Enhancing Life SkillsPlan of Work

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Hardin County CES

Title:
Enhancing Life Skills
MAP:
Acquiring Basic Life Skills
Agents Involved:
Stillwell, Jolly, Parrett
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
4-H Communications and Expressive Arts Core Curriculum
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
4-H Agriculture Core Curriculum AND Natural Resources
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
4-H Leadership Core Curriculum
Situation:
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.
Long-Term Outcomes:
Youth will:
*Utilize skills gained through involvement in 4-H programs to serve as leaders not only in 4-H but other organizations.
*Become responsible & contributing individuals within their families and communities.
*Gain and maintain employment as a result of their life skill development through 4-H participation.
Intermediate Outcomes:
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
Initial Outcomes:
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
*Acquire better oral and written communication skills that will aide them in formal presentations, scholarship/college applications, job resumes and other formal presentations
Evaluation:
Initial Outcome: Gain knowledge & acquire skills
Indicator: Number of Youth who demonstrate increased or routine use of like skills learned through 4-H in daily life
Method: Family & Consumer Sciences 4-H program evaluation
Timeline: at end of school year

Intermediate Outcome: Make choices that lead to responsible & beneficial results
Indicator: Number of youth who reported that they set a goal and accomplished it
Method: Family & consumer science 4-H program evaluation
Timeline: at end of school and/or project year

Long-term Outcome: Become responsible and contributing individuals within their family and communities
Indicator: Number of youth that credit 4-H for their achievements
Method: Family & consumer science 4-H program evaluation
Timeline:
Given at one's senior year in HS or within one year of graduating.
Learning Opportunities:
Audience: High School youth
Project or Activity: FCS Essentials class collaboration
Content or Curriculum: FCS, Leadership, Health and Communications curriculum
Inputs: Local schools, community volunteers & businesses
Date: Monthly from Fall to Spring

Audience: 4-H youth
Project or Activity: Babysitting
Content or Curriculum: Child Care: Kentucky 4-H Babysitting Basics 4 Fun and 4 Profit
Inputs: extension agents, volunteers, professionals in related field
Date: fall, spring or summer

Audience: High School juniors
Project or Activity: APES
Content or Curriculum: APES
Inputs: related business volunteers, school counselors, teachers, local electric cooperative
Date: November

Audience: Elementary 4 & 5th grade youth
Project or Activity: Organized School Clubs
Content or Curriculum: FCS, Leadership, Health and Communications curriculum
Inputs: Local schools, community volunteers, businesses & leaders
Date: Monthly from Fall to Spring


Success Stories

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Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming

It is a fact that today’s teen generation believe they cannot live without constant connection to their cell phone.    According to an article in the December 2019 issue of Very Well Family, the average teen spends over nine hours a day using their electronic devices.   As a result, their social media habits are changing the way they communicate, learn, exercise and much more leading to bouts of depression, obesity, peer pressure and bullying just to mention a few.In an effo

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Author: Bonita Jolly

Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming

To date 2020 has been a year of challenge, change and create all due to the circumstances of COVID 19.  Of the 20 + years in Extension, I have not undergone so many cancellations, postponements and rescheduling in such a short period of time.  Patience has been key to the challenges in both our work and home life.   As 4-H Extension agents we are not alone for this also affects the 4-H families that we work with.  As one ages, change does not come easy and I have certainly le

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Leadership, A Constant Experience

Author: Bonita Jolly

Major Program: 4-H Leadership Core Curriculum

Often when people think of 4-H they focus on the opportunities provided for the youth enrolled in the program when in fact it is really about the youth/adult partnerships that are formed along the way. Adult volunteers play a major role in a county’s 4-H program, performing a variety of duties, functions and tasks.  Extension 4-H youth development programs are heavily dependent on adult volunteers and work to provide educational opportunities to help them achieve their goals.   A

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Hardin County Brown Bag Pandemic Programming Reaches New Audiences

Author: Dayna Fentress

Major Program: Community Engagement

When Extension Offices across the state had to close their doors to foot traffic, Hardin County quickly found a few ways to continue reaching our audiences. In fact, Hardin County 4-H, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Horticulture programs not only reached our traditional audience, but an entirely new sector of Hardin County residents as well.In an effort to make our programs as accessible as possible, the three Hardin County agents, along with two program assistants, offered two options during

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4-H Festival & Expo

Author: Marla Stillwell

Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming

Since 2017, the Hardin County 4-H Council along with 4-H Agents and the 4-H Program Assistant have collaborated to offer an annual 4-H Festival & Expo. The purpose of the event has been to increase awareness of 4-H clubs, programs, events and as a simple outreach to the communities of Hardin County. The event was well-attended once again in October 2019 with just over 120 people in attendance, many of those attending being new, never reached participants. Current members and leaders from eac

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4-H Virtual Talk Meet and Demonstrations Contest

Author: Marla Stillwell

Major Program: 4-H Communications and Expressive Arts Core Curriculum

2020 was not the year anyone planned for, hoped for or dreamed of.  The world was hit with a global pandemic which ultimately affected every human being on this planet not to mention the lifestyles they led.  The effects of the restrictions placed on our communities due to COVID-19 forced state and local Extension professionals to think outside the box in order to somehow continue programming by means of utilizing technology in ways that had never been done.  The term ‘virtu

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Brown Bag Projects and Snail Mail Club Keep Youth Engaged During COVID-19 Closures

Author: Marla Stillwell

Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming

During the COVID-19 outbreak which caused schools to close their doors during the 2019-20 school year, keeping youth engaged proved to be difficult for many families.  The UK Extension Service in Hardin County made a conscious effort to ease that burden by creating and making available to-go type projects in-a-bag that were accessible in our Extension Office foyer since the office was closed to foot-traffic.   Three Hardin County Extension agents and two Extension program assistants re

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Laugh and Learn Program Continues to Grow, Sees Social Improvements in Children who Attend

Author: Dayna Fentress

Major Program: Nurturing Parenting

In Hardin County, right at 50% of our children enter into kindergarten unprepared. Ken­tucky defines readiness holistically and has broken it down in five domains: physical and motor development; social and emotional development; approaches to learning; language development; and cognitive development. A child's readiness score is determined by measuring a student’s cognitive, physical and language development.The first 5 years of development are crucial for a child's readiness

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