Lewis County citizens ranked strengthening youth-adult or mentorship relationships and strengthening youth peer-peer relationships as a top 12 issue based on the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Community Needs Assessment. The county 4-H Agent collaborated with the Lewis County Family Resource and Youth Service Center to provide summer programming for 5^th-8^th grade students in Lewis County.

The Lewis County 4-H Program worked with the Family Resource Center coordinator from Lewis County Central Elementary School and Tollesboro Elementary School, the Youth Service Center coordinator from the middle school and high school, and the FRYSC assistant to deliver Summer Sensation. This program is offered annually to the youth of Lewis County and centers around providing a positive youth development experience for all those involved. The 5-day, 8am-12:30pm program consisted of classes on the dangers of vaping, healthy living, owl pellet dissection, and bird feeder making along with special programs from Hooked on Science, Circus Mojo, SkoolAid Olympics, and Mark Comley’s Magic Show. Youth also participated in water games and a carnival provided by Carmeuse Lime and Stone, Inc. At the end of each day, student names were entered into a drawing to win prizes. The event culminated in a trip to Malibu Jacks of Ashland on Friday.

This program reached 93 youth in Lewis County over the 5 days, with 42 being male and 52 being female. Youth from all over the county participated in the event. There were 30 fifth graders, 21 sixth graders, 29 seventh graders, and 13 eighth graders present. There were two community volunteers, four Family Resource and Youth Service Center employees, and two Extension Staff who worked on this project. 

At the end of the week a survey was conducted to gauge youth understanding of information presented in their classes. Results indicated that 96% of youth understand that vaping is not a safe alternative to smoking. 95% of you identified that carrying extra weight can cause their body to work harder and increase the risk of major health problems and 89% of youth were able to identify that owls were carnivores. Additionally, this program fostered youth-adult relationships and peer-peer relationships between youth. Many students walked away from Summer Sensation with a new friend.