Extension
It Starts With Us
Creating a Stronger Community One Step at a Time
Community Improvement and Needs Assessment
Samantha Woerner, ANR & Sue Hughes, FCS
Youth Engagement Leadership Program (YELP)
Community Engagement
Building Healthy Coalitions
Family Development General
Every community in the state has an array of issues that they are facing on a daily basis. However, it is often difficult for us as extension agents to identify every single issue that the county is facing. The most efficient way to get the whole picture is to create a community needs assessment. This assessment would allow for multiple inputs from an array of individuals that live and work in the counties.
In the fall of 2018, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service began a statewide assessment of community issues and priorities. Each county was responsible for obtaining completed surveys from a large percentage of their population, hold multiple focus groups, and interview stakeholders in the community. CEDIK then complied all of the data reported into a community assessment report for the counties to present with stakeholders (elected officials, schools, etc.). This was created as a tool for extension to use when trying to implement needed programming throughout the county.
In Robertson County, we generated 121 surveys (5.5% of the population). The majority demographics were as followed:
-56% female
-94% white
-62% 25-64 years old
-58% work or are self-employed
-26% were retired
-59% currently participating in Extension Programming
Familiarity with Extension = 30% Very; 54% Somewhat; and 12% Not
Along with the surveys, our office completed two focus group meetings and two stakeholder interviews. Both of these involved elected officials, representatives from different occupations in the county, and other individuals.
From the data collected, the top priority issues were identified as: jobs & infrastructure, agriculture & environment, health & wellness, youth & families, and community vitality.
Some of these things would be very hard for us to have an impact on, such as the jobs and infrastructure. However, we could utilize programming in order to help address the other areas. Agriculture and the environment, health and wellness, and youth and families have been addressed in other Plans of Work listed. This plan of work will focus on community vitality and substance abuse within the county.
Robertson County also have a very high poverty rate at 30.4% of the population living below the poverty line (DataUSA). This is much higher than the national average at 13.1%. Robertson County has a population of 2,161 (as of the 2018 estimates), it houses one school building that services all youth in the county, and it does not have a stoplight. The whole school is on the free/reduced lunch’s program because of the counties high poverty rate. There are numerous individuals that rely on state assistance (EBT, WIC, LVCAP programs, disability) in order to stay afloat. Even though there is such a large amount of people living below the poverty line, there are numerous individuals who partake in risky behavior such as drugs, alcohol, and smoking.
Illegal substances are in the county, and most everyone knows it. We have very few overdoses and very few drug arrests just because there is not a large enough problem in the county for the state to focus on it. In 2018, there were 376 drug related arrests in Robertson County. This is almost 2% of the population who is being arrested for drugs. 21% of the adult population smoke and 13% are considered excessive drinkers (alcohol). This along with other health issues, such as obesity (34%) and physical inactivity (28%), make for a prime opportunity to pursue healthy living programming.
Robertson County was once considered to be a booming town with multiple options for entertainment, food, and groceries. Now there are hardly any local businesses and most people have to travel out of county to get the necessities. The needs assessment struck an interest in the reviving of our town and county and have set several things in motion. The most important was to be able to establish a sense of community pride.
-The prevention and/or reduction of substance use and its related consequences.
-Changed public perception of substance use via stigma reduction.
-Youth will be able to teach others on substance abuse prevention
-A coalition formed ran by youth on educating other individuals
-Economic improvements will occur due to the activities of an engaged community
-Health of the community will increase due to an increase in community pride and participation
-Social interaction will centered around being engaged in the community
-Long-term goals completed that was determined during the Community Needs Assessment
-Civic improvements will be accomplished by engaging the community in its entirety
-Local community presence in vacant buildings around the city
-Reduced stigma from local community members
-Delayed age of first use among youth
-Personally seeking community engagement
-Create opportunities to affect change in the community
-Provide access to places where knowledge can be gained
-Increased knowledge of substance use prevention, addiction, and recovery
-Improved social skills and/or self-efficacy in youth
-Increase knowledge of context, problems, history, and policies within the community
-Attitude conveying ability to positively affect community needs
-Develop skills to increase engagement by all community members
-Aspire to positively affect community and world issues
-Youth involvement on ideas to encourage community pride
-Youth involved prevention groups for substance and alcohol abuse
Initial Outcome: Increased involvement by the community on improvements and courses on substance use prevention.
Indicator: Groups meeting and achieving tasks, and the number of youth educated on prevention
Method: Observation, rosters, activity and program outcomes
Timeline: 2020-2021
Intermediate Outcome: Number of youth and adults seeking ways to improve the community and the reduction of substance use stigma.
Indicator: Meeting outcomes (projects completed) and age of youth being delayed (substance use)
Method: Group meetings, Observation
Timeline: 2020-2021
Long-term Outcome: Community engagement will be strong and the number of substance users will be reduced and more prevention will be known.
Indicator: Improvements within the community and city, and a reduced number of drug arrests.
Method: Observation and statistics
Timeline: 2020-2021
Audience: Youth Grades 9th-12th
Project or Activity: YELP
Content or Curriculum: Engaging Arts, First Impressions, YELP content, Civic Engagement, and Leadership Building
Inputs: 4-H agent, CEDIK, business owners, community members, elected officials
Date: 2020-2021
Audience: Community Members & Youth Organizations (4-H, FFA, FCCLA, FBLA, BETA, etc.)
Project or Activity: Community Service Projects
Content or Curriculum: Civic engagement
Inputs: Extension agents, community partners, school, parents
Date: 2020-2021
Audience: Robertson County Community Improvement
Project or Activity: Revamp Mt. Olivet and Robertson County
Content or Curriculum: First Impressions, Community Needs Assessment
Inputs: Extension agents, CEDIK, business owners, community members, elected officials
Date: 2020-2021
Audience: Robertson County Youth (4th grade and up)
Project or Activity: Drug and alcohol prevention
Content or Curriculum: DARE, Life Skills
Inputs: Extension agents, school, FYRSC, Comprehend
Date: 2020-2021
Audience: Families Impacted by Substance Abuse
Project or Activity: The Signs of Addiction & How to help with Addiction Trainings
Content or Curriculum: Addiction 101
Inputs: Extension agents, Comprehend, health department
Date: 2020-2021
Audience: High School Youth
Project or Activity: Truth and Consequences
Content or Curriculum: T & C: The Choice is Yours
Inputs: Extension agents, school, FYRSC, sheriff’s office, elected officials, court
Date: 2020-2021
Audience: 4-H Youth
Project or Activity: Health Rocks
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Health Rocks
Inputs: Extension agents, school, clubs, volunteers
Date: 2020-2021
Author: Caroline Hughes
Major Program: Family and Consumer Science
The COVID-19 Virus closed many businesses and placed a strain on health care providers worldwide creating a high demand for personal protection equipment for health care workers. With such a demand on personal protection equipment, items such as isolation gowns were not available. During this time, County Extension Offices in District 1 were contacted by Primary Plus asking if we had anyone that could sew isolation gowns for their 9 offices in Lewis, Mason, Fleming, Bracken, Greenup,
Author: Samantha Saunders
Major Program: Community Engagement
Over the summer, I had the idea of doing a community scavenger hunt. I though that it would be a great program that could get families involved in the community and it would give them something to do during our COVID-19 shut down. I reached out to a local business owner who is has been very interested in partnering with me in my "community improvement" efforts over the past year. She loved the idea and thought that we could use this program to showcase some of the historical locations
Author: Caroline Hughes
Major Program: Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association
The Homemakers organization was established in Robertson County in 1947 when a full time Home Demonstration Agent was assigned to the county. Initially seven clubs were organized and over time several members came to claim fifty years or more of membership. As people’s lifestyles changed, some clubs were discontinued or assimilated into others, but the Homemaker organization in Robertson County continues to be of viable service to the community. Traditional club lessons h
