Boyle County CES

Title:

Acquisition of Life Skills

MAP:

Strengthening Individuals and Families and Enhancing Well Being

Agents Involved:

A. Price, K. Ragland, J. Little, A. Amorese

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

4-H Youth Development Programming

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

4-H Communications and Expressive Arts Core Curriculum

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)

Situation:

*Stress levels are unacceptably high in rural populations and results include child abuse and neglect, family violence, depression, substance abuse, school drop-out.
*Stressors include family financial difficulties, changes in economic and farm policies, shifts in crop production, the various life stages and changes.
*The aging population is bringing life changes to all family members.
*Communities are experiencing more diverse/multi-cultural populations.
*Schools are under great pressure to focus purely on academics and less on daily life skills and vocational training.
*Homes in which all adults have full-time jobs leave less time for parents/guardians to train youth in basic home and consumer skills.
*In Boyle County, 17.5% of the population lives in poverty.
*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. 41% of children in Boyle County live in single parent households. More than half of Kentucky’s 56 judicial circuits have some form of mandated divorce education; more such education is needed.
*Families need to gain stress management and communication skills to avoid conflict.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Strengthen and improve families well being so that they can establish and maintain a secure and stable family environment.

Intermediate Outcomes:

Youth, families and adults will be better able to positively meet the challenges of life through a strengthened capacity of families to nurture, support, and guide their members throughout their lives.
Youth, families and adults will improve their communication skills, social interactions, and decision making skills so they are better able to make a positive contribution to their families and communities.
Youth will master basic skills necessary to operate a safe and healthy home and to help maintain financial stability.
Youth will demonstrate mastery of basic life skills such as budgeting, food preparation, and resume-building skills.

Initial Outcomes:

*Families and individuals will become aware of available community resources and access them.
*Individuals will gain social interaction skills.
*Family members will learn life skills necessary to be a more productive and
contributing individuals through understanding the importance of positive behaviors, effective parenting skills and informed decision making skills.
*Youth will learn to perform a variety of basic life skills including those needed to manage money, personal resources, and to obtain a job.

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Strengthening and improving families' well being.
Indicator: The number of individuals who report improvement and enhancement.
Competitions and other venues for youth to display mastery.
Method: Attendance at programs, surveys, testimonials, (pre-and post-) tests, competitions.
Timeline: Spring and Fall for adults.
Throughout the year for youth.

Intermediate Outcome: Adults and youth master life skills
Indicator: Adults and youth demonstrate use of skills in hands-on educational settings.
Method: Observation of skills demonstrated; attendance records; written evaluations
Timeline: Program year.

Initial Outcome: Youth demonstrate mastery of skills through competitive events
Indicator: Youth participate in local, regional, state, and national competitive events.
Method: Enrollment in competitions; results
Timeline: Program year

Outcome: Adults learn about resources in the community
Indicator: Adults use needed resources available in the community
Method: Self reporting; enrollments in programs; observation
Timeline: Program year

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Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Both youth and adults.
Project or Activity: *Embracing this present moment.
*Reading/literacy (youth and adults)
*Acquisition of life skills.
*Reality Stores.
*4-H Means Business Club.
*Dollars and Sense.
*High School Financial Planning.
*APES.
*4-H Cooking, and sewing projects.
*Partner with school systems to provide early childhood learning opportunities.
*Go Blue.
*Family Fun Meal Time.
*Social Networking.
*Healthy Meals on a Budget.
*Relax and Rejuvenate.
*Self Defense.
*High School Artist Project.
*Sewing Workshops.
*Parenting Skills/Grandparenting skill building and support group.
*Cooking for couples - Relationship skill building.
*Arts and Home Design.
*Bread Making.
*Healthy Aging.
*Youth gardening and horticulture projects
*4H Means Business
*Home is where the Health is
*Nurturing Families Curriculum
*Family Mealtime
*ACT: Raising Safe Kids
*Fathers Reading Every Day
*4-H Animal Clubs

Content or Curriculum: A world of possibilities, keys parenting series, parenting curriculum, aging publications, 4-H needlework project, Reality Store, Dollars and Sense, 4-H Means Business, APES, National High School financial planning; Professor Popcorn; gardening project record books, Ephraim McDowell Community Outreach, Master Clothing
Volunteers, UK Publications and resources.
Inputs: *All agents will be involved in various levels of participation and programs. Community collaborators, volunteers, and 4-H leaders will all partner together. Programs will be conducted at little or no cost and in various locations in the county.
*All in-classroom education conducted in the Boyle County, Danville Christian and Danville City School classrooms, in collaboration with host teachers.
*Reality Stores and Dollars and Sense conducted in cooperation with Family Resource Centers.
*High School Education conducted in Boyle County and Danville City School Classrooms in collaboration with Youth Service Centers
Clubs and projects featuring animal care, life skills, and personal growth.
Date: Throughout the year.

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Success Stories