Success StoryAppalachian Challenge Academy



Appalachian Challenge Academy

Author: Lora Davidson

Planning Unit: Laurel County CES

Major Program: Real Skills for Everyday Life

Plan of Work: LIfe Skills and Financial Stablity

Outcome: Initial Outcome

In the state of Kentucky 774 children have lived in juvenile correction facilities in 2013.  According to the Kentucky Youth Advocates 25.6 % of youth is incarcerated in the juvenile justice system in Kentucky, 40% of children live in high poverty areas and 43.7% of children are in out-of-home care.  Harlan County Extension started a program working with the Appalachian Challenge Academy in Harlan County.  The program was focused on 17 girls that were enrolled into the Appalachian Challenge Academy.  According to the Appalachian Challenge Academy their mission is to intervene and reclaim the lives of 16-18 year old high school dropouts.  The program is based around producing the youth with values, life skills, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as productive citizens.  

In the program the Extension office met with the group 2-4 times per month in which they would learn life skills such as learning to crochet, sew, mending, importance of credit and credit scores, nutrition and other factors.  

Each week the group was bused to the Extension Depot in which Homemaker volunteers would come and help the participants learn proper ways to use a sewing machine, crochet, sew on buttons, etc.    The hopes was to teach life lesson skills to the youth that they would be able to utilize and be successful.  At the end of the program the girls had shown a great growth in learning new life skills.  






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