Success Stories - Kentucky Extension Reporting System

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Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

Cooperative Extension Service

Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

Impacts

Craig Wood, Ph.D
Acting Associate Dean & Director
UK Cooperative Extension Service

S-107 Ag. Science Center North Lexington, KY 40546-0091

+1 (859) 257-4302

craig.wood@uky.edu

Fiscal Year: 2025

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2025

Jul 1, 2024 - Jun 30, 2025

Success StoriesKentucky Extension Reporting System

Leslie County 2024 4-H Camp: A Success Story of Growth, Dedication, and Empowerment

Author: Dawna Peters

Major Program: Camping

Leslie County 2024 4-H Camp: A Success Story of Growth, Dedication, and Empowerment

Leslie County 4-H Camp: A Success Story of Growth, Dedication, and EmpowermentA Growing Tradition of EngagementThis year marked another significant achievement for Leslie County 4-H, with 45 youth attending camp—just shy of our minimum attendance requirement of 50. While we fell short by five, this number represents a continued increase from previous years, showing a clear upward trend in our ability to engage more youth year after year. With a 3-year average of 39.33 campers, we are build

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4-H summer camp teaches life skills

Author: Elizabeth Easley

Major Program: Camping

The Situation:The Laurel County 4-H Advisory Council has identified 4-H summer camp as a priority issue. 4-H summer camp helps youth develop life-long skills. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a skill is a learned ability. A life skill is an ability that is useful throughout daily life and enhances the quality of life. The Targeting Life Skills Model (Hendricks, 1998) highlights 35 life skills developed in 4-H programs to help youth succeed. At our 4-day summer camp, we focused on hon

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2024 Nelson County 4-H Camp

Author: Samantha Gabbard

Major Program: Camping

On a cold winter day, there’s nothing better to think about than a warm summer day at 4-H Camp. According to a National Parks and Recreation article “Children in Nature” children are devoting minutes outside compared to spending an average of seven hours in front of a screen. On the latest community needs assessment that UK Cooperative Extension hosted a top priority identified for Nelson County was strengthening youth-adult relationships. 4-H camp is an experience like no othe

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First Time Camper

Author: Heather Coleman

Major Program: Camping

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Volunteer Impact

Author: Daniel Bell

Major Program: Camping

Volunteers play an integral role in the county 4-H program by helping youth develop life skills and building positive relationships with adult role models.  Volunteers help to expand the reach of the Kentucky 4-H program by leading community and after school clubs.  Building relationships with adults who are caring, and that challenge youth's growth is part of the developmental context of the 4-H Thrive Model.  This spring a parent of a summer camp participant reached out

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2024; 4-H Camp in Kentucky hit its record high!

Author: Peggy Jones

Major Program: Camping

2024; 4-H Camp in Kentucky hit its record high!4-H Camp in 2024 hits its record total more than ever before, WHY: Kids love the feeling of growing up and attending something without their parents/guardians , our 4-H  camps have a lot to offer, great JC and AC’s take time out of their lives to work with youth at 4-H Camp and 4-H Agents work many-hard-long hours to make it happen.   Rowan County youth are making memories and creating opportunities for interacting with others while

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Trimble County 4-H Camp

Author: Ralph Hance

Major Program: Camping

4-H Camp has been an integral part of Cooperative Extension Service program for over 100 years. Club members look forward to the fun and adventure of 4-H Camp. Yet, behind all the fun that 4-H Camp offers, children are learning valuable life skills. 4-H Camp can be a very good learning experience for youth as well as for adults. Back in 2008, Trimble County had Thirty eight campers, Thirteen teens, six adults, and one agents attended camp. In July 2018, we hit our record number of 83 campers, 12

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4-H Summer Camp: Building Lifelong Skills and Connections

Author: Elijah Wilson

Major Program: Camping

4-H Summer Camp: Building Lifelong Skills and Connections

In a world where youth increasingly find themselves engaged with electronic devices and isolated from peers, the need for meaningful, face-to-face interactions and hands-on experiences has never been more critical. Modern lifestyles often limit the time families and communities spend together, which can hinder the development of social, emotional, and practical life skills. Many young people lack opportunities to step outside their comfort zones, build resilience, and foster a sense of independe

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Adult Leaders Begin the Leadership Journey at 4-H Camp

Author: Kimberly Ragland

Major Program: Camping

 Kentucky has one of the largest, most dynamic 4-H summer camping programs in America with more than 12,000 attending in 2024. Each week of camp, youth ages 9-14 participate as campers with adult counselors (AC) 18 and over attending as chaperones. But perhaps the group who benefits the most consists of the 15-18-year-old senior 4-Hers who serve as Junior Counselors (JC). Boyle, Lincoln, and Powell counties have camped together for nearly 20 years and have developed a unique leadership

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Meeting a Financial Camp Need

Author: Bernita Cheirs

Major Program: Camping

According to the U.S. Census the median household income in Fulton County is $33,567. The cost for one 4-Her to attend 4-H Summer Camp is $300 plus the cost of transportation. Many families in Fulton County do not have the financial resources to allow their children to attend 4-H Camp. Even if the cost of 4-H Camp was only $200, many families are finding it more difficult to come up with the extra money to pay camp fees or purchase the necessary items that you need to attend camp.The Fulton Coun

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4-H Summer Camp Provides Positive, Fun and Educational Experiences for Kenton County Youth

Author: Anna Meyers

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 sense of belonging, to have meaningful conve

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4-H Camp

Author: Joe Maynard

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

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4-H Camp

Author: Lois Carter

Major Program: Camping

Describe the Issue or Situation.The Targeted Life Skills model (Hendricks, 1998) has been an important guide to planning, implementing, and evaluating 4-H youth development programs.  This model provides a holistic youth development approach, referred to by multiple researchers (Barkman & Machtmes, 2002; Garton, Miltenberger, & Pruett, 2007; Pittman & Yohalem, 2002; Scales, 1996; Wright & Bersamin, 2004.)  4-H based studies using Targeted Life Skills identified a positi

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4-H Summer Camp is More Than Fun and Games

Author: Lori Clark

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 sense of belonging, to have meaningful conve

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4-H Summer Camp 2024

Author: Sue Ann McCandless

Major Program: Camping

Many youth are having a more difficult time coping with various issues and are feeling more anxious especially in new situations or environments.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

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Menifee 4-H Day Camp Week

Author: Mary Lawson

Major Program: Camping

Menifee County 4-H continues to grow in our small community. Menifee County 4-H recently hosted an exciting day camp, where local youth had the opportunity to explore various fields, including cooking, science, agriculture, and robotics. Through hands-on activities, participants learned valuable life skills and developed a deeper appreciation for these subjects. The cooking sessions taught them how to prepare nutritious meals, fostering both independence and healthy habits.In the science wo

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Rescheduled 4-H Camp

Author: Melissa Goodman

Major Program: Camping

Rescheduled 4-H Camp

On May 26, 2024, the West KY storms left West KY 4-H Camp with damage and no power. Our camping group, which consisted of Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Graves, and Hickman counties, was scheduled to depart for camp the next day. Due to the damage, our group was first postponed by one day, but eventually, the week was canceled due to losing all the food for our group. We had 493 disappointed campers and counselors and had to do something to make it up to them! First, each of our counties ho

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4-H Camp

Author: Susan Campbell

Major Program: Camping

The Targeted Life Skills model (Hendricks, 1998) has been an important guide to planning, implementing, and evaluating 4-H youth development programs.  This model provides a holistic youth development approach, referred to by multiple researchers (Barkman & Machtmes, 2002; Garton, Miltenberger, & Pruett, 2007; Pittman & Yohalem, 2002; Scales, 1996; Wright & Bersamin, 2004.)  4-H based studies using Targeted Life Skills identified a positive relationship between particip

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Acting Associate Dean & Director — Craig Wood, Ph.D.
S107 Ag. Science Center North
Lexington, KY 40546-0091
+1 (859) 257-4302

© 2024 University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment