As a result of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Community Needs Assessment (2023), a priority for building and developing life skills among youth has been identified as a need in LaRue County.  The cultivation of employee soft skills, life skills enhancement, and the facilitation of peer-to-peer and peer-mentor relationships emerge as paramount objectives for the community.  In an effort to integrate instruction on employee soft skills, encompassing etiquette refinement and being able to craft greeting and thank-you cards, an FCS Day Camp program was developed to address these priorities effectively.  Furthermore, there is a pronounced need for youth-focused life skills training, accompanied by education on food safety protocols. In response, education centered around these core objectives present viable avenues to help fulfill those needs.

On July 17th at the LaRue County Cooperative Extension Office, a Family Consumer Science Day Camp was hosted by the LaRue County Summer Intern and fellow Extension Agents. Hosted to a group of nineteen 8–15-year-olds, these participants engaged in activities that could be entered into the LaRue County Fair including creating invitation and thank–you cards, bedroom floor plans, cupcake decorating (facilitated by a 4-H volunteer) and sewing pillowcases (facilitated by two LaRue County Homemakers). Efforts were made to make sure that peer-mentor relationships could be formed with intentionality to pair mentees and peers in programing. Employability skills were emphasized through the etiquette dinner and creation of invitation and thank you cards.

As part of the program, participants were asked to complete pre and post assessments for each activity, and a general pre and post assessment. The following data and statistics were concluded from these assessments. Within the program, 79% had never participated in an Extension program prior, 53% had never put a project into the fair, and when asked on a scale of 1 to 5 how comfortable they were working with caring adults, the average was a 3.3. After the program concluded, the average for such was a 4.3. All participants said they would participate in another extension program and 2/3 of participants reported they would enter at least one project into the fair. The participants also engaged in an etiquette dinner in which they learned about table manners and place setting. When asked on a scale of 1 to 5 how comfortable they were using correct silverware at a formal place setting, the average changed from a 3.3 to a 4.2. 

In conclusion, participants learned lifelong skills that are transferable to almost any setting. Hence, these skills can be used to enhance one’s socioeconomic status and gain future opportunities such as employment.