Enhancing Personal Development through Life Skills
Building Youth Life Skills
B. Cheirs, A.Morgan
Financial Education - General
Communications
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Health
In order for individuals to reach their fullest potential in life, they need the opportunity to learn how to become self sufficient and practice responsibility. The Fulton County 4-H Youth Development program provides many opportunities for youth to become engaged in their community while developing personal, social, and economic assets which will assist in positive adult development.
Utilizing the Targeting Life Skills model (Hendricks 1998) and teaching skills under the category of Giving, Working, Being, Living, Thinking, Managing, Relating and Caring, youth will become competent, capable and contributing individuals, while Practical Life skills help them to be competitive in the world.
Fulton County youth will utilize life skills gained through education and Extension programs to reach their full potential as individuals, family members, and citizens in the community.
Youth will gain communication and decision-making skills that allow them to be competitive members of the current and future workforce.
Youth will gain practice of practical living skills that will make them more effective adults with practice of experience such as cooking and childcare.
Fulton County youth will become contributing members of society.
Youth will communicate more effectively with more self confidence.
Youth will practice safe cooking skills at home.
Youth will use self care skills to become competent members of society.
Youth will utilize information obtained through Extension Programming to increase quality of life.
Youth will employ good decision making techniques in personal relationships.
Youth will develop personal care skills to take care of mind and body.
Youth will increase knowledge of cooking, childcare, budgeting, and sewing.
Youth will develop knowledge of communication principles and public speaking skills.
Youth will increase knowledge of the facts of alcohol and tobacco dangers.
Youth will become aware of good character (honesty, trustworthiness, good sportsmanship, etc.)
Initial Outcome: Indicator: Youth will participate in events held at the schools and Extension office
Indicator: Youth will attend specific programming
Method: Sign in sheets
Timeline: program year & ongoing
Intermediate Outcome: Youth will change habits and behaviors
Indicator: Youth will begin to incorporate learned behaviors
Method: Observing behaviors at school, club meetings, and home
Timeline: Program year & ongoing
Long-term Outcome: Youth will practice skills and knowledge learned through 4-H and Extension programming.
Indicator: Youth will implement skills learned
Method: Implementation by students in the community, schools, and home
Timeline: Program year & ongoing
Audience: 4-H Age
Project or Activity: Sewing
Content or Curriculum: State Fair projects
Inputs: MCV, Parents, Community Leaders
Date: Current Program Year
Audience: 4-H Age
Project or Activity: Cooking Clubs
Content or Curriculum: Jump into Food and Fitness, Teen Cuisine, Food Preservation, other Extension curricula
Inputs: Agents, Master Gardeners, Parents, Community Volunteers
Date: Current Program Year
Audience: 4-H Age
Project or Activity: Shooting Sports Club
Content or Curriculum: Ky Shooting Sports Program
Inputs: Certified Leaders, parents
Date: Spring and Summer
Audience: 4-H Age
Project or Activity: 4-H Speeches and Demonstrations
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Communications Day
Inputs: Agent, Community Volunteers for judges, Schools
Date: Spring and Summer
Audience: 3rd grade classrooms
Project or Activity: 4-H Chick Incubation
Content or Curriculum: Embryology and Chick Incubation in the Classroom
Inputs: Agent, Schools
Date: Spring
Audience: 4-H Age
Project or Activity: 4-H Babysitting
Content or Curriculum: Kentucky 4-H Babysitting 4 Fun and 4 Profit
Inputs: Health Dept, Red Cross, Hospital, 4-H, Parents, FC Area Technology Health Sciences program
Date: current program year
Audience: 9th graders
Project or Activity: Truth and Consequences Event
Content or Curriculum: Truth and Consequences
Inputs: Community Leaders, area businesses, schools, adult volunteers, parents
Date: Winter
Audience: Middle School Age
Project or Activity: Lifeskills and prevention
Content or Curriculum: Botvin Skills Training
Inputs: FCS, 4-H
Date: Current school year
Audience: Youth and Adult Inmates
Project or Activity: 4-H LIFE
Content or Curriculum:
Inputs: 4-H Agent, jail Staff
Date: Program Year
Audience: 4-H Age
Project or Activity: 4-H Camp
Content or Curriculum: camping program
Inputs: 4-H Agent, Volunteers
Date: every summer
Author: Bernita Cheirs
Major Program: Camping
According to the American Camp Association, “The camp experience is recognized by child development professionals as valuable in helping children mature socially, emotionally, intellectually, morally, and physically. Camp participants learn to problem-solve, make social adjustments to new and different people, learn responsibility, and gain new skills to increase their self-esteem." Summer day camp has so many benefits such as keeping youth unplugged, out of trouble, in a safe l