Providing rural youth knowledge and strategies to be safe in their homes and communities is a foundation skill for being a responsible adult.  Youth are at increased risk of experiencing certain types of harm. Rural youth are more likely to die in car accidents, farm accidents, and suicides than urban youth. They are also more likely to experience violence like bullying.

     Rural youth may have fewer resources to cope with harm. Rural communities often have fewer mental health providers, substance abuse treatment programs, and other social services than urban communities. This can make it more difficult for rural youth to get help when they need it. Supporting safety for rural youth is essential for building strong and vibrant rural communities. When youth are safe and healthy, they are more likely to stay in their communities and contribute to their local economies.

     Green County Extension partnered with the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to offer third-grade students a safety day of practical hands-on learning activities to increase their awareness and recognition of unsafe areas in their lives.  Through a $1840 in-kind grant of curriculum, training and take-home items provided by Progressive Agriculture, 115 youth participated in the program led by fifteen community volunteers.  Youth participated in safety booths related to unsafe areas around their home, alternative lifestyle habits recognizing simple exercises, detecting the sun’s possible damage during the winter months and how to make local water bodies like ponds and streams safer through simple household products like a “floating jug” on a rope as a tossable floatation device.

     Of the 115 youth participants, all youth were able to identify and communicate a new safety rule they had learned during the event. They documented this new skill by drawing a picture of the new rule they learned.  All youth created a sun safety device to demonstrate when their body was being exposed to the sun’s rays as a reminder to wear sunscreen or alternate clothes to protect their skin.