Graves County CES

Title:

Skills for a Better Life

MAP:

Teaching Life Skills

Agents Involved:

Tashjian, FCS Agent

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Science, Engineering and Technology 4-H Core Curriculum

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Nurturing Families (general)

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Real Skills for Everyday Life

MAJOR PROGRAM 4:

Communications and Expressive Arts 4-H Core Curriculum

Situation:

Young people who participate in programs through 4-H, are less likely to do drugs, drink alcohol, and smoke cigarettes and are more likely to be civically active than kids who don't participate in its programs, according to a study by researchers at Tufts University (US News and World Report, 2011). 4-H emphasizes the three components of a successful youth program: mentoring, skill building and leadership. These components represent essential skills for ensuring that students attain marketable life skills for success in today’s global society. In short, 4-H empowers youth to reach their full potential, through fun and engaging programs. As schools serve to increase a student's general knowledge base, so 4-H serves to provide youth with opportunities to learn and develop self-confidence and self-discipline as well as skills related to goal setting/achievement, empathy, problem solving, time management, record keeping, teamwork and critical thinking. 4-H offers hands-on learning experiences about the world in unique and enlightening ways. Through citizenship programs, communication events, entrepreneurial clubs and career exploration students receive opportunities that are not available in traditional classroom settings.

Healthy couple and parenting relationships and resulting family stability benefit the well-being of adults and children. Co-habiting, same-sex, divorced, widowed and single households are the new majority. In 2013, 25 percent of Kentucky children lived in poverty, ranking Kentucky 40th in the nation. Children who live in poverty are more likely to have learning disabilities and developmental delays. Furthermore, children who start kindergarten with delayed development and fewer assets are by far more likely to repeat grades, get tracked into lower-tier classes and drop out of high school than more advantaged children.


Healthy couple and parenting relationships and resulting family stability benefit the well-being of adults and children. Co-habiting, same-sex, divorced, widowed and single households are the new majority. In 2013, 25 percent of Kentucky children lived in poverty, ranking Kentucky 40th in the nation. Children who live in poverty are more likely to have learning disabilities and developmental delays. Furthermore, children who start kindergarten with delayed development and fewer assets are by far more likely to repeat grades, get tracked into lower-tier classes and drop out of high school than more advantaged children.

Long-Term Outcomes:

- 4-H alumni will be successful in a global society
- Youth successfully enter the workplace and/or institutions of higher learning
- Youth utilize the skills gained through involvement in 4-H to achieve academic
and career goals.
-Practice parental leadership skills.
-Build personal strengths and self control, interpersonal communication, life
skills including wise decision-making.
-Become volunteers to make their community a better place to live for everyone.

Intermediate Outcomes:

- Youth demonstrate effective decision making processes.
- Youth demonstrate appropriate and effective methods of self-expression.
- Youth learn and develop life skills
- Youth learn steps in goal setting and developing a plan of action.
- Youth write and present speeches and demonstrations and participate in mock
interview and resume writing workshops.
-Reduced stress levels, made time for selves, and/or made wise decisions about
money, time, etc.
- Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships

Initial Outcomes:

- Youth learn decision making skills.
- Youth learn communication skills.
- Youth learn life skills.
- Youth learn steps in goal setting and developing a plan of action.
- Youth construct and give presentation
-Intends to manage stress; make time for self; listen, talk, bond with family
members;read with child daily; teach responsibility in use of money, time, etc.
-Intends to participate in volunteer activities

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Youth learn techniques to write an
introduction, body and conclusion for a speech or
demonstration.
Indicator: Youth turn in completed presentation for classroom grade
Method: Number of students completing assignment
Timeline: Fall or Spring

Intermediate Outcome: Youth learn and practice presentation techniques
demonstrating gestures, eye contact and knowledge of
material without the use of note cards
Indicator: Youth participate in classroom presentation contests
Method: Number of youth able to demonstrate skills taught.
Timeline: Fall or Spring

Long-term Outcome: Youth demonstrate presentation skills with confidence
during public venues (Rotary, City Hall, Fiscal Court)
and County, Area and State Contests
Indicator: Youth volunteer to participate in additional
presentation opportunities.
Method: Number of youth participating beyond the classroom
requirement.
Timeline: Spring

Initial Outcome: Youth learn techniques to write a quality resume and
prepare for an interview
Indicator: Youth turn in resume and copy of interview questions
Method: Number of students that complete assignment
Timeline: Ongoing

Intermediate Outcome: Youth participate in “mock interviews” and job shadowing
experiences with community leaders
Indicator: Youth job shadow individuals in their desired field of
study.
Method: Number of students participating
Timeline: Summer

Long-term Outcome: Youth gain confidence and experience in their area of
interest.
Indicator: Youth share knowledge with peers and junior 4-H’ers
Method: Agent observation and interview
Timeline: Ongoing

Initial Outcome: Youth receive information about governmental principals,
personal roles and civic responsibility
Indicator: Participation in leadership club activities
Method: Agent observation
Timeline: Ongoing

Intermediate Outcome: Youth learn and practice skills to move beyond self-
interest and adopt the attitude and motivation to become
committed to the well-being of a larger group.
Indicator: Youth express ideas and communicate with fellow club
members to create plans of action
Method: Agent observation
Timeline: Ongoing

Long-term Outcome: Youth demonstrate skills learned in citizenship through
community service and civic engagement
Indicator: Youth organize and facilitate projects
Method: Agent observation
Timeline: Ongoing

Initial Outcome: Students use research, oral and written communication,
teamwork and engineering design process skills to
complete requirements for Future City Engineering
Contest (virtual city design, essay, presentation)
Indicator: Students complete virtual city and essay using sound and
logical research
Method: Future City Scoring Rubric
Timeline: Summer – Winter

Intermediate Outcome: Students demonstrate knowledge gained through essay and
organization of presentation for the contest
Indicator: Students complete model design and presentation that
complements the essay and further demonstrates an
understanding of the contest’s theme.
Method: Future City Scoring
Timeline: Summer – Winter

Long-term Outcome: Students demonstrate presentation skills and knowledge
gained during the Regional Contest
Indicator: Students prepare presentation and are able to use eye
contact, gestures and oral communication skills learned
to “sell” their city design.
Method: Agent observation and scoring from FC engineer judges
Timeline: Winter

Initial Outcome:
-Intends to manage stress; make time for self; listen, talk, bond with family
members; read with child daily; teach responsibility in use of money, time, etc.
-Intends to participate in volunteer activities
Indicator:
-Number of individuals (parents or caregivers) reporting improved personal knowledge (such as enhanced knowledge of realistic behavior expectations and positive discipline techniques for children, healthy ways to promote children’s success in schools, and greater understanding of a child’s growth and development)
Method: Participant survey
Timeline: July-June

Intermediate outcome:
-Engaged in community outreach activities
-Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships
Indicator: ?Number of individuals (parents or caregivers) reporting improved personal skills (such as increased discipline and communication skills, effective strategies for helping children manage their behavior and building self-worth and personal power)
Method: Parent interview
Timeline: July-June

Long term Outcome:
-Practice parental leadership skills
-Build personal strengths and self control, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making.
-Become volunteers to make their community a better place to live for everyone
Indicator:?
-Number of parents and/or caregivers who practice parental leadership skills such as parental empathy, proper ways of establishing family rules, and concrete support their child to develop a sense of positive self-worth
Method: Parent interview
Timeline: July-June

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Graves County Youth

Project or Activity: Citizenship

Content or Curriculum: Citizenship publications

Inputs: Citizenship publications, Capitol tour, City and County

Tours

Date: Ongoing

Audience: Graves County Youth

Project or Activity: Communications Lessons and Forensics teams

Content or Curriculum: Communication Curriculum

Inputs: State and National Publications, Classroom workshops,

Civic Groups, Governmental organizations

Date: Ongoing

Audience: Graves County Youth

Project or Activity: Future City Engineering Contest

Content or Curriculum: National Future City Engineering Curriculum supplemented

with State and National 4-H publications

Inputs: Engineers, City of Mayfield, Club meetings, Engineering

lesson plans

Date: Ongoing

Audience: Graves County Youth

Project or Activity: State Fair

Content or Curriculum: State 4-H curriculum

Inputs: State 4-H curriculum

Date: Ongoing

Audience: Parents, grandparents, children, teens and extended family members

Activity: Nurturing Families

Content: Nurturing Families Curriculum

Date: Ongoing

Audience: Youth, Adults

Activity: Basic Sewing

Content: UK publications

Date: Ongoing

Audience: Youth, Adults

Activity: Basic Crochet

Content: UK publications

Date: Ongoing

Audience: Youth, Adults

Activity: Basic Cooking

Content: UK Publications

Date: Ongoing

Success Stories