Extension
It Starts With Us
Basic Life Skills for Youth and Adults in Scott County
Acquiring Basic Life Skills
Allen, Johnson, Flynt, Hilterbran, Simon
4-H Leadership Core Curriculum
4-H Communications and Expressive Arts Core Curriculum
Master Gardener
Real Skills for Everyday Life
How we live life is ever-changing but learning basic life skills is still as important as ever. Learning to practice healthy habits, select clothing to emphasize one’s best appearance, create and live within a budget, prepare nutritious meals safely, nurture children, create a safe and pleasant home environment, practice common courtesies, and form relationships with others—all of these skills are basic to everyday life. Many schools no longer include family and consumer sciences classes in the curriculum. Reality is that today’s youth and adults are busier than ever. Many of these basic life skills are not consistently taught to youth at home or at school. 4-H family and consumer sciences projects equip youth with these skills.
As with any other Kentucky 4-H Core Curriculum area, when it comes to development of life skills, a strong case can be made for the need to go beyond mere transfer of knowledge to giving youth the opportunity for a variety of supportive, related learning experiences to significantly increase the program’s influence.
4-H 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, and decision-making judging contests) significantly increase the development of life skills in youth. 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 or school enrichment, it’s beneficial for youth to have the added experience and guidance of a trusted adult and the opportunity to form relationships with caring mentors. For many adults, long-term volunteering is not always possible but shorter-term volunteer roles create doable opportunities for more people to tuck 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 4-H experience from club meetings alone to also include exhibits, field trips and more.
The consequences of the Great Recession and the extended period of slow economic growth which followed, encouraged Kentuckians to become more aware of their financial situation. Kentucky consistently lags behind other areas of the United States in key household economic indicators, including: personal income, population living below the poverty line, unemployment, and revolving debt. These indicators, especially unemployment numbers became more exaggerated during the period of the Great Recession. However, at present economist are cautiously optimistic regarding future economic forecasts. It is important to acknowledge the impact of current economic conditions on family financial management. The goal of the Securing Financial Stability Initiative is to help Kentuckians understand and respond to changing economic conditions, while promoting healthy financial behaviors across the lifespan.
Youth 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.
Youth and Adults will:
Maximize or extend resources to maintain or increase financial.
Number of individuals reporting improved family financial stability and economic well-being.
Number of individuals who avoided breaches in personal or financial security.
Improved the quality of their life resulting in a stronger family.
Youth will:
? Utilize and practice life skills in projects and life situations
? Project a positive image and self-confidence
? Practice responsible consumer and financial decision-making
? Practice healthy eating choices
? Make choices that lead to responsible and beneficial results
? Adopt habits and skills that contribute toward employability in the future
?Adopt one or more short, mid and long term financial planning strategies.
?Practice one or more resource management behavior(s) resulting in increased savings or investments
?Apply practical living skills to advance education or employability
?Examine personal and financial stability on a regular basis (at least annually)
Youth will:
? Gain knowledge and develop skills in Family & Consumer Sciences 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
?Teenagers and adults will show increased knowledge and skills related to managing available financial and non-financial resources. (Social marketing and Program participants)
?Participants will increase understanding of consumer rights and privacy protection measures.
?Teens and young adults will simulate life situations to recognize importance of education and employability skills.
?Participants will identify short, medium and long term personal goals and objectives related to maintaining and improving their financial stability.
Outcome: Participants learn and practice life skills
Indicator: Knowledge gained
Method: Pre test and post test questionnaires
Timeline: Throughout the year
Intermediate Outcome: Apply soft skills to attain and retain employability
Indicator: ability to successfully implement soft skills
Method: mock job interviews, soft skills curriculum
Timeline: year round
Long-term Outcome: Adults and youth will be able to practice financial literacy
Indicator: Ability to apply knowledge
Method: financial related workshops and information
Timeline: year round
Audience: Extension Homemakers/General Public
Activity: Lesson Leader Training/Seminar
Content or Curriculum: SNAP Curriculum
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Throughout the Year
Audience: Master Gardeners/General Public
Activity: Classes, Workshops
Content or Curriculum: Master Gardener curriculum,
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: FAll, 2016/Winter-Srping 207
Audience: 4-H Members/Youth
Activity: Youth clothing, knitting & crochet project group organization and leader training
Content or Curriculum: 4-H project material
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Fall & Spring
Audience: Youth
Activity: 4-H Speech Contest
Content or Curriculum: Communication
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Spring
Audience: Youth
Activity: 4-H Demonstration Contest
Content or Curriculum: Communication
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Spring
Audience: Youth/Adults
Activity: Training Adults, Youth Leadership
Content or Curriculum: Leadership, 4-H Camp Counselor Manual
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Summer
Audience: Youth
Activity: 4-H Club Officer Training
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Officer Handbooks & Notebooks
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Fall
Audience: Youth
Activity: 4-H Council Evaluation Training
Content or Curriculum: Community Conflict Resolution Materials
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: November
Audience: Youth
Activity: 4-H Life Skills School Club Lessons
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Growing On My Own Curriculum
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Spring
Audience: Youth
Activity: 4-H Summer Camp
Content or Curriculum: Summer Camp
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: June
Audience: Youth
Activity: 4-H Cloverbuds
Content or Curriculum: Penn State Cloverbuds/Arts and Crafts
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Monthly
Audience: Youth
Activity: Truth and Consequences
Content or Curriculum: Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Spring
Audience: Youth
Activity: It's your Reality
Content or Curriculum: Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: Monthly
Audience: General public/youth
Activity: Career days
Content or Curriculum: soft skills curriculum, industry materials
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: year round as needed
Audience: General public
Activity: Estate planning workshops
Content or Curriculum: estate planning
Input: Staff, office equipment, curriculum, materials, volunteers
Date: annually
Author: Whitney Hilterbran
Major Program: Securing Financial Stability (general)
According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, the residential remodeling market, which consists of spending on improvements and maintenance to the owner and rental stock, reached a new high of $424 billion in 2017 growing over 50 percent since 2010. Home improvements and repairs can be costly. However, there are many small home repair, improvement, and maintenance projects homeowners can do themselves with basic tools and knowledge. In an effort to educate homeown
Author: Sarah Redmon
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Teaching life skills to youth is a valuable lesson they will use the rest of their life. Scott County 4-H saw the need to teach youth how to cook and prepare food. This will allow youth to not depend on fast food or ready-made meals that many rely on in this day and time. Scott County 4-H saw the importance of eating together while talking about their day and trying new foods. The Scott County 4-H Agent marketed for volunteers. Once volunteers were in place, each gave input on how this club woul
Author: Sharon Flynt
Major Program: Farmer's Markets
According to the National Sustainable Agriculture coalition, small-scale entrepreneurship creating and marketing value-added products has the potential to enhance economic development in communities. However, for small- scale entrepreneurship to work, it takes being open to new learning opportunities. A vendor in the Scott Co. Farmers market had a business selling wooden cased ink pens he made himself and his wife knitted and crocheted items to sell as well. Their business was modest
Author: Patrick Allen
Major Program: 4-H Agriculture Core Curriculum AND Natural Resources
I wanted a way to bring something I am passionate about to my 4-H program. I introduced day camps that focused on woodworking a couple of years ago. These were short term, single project focused day camps. They were well attended each time and asked about more and more. I decided that I wanted to make this a regular program that students could attend more regularly. A program that would be a building block for youth and give them more options. This program will be set so that youth can tak
Author: Sarah Redmon
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
When Covid-19 struck and programs were asked to come to a halt to all in person programming. 4-H Youth Development Agents had to come up with different ways to interact and reach the youth in their county. Scott County 4-H Youth Development Agent along with other 4-H agents in the District started a virtual 4-H Baking Challenge on Facebook. The Scott County 4-H Youth Development Agent provided recipes for beginners and advanced bakers each week for seven weeks via the Sc
Author: Sarah Redmon
Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming
During the Covid-19 pandemic 4-H Youth Development Agents across Kentucky had to find a different why to reach their youth through programming. Scott County 4-H Youth Development Agent along with other 4-H agents in Kentucky started by reaching out to their youth through the brown bag project or in Scott County “Project Porch”. The Scott County 4-H Youth Development Agent planned and implemented fifty Project Porch kits each week for nine weeks that youth could pick up on t
Author: Sharon Flynt
Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Kentucky Horticulture agents, working together, started the Horticulture Webinar Wednesdays as an alternative to in-person horticulture lessons. The live webinars are Wednesdays at 2 p.m. ET and 1 p.m. CT. Utilizing a volunteer scheduling website, agents, specialists and other experts were recruited to present a 30-minute lesson to the public, with time at the end for questions. All the presentations are recorded, then posted to the Kentucky
