Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
Identification of Extension Problem/Opportunity to be Addressed - There is always a strong need for both higher education and schools to rethink how we educate students. Revolutionary changes in the biological sciences, expansion of the information age, and the emergence of the global economy, have forced universities and schools to look for ways to prepare students to better handle rapid change, to make appropriate life and career choices, to enhance life-long learning, to be creative problem solvers, and to welcome cultural diversity. In addition, universities are being challenged to return to their roots and not only prepare students for careers, but prepare them for life as responsible, fully contributing citizens. Universities are to assist schools in doing the same. Finally, universities are being challenged to "engage" and demonstrate their relevance in today's world by using their resources to address community and society needs. In an age where many people still do not understand agriculture or where their food comes from, or do not spend enough time in nature to understand the complexities of a wetland or a forest, it is vitally important for schools of family and consumer sciences and colleges of agriculture and extension to "engage". One way in which a university can help prepare students for a rapidly changing world, increase students' sense of civic responsibility and engage with the community is through the development and implementation of high quality 4-H youth development programs, which will build a bridge or connection from schools to colleges for continuous growth and development of youth.How and by whom the focus and scope of the project were determined - With middle and high school drop-out rates, poor academic performance, the use of drugs and alcohol, and teenage pregnancy at their highest in years, and juvenile delinquency reaching overwhelming proportions in the target area of this grant (Franklin County, Kentucky), the young people of this county are becoming increasingly at-risk of failing in society and life.Expected short-term outcomes include increased structure in the mentoring match and increased skills of mentors to work with disadvantaged youth. Intermediate outcomes include a more positive attitude of youth about school and learning, increased youth self-confidence and ability to avoid drugs and at-risk behavior, and increased ability of parents to support the match. Progress will be measured by pre/post testing, mentee surveys, and school/parent/mentor surveys or reports. Process evaluation will be used to understand how the program functions and can be improved in design and implementation. Summative evaluation will be used to assess overall program outcomes.?After data has been analyzed, the evaluation team will present results each quarter to the University, deans and directors, Land Grant administrators, and community partners for review and feedback. The PI is experienced with submitting progress and final reports in the NIFA REEPORT portal, and he will prepare and submit an annual report to NIFA each year summarizing project results and outcomes
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
Objectives: The intent of this proposal is to establish an extension delivery afterschool 4-H Youth Development program on Kentucky State University's campus for disadvantaged youth ages 8-15,which will also increase the visibility and quality of extension programs on campus and provide service-learning experiences for students in 4-H, Family and Consumer Sciences and in Food and Agricultural Sciences. The overall subordinate objectives proposed for this project are as follows:To develop and operationalize a 4-H Youth Development Afterschool Program utilizing one-to-one and group mentoring for 50 disadvantaged youth ages 8-15.To assist project families in maintaining and/or increasing parenting skills, autonomy, and integrity in meeting their child's needs.To promote classroom service-learning experiences for college students majoring in Family and Consumer Sciences and other academic departments and units from across campus.To plan for collaboration and networking.To coordinate a process and outcome evaluation of the project.?
Project Methods
The project team members responsible for project oversight are a Project Principal Investigator (PI) at 15% FTE, Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) at 15% FTE, a Project Coordinator at 100% FTE, and an External Evaluator at 5% FTE. To assist with project oversight, the PI and Co-PI are providing 15% FTE Pro Bono, respectively, to ensure positive project outcomes. These individuals will have responsibility for project oversight, serving as liaison between the project, university, and partners and for ensuring that tasks and outcomes are achieved in a timely manner. Upon funding, the 100% FTE experienced Youth Development Project Coordinator will be hired to assist with fulfilling the objectives of the grant by managing the day-to-day operation of the project, facilitating and implementing the activities for youth, supervising volunteer college student mentors, actively recruiting and pairing youth with college student mentors, collaboratively working with local schools and compiling data for various reports and assignments. The External Evaluator will be hired, for 4 days a year, to analyze quantitative and qualitative data resulting from pre and post test data collected from the project.Program Structure: All youth participants will be transported to the program via transportation provided by the University's transportation services after their schools end each day. At the conclusion of each day, participants will be picked up from the program by their parents/guardians. The project is designed to be flexible and uses a variety of regularly scheduled learning and enrichment activities reflecting "learn by doing" 4-H research-based, ready to use curricula for after-school and summer enrichment activities. Additional STEM-related activities will also be an integral part of the ongoing curricula. The project will be a structured program that builds relationships between college student volunteer mentors, who will engage in service learning as youth mentors that provide one or more youth with one-to-one mentoring or group mentoring. The project will be enhanced by engaging parents/caregivers and building positive mentor/parent and mentor/youth relationships using evidence-based strategies. The Project Coordinator, PI, and Co-PI will provide oversight, training, and matching of the college student volunteer mentors with youth enrolled in the project.All prospective college students and any other volunteer mentors will be interviewed, asked to provide names of three references, and sign a release form permitting the project to perform a criminal history check and a check with the child abuse registry. Additionally, all prospective mentors will be screened against the sex offender registry (Victim Information and Notification Everybody (VINE) services). In addition to reviewing basic demographic and work history information, the intake interview will also include questions about prospective mentor's interests, hobbies, volunteer experiences and preferences vis-à-vis the youth. This information will be used to facilitate the match, should the applicant be selected for the project. The parents of all youth participating in the project will complete a parental consent form allowing their child to participate in the project.The Project PI, Co-PI, and Project Coordinator will conduct a pre-service orientation and ongoing monthly training for 1-hour to college student mentors. Trainings will include topics such as child development, recognizing child abuse and neglect, the "do's and don'ts" of mentoring, cultural and racial diversity and children dealing with trauma related issues. Mentor Incentives - Volunteer college student mentors will receive an incentive for participation that may be in the form of a monetary incentive for academia ($100 scholarship per semester), appreciation certificates, or others. Essential Project Activities: Mentoring services provided via this youth development program are according to three major components-Afterschool Mentoring, Saturday Workshops, and 6-week Summer Enrichment Institute-which are designed to create a cohesive program structure for disadvantaged youth and their families. These components will be very effective in decreasing anti-social behaviors including criminal activity, increasing academic performance, and increasing behavior support. Thus, enhancing the development of the whole child.