Edmonson County CES

Title:

Youth and Adult Leadership Development

MAP:

Engaged Communities

Agents Involved:

David Embrey, Bridgett Poteet (KSU 4-H Agent) Laura-Grace Vincent (FCS/4-H)

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Kentucky Extension Leadership Development (KELD)

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Youth Engagement Leadership Program (YELP)

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Facilitation Training

MAJOR PROGRAM 4:

Conflict Resolution

Situation:

According to the KY Long Term Policy Research Center, “Civil Society in Kentucky,” ultimately, the strength of a community’s civil society depends upon its social capital – the attitudes and social norms people have in their daily interactions with one another. Increasing trust or community pride is indeed a daunting task, but their findings suggest that at least one way to accomplish this is through leadership development programs.

Leadership development training positively affects communities by teaching people to be capacity builders, capable of leveraging resources, nurturing participation, building consensus, and leading from the “bottom up” rather than the “top down.” According to Angie Woodward, President of Leadership Kentucky and Professor Ron Hustedde of the University of Kentucky, the new philosophy of leadership training teaches people to rely on the knowledge and experience of each group member. Moreover, it stresses empowerment of group members when leaders act as group servants.

Leadership development training also impart considerable knowledge about the communities that leaders will serve. As for specific skills, leadership development training should teach community visioning, listening, collaboration, conflict resolution, facilitation, imagination, interviewing, negotiation, and volunteer management, among other things. Leadership training programs should also conduct discussions around innovation, continued discovery, courage and sacrifice.

One of the strongest pieces of evidence demonstrating the effect of leadership development training at the individual level is our finding that volunteer hours increase in the years following participation in a leadership development class. Even accounting for a variety of other factors, most importantly age, they predict that a person’s monthly volunteer hours increase by an average of 15 minutes each year after graduation from a leadership training program.

Long-Term Outcomes:

To increase the number of volunteers and persons willing to serve on county boards or councils, as well as those willing to run for public office.

Intermediate Outcomes:

Trained leaders will effectively fill their volunteer positions, at camp, as club leaders and officers, and on councils. Trained leaders will serve as Day Chairs for the up-coming Leadership Edmonson County Program. Trained leaders will join the Leadership Alumni Association.

Initial Outcomes:

Trained leaders will know the proper parliamentary procedure, how to resolve conflict, time management, community and county government officials, how to prioritize, how to encourage entrepreneurship, how to make presentations.

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Trained leaders will know the proper parliamentary procedure, how to resolve conflict, time management, community and county government officials, how to prioritize, how to encourage entrepreneurship, how to make presentations.

Indicator: More individuals actively involved in community programs and projects

Method: Verbal and written follow up surveys

Timeline: 2-8 months from end of trainings

Intermediate Outcome: Trained leaders will effectively fill their volunteer positions, at camp, as club leaders and officers, and on councils. Trained leaders will serve as Day Chairs for the up-coming Leadership Edmonson County Program. Trained leaders will join the Leadership Alumni Association.

Indicator: Increased number of individuals willing to help with various county programs.

Method: Leadership and community service opportunities offered each year.

Timeline: 3-4 years

Long-term Outcome: To increase the number of volunteers and persons willing to serve on county boards or councils, as well as those willing to run for public office.

Indicator: Volunteers working with Extension programming (Youth Development and 4-H, Family and Consumer Sciences and Community Development) will increase.

Method: Leadership and community service opportunities offered each year.

Timeline: 3-10+ years

Learning Opportunities:

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES: 

Audience: Adults and youth, homemakers, 4-H members, teens, after-school mentors and participants in Youth and Adult Leadership Edmonson County classes. 

Project or Activity: 4-H Camp Leader Training 

Content or Curriculum: State materials developed by 4-H Agents and Specialists 

Inputs: County Agents and Program Assistant, State 4-H Specialists, etc. 

Date: Spring 2025

Audience: Adults and youth, homemakers, 4-H members, teens, after-school mentors and participants in Youth and Adult Leadership Edmonson County classes. 

Project or Activity: 4-H Club Leader Training 

Content or Curriculum: State materials developed by 4-H Agents and Specialists 

Inputs: County Agents and Program Assistant, State 4-H Specialists, etc. 

Date: Throughout the year  

Audience: Extension Homemakers

Project or Activity: Leader Lesson Training

Content or Curriculum: Monthly homemaker lessons

Inputs: County Agents, State Specialist

Date: Offered Monthly 

Success Stories