audience: 8th grade Students
Project or Activity: Reality Store
Content or Curriculum: It's Your Reality
Inputs: Community leaders, volunteers, community partners, funding, school system
Date: Spring 2020
Audience: High School Juniors and Seniors
Project or Activity: A,B, C's of College
Content or Curriculum: High School Financial Planning, MITT
Inputs: Extension resources, community leaders, volunteers, donations
Date: Fall 2019
Audience: Community Members
Project or Activity: Where Does Your Money Go?
Content or Curriculum: MITT Curriculum
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Community Members
Project or Activity: Estate Planning
Content or Curriculum: MITT Curriculum
Date: Spring 2020
Audience: Caldwell County High School Juniors
Project or Activity: Life 101
Content or Curriculum: Kentucky 4-H "It's Your Reality"
Inputs- Community leaders, volunteers, community partners, funding, school system
Date: Fall 2019
Audience: Youth ages 5-18
Project or Activity: Communications Contest
Content or Curriculum: KY CES Resources, National 4-H Resources
Inputs- Parents, volunteers, school system, donations,
Date: Spring 2020
Audience: Middle / High School
Project or Activity: Teen Cuisine
Content or Curriculum: Teen Cuisine
Dates: September 2019-May 2020
Audience: Middle / High School
Project or Activity: Self-Esteem Workshops
Content or Curriculum: Relationship Smarts
Dates: September 2019-May 2020
Audience: Middle School Students from Caldwell, Crittenden, Livingston, Lyon and Trigg Counties
Project or Activity: 4-H Teen Leadership Academy
Content or Curriculum: County Directed
Dates: September 2019-April 2020
Author: Rhonda Jewell
Major Program: 4-H Agriculture Core Curriculum AND Natural Resources
The 4-H Country Ham Project continues the tradition of the curing county hams, which has been a food tradition in Kentucky for hundreds of years. This 4-H project is one of the fastest growing at the state level and is a win-win program for youth involved. The project started in the 1990’s with less than 40 4-H’ers, to currently over 750 from approximately 65 counties in Kentucky. Youth gain valuable skills from participation in the country ham project, including, learnin
Author: Ashley Board
Major Program: Securing Financial Stability (general)
In the current economy, financial stability is important. In an effort to encourage consumers to develop a spending/savings plan and increase wise consumer decision-making skills in regards to vacations, the Caldwell County Family & Consumer Sciences Agent taught “Travel on the Cheap” to sixty-one individuals in the nine counties of the Pennyrile Area. Lesson topics included developing a budget, planning ahead for vacation, and tips
Author: Ashley Board
Major Program: Securing Financial Stability (general)
Research conducted by Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Center indicates 85 percent of job success comes from having well developed soft and people skills and only 15 % of job success comes from technical skills and knowledge. Employers are often prepared to teach technical job skills; however the intangible skills of being a team player, time management, and positive attitude are difficult to teach onsite, yet are critical to
Author: Rhonda Jewell
Major Program: 4-H Volunteer Programming
According to Cornell University Cooperative Extension, “Research shows that young people who choose to be part of a 4-H Club are more likely to be educationally motivated, have higher self-esteem and communicate more maturely than their peers.” Club members also have the opportunity to develop relationships with caring adults and make friends to last a lifetime. Caldwell County 4-H was fortunate enough to have three new, volunteer led afterschool clubs form this year, the
Author: Rhonda Jewell
Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming
The Corona Virus outbreak truly rocked the 4-H world, and Cooperative Extensions as a whole. When it hit in early March most people had no clue that it would be as devastating and life changing as it has been. We learned a lot about social distancing, importance of hand washing, wearing mask and had to accept the fact there was now a new “normal”, whatever that turns out to be.Schools began to close and students were expected to do NTI or other forms of alternative education.
