Author: Anna Meador
Major Program: 21st Century Skills (Career & Workplace Development)
4-H’s positive youth development programs strive to make the best better through building leadership and life-skills today and growing the future leaders of tomorrow. Through participation in 4-H programs, youth are engaged in hands-on experiential learning opportunities geared towards improving one’s personal health, expanding one’s content knowledge, developing one’s life-skills, building one’s leadership and encouraging one’s involvement in their comm
Author: Chanda Hall
As a nonprofit it is essential to develop partnerships with community organizations. Relationships with community partners can help with grant writing, volunteer recruitment, and program promotion. The goal of community partnerships is beneficial for both sides and strengthen the broader community. Jefferson County 4-H has developed a very strong relationship with Louisville Public Libraries. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Louisville Free Public Library wanted to conti
Author: Sarah Drysdale
Fifty-seven youth with diverse backgrounds were educated on agriculture through the 21st Century After School Program Summer Enrichment opportunity. Youth spent the first week learning about all aspects of agriculture including horticulture and transplanting plants; animals on the farm; where wool comes from and the uses of it; soil profiles; bees and beekeeping; agriculture related math; the limited resource, soil, for growing our food; and sun safety on the farm. Extension professionals
Author: Renata Farmer
A recent study by AIPCA revealed that only 13 percent of parents talk to their children about money matters regularly. 3 out of 10 parents never talk about money at all with their children. According to the study, parents are more likely to talk about good manners or about the dangers of drugs and alcohol more than they are about financial literacy. The Knox County 4-H program responded to requests by teachers for financial literacy/work-force prep programs by collaborating with the
Author: Stephen Conrad
When our schools opted early on to have no visitors in the building, we decided to video each segment of Employment 101 and to provide it virtually for my contact teacher to use. Through a series of eight videos, students were taught how to fill out a job application, how to create a resume, and how to prepare for and conduct themselves during a job interview. 100 8th grade students went through our virtual Employment 101. A written evaluation conducted at the end of the program
Author: Thomas Miller
Fifty-seven youth with diverse backgrounds were educated on agriculture through the 21st Century After School Program Summer Enrichment opportunity. Youth spent the first week learning about all aspects of agriculture including horticulture and transplanting plants; animals on the farm; where wool comes from and the uses of it; soil profiles; bees and beekeeping; agriculture related math; the limited resource, soil, for growing our food; and sun safety on the farm. Extension professi
Author: Kayla Walton
In the spring of 2021, one of the Menifee County 4-H Agents worked with the county boys’ group home in a virtual program setting to conduct six lessons to better prepare participants to become employable individuals. Topics covered in the lessons were selected from the Kentucky 4-H Workforce Preparation & Career Preparedness Curriculum and focused on career selection, teamwork, personal skills, resumes, interview etiquette, and personal profiles.Each lesson consisted of a verbal discus
Author: Paul Adkins
The 2019 Kentucky Extension Community Assessment for Bullitt County Report showed that one of the priority needs for Bullitt County is better youth/adult career readiness skills.The Bullitt County Cooperative Extension Service partnered with Bullitt County Family Court’s Court Designated Worker program to provide career readiness and workforce preparation skills to teenage juvenile offenders. Youth were selected to serve in the 2nd cohort in the 4-H Preparing for Careers program as part of
Author: Novella Froman
Pike 4-H Programming Continues Despite the PandemicThe Pike County Extension Council identified life skills as a need for Pike County. During the Pandemic, we have served our clientele through 6,000 plus kits. From art to woodworking, we gave out life skill teaching kits for youth and their parents. Once the vaccine have been administered, we have been invited into the schools during March for 4-H clubs in 50% of the former classroom clubs. To date, we have 2,000 youth re
Author: Diane Kelley
Kenton County Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent – Kelley; interviewed current and recently graduated 4-H members from 3 Kenton County school districts, and home-schooled youth during the 2020 – 2021 program year. Youth and young adults represented participants from 2008 until 2021. Interviewed participants represented youth who solely participated in project group experiences, as well as youth who participated in community clubs, and 4-H activities such a
Author: Eric Comley
The challenges of the COVID-19 are varied and many. Traditional programmatic opportunities are met with an unfortunate reality of postponement or cancellation. One such program is Career Days at our local Elementary, Middle, and High School. These days serve our youth population to give them a glimpse of the career options within our local community. In a recent post by America's Promise, the organization stated, "Students who are involved in career exploration are more likely to plan t
Author: Janet Turley
The Pandemic of 2020 brought new challenges to 4-H Programming. In order to keep 4-H members engaged in project work, virtual programming was implemented. Over a 15 week time period, agents created take-home kits, pre-recorded videos and held zoom meetings to engage 4-H members to complete projects for the county fair. Participants were challenged with baking, photography, wood working, crochet and knitting, and acrylic painting to name just a few. Older teens were recruited to demonstrate many
