Extension
It Starts With Us
Basic Life Skill Education
Strengthening Youth & Adult Life Skills
Ashley Vice & Shelby Cleaver
Financial Education - General
Food Preparation and Preservation
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Communications & Expressive Arts
Nicholas County has a population of 7,135 according to the census. Of that number 19.4% of the population lives at or below the poverty rate, with an additional 12% of youth (ages 18 and under) who receive SNAP and/or WIC benefits. In addition to that, Nicholas County has over 100 students, grades K-6, in the backpack program and 90+ seniors receiving monthly commodity boxes.
The Nicholas County Extension Service wants to combat these numbers through extension programming focusing on budgeting, parenting skills, gardening/food preservation and youth communication and leadership opportunities.
Nicholas County families will be better equipped to reach financial stability and more to be more self sufficient. This will decrease the number of those in need of local food and clothing banks as well as assistance programs. This increase in financial stability and reliance on assistance programs will be reflected in the next Census.
Families will practice healthy meal planning and experiment with new fruits and vegetables.
Youth will participate in communications and leadership programming. Adults and families will practice healthy meal planning and experiment with new fruits and vegetables.
Initial Outcome: Families will develop a monthly budget
Indicator: number of families participating in annual holiday assistance program
Method: attendance sheets
Timeline: ongoing
Intermediate Outcome: Families will have a better understanding of basic gardening
Indicator: Number of families growing their own produce and increased sale of fruits and vegtables at local grocery store and farmers markets
Method: survey of producers and grocery
Timeline: ongoing
Long-term Outcome: Youth will possess basic communication and leadership skills leading them to become contributing members of society
Indicator: Number of youth in leadership roles and participation in communications contest
Method: Enrollment forms
Timeline: Ongoing
Audience: NC Families
Project or Activity: Holiday Assistance Program
Content or Curriculum: budgeting 101, bean game, meal planning resources
Inputs: FRYSC coordinator, families, handouts/publications, worksheets
Date: 2021-2025
Project or Activity: Parenting Classes
Content or Curriculum: Keys to Great Parenting, Parenting Piece by Piece
Inputs: FRYSC coordinator, families, handouts
Date: 2021-2025
Audience: NC Families
Project or Activity: Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: UK Food Preservation guidelines, Ball Blue Book
Inputs: Curriculum, UK specialists, produce and plants
Date: 2021-2025
Project or Activity: Home and Horticulture
Content or Curriculum: Horticulture ID
Inputs: Curriculum, UK specialists, produce and plants
Date: 2021-2025
Audience: NC Youth
Project or Activity: Middle School Leadership Academy
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Citizenship, Civic Engagement
Inputs: Teen Conference, Teen Summit, monthly meetings
Date: 2021-2025
Project or Activity: County Communications Contest
Content or Curriculum: Picking up the Pieces, 4-H Speeches and Demonstrations
Inputs: Classroom instruction, handouts and silly speeches
Date: 2021-2025
Author: Ashley Vice
Major Program: Camping
4-H Summer Camp is More Than Fun and Games A typical 5-day 4-H Camp session offers upwards of 96 hours of direct, uninterrupted contact between youth and their cabin leaders/counselors. That’s the equivalent of a family sitting down at the dinner table for 30-minutes, 192 days of the year. The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting is so important to youth. The time we spend with youth in the camp s
Author: Ashley Vice
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
Based on the Cooperative Extension Community Needs Assessment, ensuring individuals and families have access to affordable nutritious food and strengthening/supporting the local food and agriculture industry are in the top 15 priorities in Nicholas County. Teaching residents to prepare their own foods using limited ingredients can help them become more self-sufficient, potentially reducing grocery costs and increasing food security, especially those on limited resources. Sourdough bread has gain
Author: Shelby Cleaver
Major Program: Camping
A typical 5-day 4-H Camp session offers upwards of 96 hours of direct, uninterrupted contact between youth and their cabin leaders/counselors. That’s the equivalent of a family sitting down at the dinner table for 30-minutes, 192 days of the year. The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting is so important to youth. The time we spend with youth in the camp setting offers opportunities for those youth to feel a
