Extension
It Starts With Us
Developing Human Capital
Developing Human Capital
4-H, FCS, ANR, assistant(s)
Leadership
Communications
Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association
FCS Employment Skills
Russell County has over 17,000 residents. The Cooperative Extension Service provides opportunities for leadership development to residents of all ages in order to create a positive impact on their future. Basic leadership knowledge and skills are essential for success at any stage of life and in almost any field of employment. Developing leadership skills allow residents to face the challenges of the future with confidence whether those challenges emerge from school, community development, employment, family, or personal life.
- Clientele increase their leadership competency as a result of participating in CES programming.
- Youth and adults serve in leadership roles in CES clubs and groups and in community organizations.
- Clientele address critical issues that impact the local community.
- Clientele engage in community-based civic engagement projects to address identified community needs.
- Clientele develop employable skills and attain gainful employment.
- Clientele receive education on diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism.
- Clientele share verbal communication and expressive arts in the community and/or advocate for arts in the community.
- Youth attend 4-H Camp for multiple years and become teen leaders to mentor younger youth.
- Clientele demonstrate leadership, teamwork, and communication skills in CES clubs and groups and/or in their day-to-day life.
- Senior-age 4-H youth and adults will become club leaders and mentors to younger youth.
- Clientele acquire an appreciation for community service.
- Clientele can engage and listen to people with differing ideas.
- Clientele increase awareness of diversity.
- Clientele successfully complete high school or other post-secondary program.
- Youth write and deliver a speech or demonstration that has a clearly identified introduction, body, and conclusion.
- Youth increase confidence in presenting in front of groups.
- Youth create or perform expressive arts.
- Clientele seek civic engagement opportunities.
- Youth attend 4-H camp.
- Clientele learn communication, leadership, and procedural skills for conducting meetings.
- Clientele increase their knowledge about leadership and communication.
- Clientele learn about diversity.
- Clientele aspire to affect community and world issues in a positive way.
- Youth gain knowledge in researching, preparing, and presenting speeches and/or demonstrations.
- Clientele gain knowledge of employable skills and aspire to have gainful employment.
- Youth can identify key elements of expressive arts and written communication.
- Youth learn about activities and benefits of attending 4-H camp.
Outcome: Write a 4-H speech/demonstration
Indicator: Youth write a speech/demonstration with introduction, body, and conclusion
Method: survey, volunteer leader input, observation
Timeline: conclusion of program
Outcome: Presentation of 4-H speech/demonstration
Indicator: Youth present a speech/demonstration to group and/or judges
Method: observation, score sheets, self-evaluation
Timeline: conclusion of program
Outcome: implementation of parliamentary procedure
Indicator: youth and adult clubs/groups lead effective meetings
Method: observation
Timeline: throughout program year
Outcome: Create effective written communication and expressive arts pieces
Indicator: increase in quality of written and artistic expression
Method: observation and self-evaluation
Timeline: throughout program
Outcome: volunteers lead effective programs
Indicator: program expansion through youth and adult volunteer leaders
Method: observation
Timeline: throughout program year
Outcome: community engagement increases
Indicator: CES clients recognize and participation in service-learning in community
Method: observation and participation
Timeline: throughout program year
Outcome: increase community pride
Indicator: youth develop interests in modeling good citizenship qualities
Method: youth self-evaluation
Timeline: conclusion of program
Outcome: increase employability skills and aspirations for gainful employment
Indicator: 25% of participants develop 21st century skills for employment
Method: observation, formal evaluation, self-evaluation
Timeline: conclusion of program and into the future years
Outcome: participants develop SMART goals and take steps to achieve them
Indicator: 1/3 of participants achieve a short-term goal
Method: self-evaluation
Timeline: throughout program year
Outcome: Council(s) sponsor an educational or service project for the community
Indicator: completion of a sponsored program
Method: observation
Timeline: throughout year
Audience: Youth ages 9-18
Activity/Project: 4-H Speech and Demonstrations
Curriculum: Kentucky 4-H Speech and Demonstration publications
Inputs: guidelines, volunteer leaders, judges
Date: Winter/Spring 2024
Activity/Project: 4-H written communications
Curriculum: 4-H communications curricula and contest guidelines
Inputs: guidelines, volunteers, judges
Date: fall 2023/winter 2024
Activity/Project: Expressive Arts programming
Curriculum: National 4-H arts, theater, music, and photography curriculum
Inputs: curricula, state fair categories, volunteers, meeting area
Date: throughout program year
Activity/Project: 4-H Community Service
Curriculum: True Leaders in Service guidelines
Inputs: youth-adult partnership
Date: winter 2024
Activity/Project: 4-H club programming
Curriculum: 4-H leadership and club curricula
Inputs: curricula, volunteers, youth, mentors
Date: throughout program year
Activity/Project: Citizenship education
Curriculum: KY 4-H citizenship curricula
Inputs: participants, volunteers, curricula
Date: September-April
Activity/Project: Homemaker Clubs and Programming
Curriculum: KEHA resources
Inputs: leaders and members; KEHA resources
Date: throughout program year
Activity/Project: Workforce Preparation
Curriculum: 21st Century Skills for Success
Inputs: participants, volunteers, meeting space
Date: throughout program year
Activity/Project: Cultural Arts Contest
Curriculum: cultural arts guidelines
Inputs: participants, volunteers, judges
Date: winter 2023
Audience: Youth and Adults
Activity: Council sponsors a program for the community
Curriculum: Civic Engagement publications
Inputs: volunteers
Date: Fall 2023
Activity: Volunteer Development
Curriculum: Working with Councils
Inputs: volunteers, willingness to lead
Date: throughout year
Audience: District Board and CEC
Curriculum: By-Laws
Inputs: board members and council members
Date: throughout year
Author: Christina A. Martin
Major Program: Communications
The 4-H communication program has been a benchmark of the Russell County 4-H program for over thirty years. The Russell County 4-H communications program consists of youth participating in both written and oral communication. Strong writing, reading, and presentation skills present youth with the dexterity of being good communicators as well as allowing them to form receptive relationships with peers and adults. When young people are confident and capable in presenting their th
Author: Megan Gullett
Major Program: Financial Education - General
Scammers may try to trick us by appearing in disguise. This makes it difficult to know when something is “too good to be true.” The Federal Trade Commission received 2.9 million fraud reports in 2021. Of those reports, about a quarter of them resulted in a loss, equaling a total of $6.1 billion. The best way to avoid joining those statistics is to learn more about different types of scams to avoid falling victim.To increase consumer knowledge on scams and fraud prevention, the Russel
Author: Megan Gullett
Major Program: Financial Education - General
In a successful holiday preparation event, 55 participants joined county extension agents from the Lake Cumberland Area for "Kickstart the Holidays," a day-long holiday prep event. "Kickstart the Holidays" covered a range of holiday-related topics. Holiday preparation classes are crucial for various reasons, enabling individuals and families to manage their finances during the holiday season better, thus helping them avoid overspending and financial stress. Additionally, thes
Author: Christina A. Martin
Major Program: Leadership
The Russell County 4-H program collaborated with a local elementary school to present a program on goal setting to approximately 90 fifth grade youth. Antione de Saint-Exupéry said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” In most all 4-H programs, youth learn to set goals, work toward them, and then evaluate their success. Goal-setting helps 4-H members complete projects; the 4-H record book has been the gold standard for many decades to help youth document t
