Extension
It Starts With Us
Local Youth Leadership Development
Leadership
Jacob Brandenburg
4-H Communications and Expressive Arts Core Curriculum
4-H Agriculture Core Curriculum AND Natural Resources
4-H Volunteer Programming
Lee County often falls to the bottom of the list of Kentucky counties in terms of household income indicators, employment rates, and educational attainment. According to Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) 35.7% of Lee County Residents were living in poverty compared to 19.1% state wide, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2013 reported a 12.6% unemployment rate in Lee County, and the American Community Survey for Education (ACS) reported that 70.9% of residents age 25 and up had a High School Diploma or less. The wellbeing of families and individuals in Lee County is threatened by an unfavorable economic climate and limited resources. It is important to invest in today’s youth in order for Lee County to thrive in the future, for this reason the Lee county extension council has identified leadership development as an area to focus programing.
Lee county will see a growing number of youth completing formal education and or valuable work experiences and returning to the county to contribute to the community.
Increase in locally owned and operated businesses.
Increase in competent workforce.
Increase in local individuals to fill county leadership positions.
Individuals report an increased involvement in civic leadership roles.
Individuals report an increased participation in county leadership and community groups.
Individuals report an increased confidence and demonstrate an increased ability to communicate and present in front of groups.
Practice personal leadership in school clubs and community groups as youth members.
Increased knowledge and understanding of county leadership structure and decision making.
Increased knowledge and understanding of appropriate public speaking skills and effective communication.
Increased participating in communications workshops and contests.
Increased participation in school clubs and community clubs.
Long Term Outcome: Strengthened community through increase in qualified and competent community members.
Indicator: Increase in the number of individuals actively involved in county leadership and community groups.
Method: Observations, and surveys, self-reporting
Timeline: Ongoing
Intermediate Outcome: Increased skills in problem solving, communications, and group processes.
Indicator: The number of youth actively involved in club leadership or communications contests.
Method: survey, self-reporting
Timeline: End of program, yearly
Initial outcome: Increase in awareness and understanding of leadership opportunities and public speaking/communication.
Indicator: Participation in school clubs and leadership/communications programing.
Method: Pre-post tests, surveys
Timeline: Immediately following program
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Demonstrations Contest
Content or Curriculum: Communications Curriculum and Publications
Inputs: Volunteers, teachers, Extension Staff
Date: August 2019-July 2020
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Talk Meet
Content or Curriculum: Communications Curriculum and Publications
Inputs: Volunteers, teachers, Extension Staff
Date: August 2019 - July 2020
Audience: Youth- 16-18 years old
Project or Activity: Teen Leader Orientation
Content or Curriculum: Camp Volunteer Training resources
Inputs: Extension Staff
Date: Summer-2019/2020
Audience: Youth 9-14 years old
Project or Activity: Camp
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Camp resources
Inputs: Volunteers, Camp Staff, Extension Staff
Date: Summer 2020/2021
Audience: Youth- Elementary and Middle School
Project or Activity: School Clubs
Content or Curriculum: UK Leadership Curriculum
Inputs: Volunteers, Extension Staff
Date: August 2019- May 2020
Author: Laken Campbell
Major Program: 4-H Leadership Core Curriculum
Lee County has had many leadership development opportunities for the youth of this county, but one program stands out from the rest. The 4-H Middle School Club was extraordinary. There is a club day at the end of each month and the students pick a club to attend at the beginning of the year. The Middle School Club started out as being more of a crafting club that shouldn’t really have been called a club at all. They didn’t have any officers, or agendas, and they would do some sort of
