Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: While individual projects have dealt with specific community needs identified by the FFA members, the overarching goal of civic engagement and youth leadership has been met through the USDA/RYD grants. FFA members worked with community partners - local businesses or adult volunteers - to address the identified needs. Projects include needs being met in the form of: -Creation of recycling/composting programs to reduce landfills; -Creation of community gardens, fitness trails to support health and wellness; -Implementation of educational outreach/community workshops on health and wellness education, environmental and science education, civic and political responsibility; -Execution of cultural outreach, mentoring, and community safety symposiums; Funded programs either utilized existing resources to support their programs or developed resources to meet identified needs. Of the 69 chapters reporting, 25 chapters developed educational materials and/or resources. Of the developed resources, over 5,793 copies have been distributed throughout the various projects. Of the 69 chapters reporting, 13 chapters developed new curriculum resources. Below please find a few examples of the types materials created. Many materials that were developed in the 2010-2011 program year have been carried over and continue to be used. Examples of Curriculum/Educational Resources Created -Worms Eat My Food a composting guide -Enviro Science for Alternative Energies -Understanding procedures for serving disabled populations -Recycle DVD and lesson plans were developed. -Recycling coloring books on for ages 3-8. -Lesson plans and activities for promoting agricultural literacy in 8th grade students -Signs related to the different species were develop for on-site reference (common name, and genus and species indicated) PARTICIPANTS: Stefonie D. Sebastian is the Living to Serve Program Manager. Her role is to coordinate all grant activities, provide training and support to all sub-grantees and act as the liaison to the United States Department of Agriculture/ NIFA/RYD program. Michele L. Sullivan is the Program Director for the LTS Initiative. Her role is to provide support and guidance to Ms. Sebastian in any and all functions as needed including helping to develop strategies for sustainability beyond the funding provided by the RYD Initiative. Dedra Andreko is the Program Coordinator. Her role is to provide support to the Program Manager, assist with grant contracts and logistics for programming. TARGET AUDIENCES: During the 2011-2012 school year, National FFA distributed grants to 11 FFA State Associations with a total of 64 sub-grants to local chapters. In the past year, the Pennsylvania State Association withdrew from the program, however those FFA chapters funded at the local level remained intact. Individual Chapter Awards went to ten local communities in the 2011-2012 school year. The redistribution of state funds allowed FFA to provide funding for two additional chapters, growing the FFA RYD portfolio to the largest in history. Every chapter engaged in an application process to ensure all project activities align with RYD program goals. FFA members worked with community partners - local businesses or adult volunteers - to address the identified needs. Projects include needs being met in the form of community gardens, fitness trails, health and wellness education, environmental and science education, civic and political responsibility, cultural outreach, mentoring, and community safety. Students along with their adult partners created programs that included educational outreach that took the form of workshops, mentoring, focus group facilitation, and development of curriculum, brochures and presentations. Community Members Served are broken down as follows: Young Children (0-5 years old) = 340 Elementary Students = 3951 Middle School Students= 2178 High School Students = 3976 Adults (19-60 years old)= 2776 Seniors (60+ years old)= 1198 Audience with Disabilities = 450 Active Military Families = 38 There were 49 community-based groups formed in which the youth from this project will continue to participate (i.e., county youth council, collation to fight hunger, youth advisory group to the board of education). There were 36 new 4-H, FFA or GS groups that have been formed. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Change in Knowledge/Actions The 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 academic years were a time of expansion for the Rural Youth Development program. Youth leadership goals were specifically tied to improved conditions within their communities and expanding the human capital, social capital, and natural capital of served areas. A web-based Likert scaled questionnaire of 46 questions was utilized for Members, Advisors and Community partners. Students/Members: Survey results were used to assess the leadership and life skill development of the young people throughout the course of their engagement in the National FFA Organization's Rural Youth Development program. Members indicated overwhelmingly that their leadership skills are improved when comparing scores before and after participation in the RYD program. Members indicated that their leadership skills, in particular areas, were much improved after their involvement with the program. Below is a sampling of responses: Leadership Skill - %of increase in skill based on Pre/Post Survey: Organizing group activities - 98% Seeing things objectively - 108% Leading group discussion - 103% Working as a team member - 62% Speaking before a group - 88% Identifying resources for projects - 114% Relating with others from diverse backgrounds - 113% Teachers/Advisors: The set of survey questions integrated the goals of both FFA and the RYD program that include supporting positive youth development, seeing youth as strong partners, and advancing partnerships through active youth plans. Nearly 80 percent of advisors shared that they recognize the value of linking their curriculum with community service. Four out of five advisors are aware that their students need to be involved and invested in their communities. Community Partners: Community partners have felt surprised at the level of members' responsibility. An overwhelming majority of community members believe that the school and its members (teachers and students) can and should impact their communities through the school. Change in Conditions: -Approximately 25,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables were harvested and donated to local communities -Over 3,500 pounds of fresh meat were donated to local communities. Types of meat include chicken, deer, and goat -Over 300 raised garden beds and container gardens were created -Over 41,000 pounds of paper and plastic were gathered to be recycled -Approximately 9,768 pounds of food and animal waste was collected and used to create compost -Over 12,000 pounds of hay were harvested from rotational pastures -Multiple Outdoor classrooms for school and community use have been created. -Approximately, 145 Bio-diesel kits were created to be used for a low-carbon alternative. -Over 2,100 individuals are utilizing over 3 miles of fitness trails that have been created for community use -A 12.5% reduction on response times by first responders was reported by the 25 farms that were mapped in one community -Approximately 3,468 individuals participated in or volunteered for their local educational workshop -Over 532 educational materials and resources have been created
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: While individual projects have dealt with specific community needs identified by the FFA members, the overarching goal of civic engagement and youth leadership has been met through the USDA/RYD grants. FFA members worked with community partners - local businesses or adult volunteers - to address the identified needs. Projects include needs being met in the form of: -Creation of community gardens, fitness trails; -Implementation of educational outreach/community workshops on health and wellness education, environmental and science education, civic and political responsibility; -Execution of cultural outreach, mentoring, and community safety symposiums Funded programs either utilized existing resources to support their programs or developed resources to meet identified needs. Below is a sample of the types of resources that were created by the FFA chapters across the country through research and as a means of disseminating information to local communities and state and national partners as appropriate: -Lesson plans and activities to support literacy initiatives -Flyers on the importance and means of composting -"Agrimania" program was developed to educate youth about the basics of agriculture and where their food comes from as well as to promote examples of active and health lifestyle choices. -Local arboretum Study Guide to be used for local "Envirothon" which is a science competition -35 signs related to the different species in an Outdoor Learning Lab were created as an on-site reference (common name, and genus and species indicated) to support science standards -Handouts on proper Food Safety Procedures such as how to safely handle and cook poultry and preparing fresh vegetables for use -Display on the nutritional value of potatoes and recipes from internet sources on display for the school lunch program and the high school classes to promote healthy eating -Brochure on the nutritional values and recipes for onions, beans and acorn squash to promote healthy eating -PowerPoint Slide shows to support the increased consumption of vegetables and healthy living -Brochures on Raised Bed Gardening & Sustainable vegetable production -Tree Identification & Leaf Identification maps to educate the community as well as the support science standards for k-12 youth -GPS maps of farms for farm owner and Emergency Management Personnel to expedite rescue/recovery -Care Sheets on how to grow a Child's Pizza Garden -100 resource books that provided nutritional information, history of the goat meat industry, history of the Boer Goat Project with Healthy Recipes were developed by thirty-four students in the Food Science Class and published by a local publisher -Publications for school board meetings to articulate the success of programs -78 students created a Management Calendar Book that targets dates of: breeding, vaccinations, kidding and pasture rotation dates -Kindergarten hand washing information/program/materials -Food Production Materials -Presentations home medical group members on interactions with the developmentally disabled -Lesson plans for each of the 4 outdoor classrooms, for each grade K-12 for a total of 52 lesson plans PARTICIPANTS: Stefonie D. Sebastian is the Living to Serve Program Manager. Her role is to coordinate all grant activities, provide training and support to all sub-grantees and act as the liaison to the United States Department of Agriculture/ NIFA/RYD program. Michele L. Sullivan is the Program Director for the LTS Initiative. Her role is to provide support and guidance to Ms. Sebastian in any and all functions as needed including helping to develop strategies for sustainability beyond the funding provided by the RYD Initiative. Kelsey Walls is the Program Coordinator. Her role is to provide support to the Program Manager, assist with grant contracts and logistics for programming. Dr. William D. Waidelich provided supervision and guidance to Ms. Sullivan. Dr. Waidelich is the Senior Division Director for the Education Program Division. He brings a wealth of knowledge in agricultural science education and was previously the Director of the Curriculum Materials Service at The Ohio State University. Dr. Michael Slavkin acts at the program evaluator. Dr. Slavkin is the Assistant Dean, Bower-Suhrheinrich College of Education and Human Services Associate Professor of Education, Department of Teacher Education University of Southern Indiana. He brings ten years' experience and national recognition for his research in service-learning and service engagement. Training was conducted for all Living to Serve grantees and State FFA Association staff June 26-28, 2011. Our National Program Leader, Nancy Valentine, was also present and aided in the training. Topics covered were: RYD philosophies and expectations, Evaluation, Service-learning fundamentals, Integrating service into the curriculum, Effective program marketing, Strengthening community partnerships, Program Expansion, Youth Voice and Reflection/Demonstration. TARGET AUDIENCES: During the past two school years (2009-2010 & 2010-2011), the Living to Serve Program has seen a dramatic increase in the number of sub-grantees that are supported through pass-through funds. During the 2010-2011 school year, National FFA distributed Living to Serve grants to 12 FFA State Associations with a total of 67 sub-grants to local chapters. Additionally, 5 Individual Chapter Awards went to local communities. The portfolio increased by one State Association and 5 chapter grants from the 2009-2010 school year. Every chapter engaged in an application process to ensure all project activities align with RYD program goals. Summary information on each of the sites has been submitted to USDA/NIFA as part of the Request for Proposals FY 2011. FFA members worked with community partners - local businesses or adult volunteers - to address the identified needs. Projects include needs being met in the form of community gardens, fitness trails, health and wellness education, environmental and science education, civic and political responsibility, cultural outreach, mentoring, and community safety. Students along with their adult partners created programs that included educational outreach that took the form of workshops, mentoring, focus group facilitation, development of curriculum, brochures and presentations. Community Members Served are broken down as follows: Young Children (0-5 years old) = 4,558 Elementary Students = 4,367 Middle School Students= 3,514 High School Students = 9,267 Adults (19-60 years old)= 4,485 Seniors (60+ years old)= 933 Audience with Disabilities = 738 Active Military Families = 53 There were 29 community-based groups formed in which the youth from this project will continue to participate (i.e., county youth council, collation to fight hunger, youth advisory group to the board of education) PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Change in Knowledge/Actions The 2010-2011 academic year was a time of expansion for the Living to Serve (LTS) program. Grantees reconsidered previous projects and delved deeper into exploring youth voice, stronger community collaborations, and active progress monitoring of programs. Youth leadership goals were specifically tied to improved conditions within their communities and expanding the human capital, social capital, and natural capital of served areas. Over 100 students representing 32 FFA chapters across the country engaged in programmatic focus groups. Analysis of the focus group statements documented that students felt they had significantly improved in goal setting, communication skills, public speaking, and self-confidence. As a result of participating in the RYD program, students were able to describe other benefits such as being able to "talk to people," learning, to work with others, and being viewed as "true partners" by adults. A web-based Likert scale questionnaire of 46 questions was completed by over 300 students/members. Questions addressed Premier Leadership (goal setting, communication, decision making and problem solving), Personal Growth and Attitudinal Changes (self-confidence, efficacy, and valuing diversity), and finally Career Success (community engagement and motivation to be involved). Below is a brief synopsis of the outcomes. Before/After participating in the LTS project, I had the ability to organize a group activity: Before After Excellent Ability 18% 35% Good Ability 44% 49% Some Ability 31% 14% No Ability 7% 2% Before/After participating in the LTS project, I had the ability to meet with other leaders in the community Before After Excellent Ability 11% 31% Good Ability 31% 48% Some Ability 40% 17% No Ability 18% 4% A web-based questionnaire of 42 questions was completed by over 30 community partners. Community partners felt surprised at the level of FFA members' responsibility. They share an overwhelmingly positive perspective on the work that youth perform and the energy toward the project that they did not expect. As shown below community members believe that the school and its members can and should impact their communities: To the question "Schools have the power to help a community grow" 67% = Strongly Agree" 33% = Agree To the question "Service-Learning has helped me to reconsider how I work with young people" 45% = Strongly Agree 49% = Agreed 6% = Disagree Change in Conditions -Approximately 6,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables were donated to local communities to address hunger -Approximately 3,250 pounds of fresh meat (chicken, deer, and goat) were donated to address hunger -Over 100 raised garden beds and container gardens were created to address hunger -Over 28,000 pounds of paper and plastic were gathered to be recycled to address environmental stewardship -Over 35,000 pounds of food and animal waste was collected and used to create a compost -Over 5 Outdoor classrooms have been created -Over 3 miles of fitness trails were created for community use -2.5 cords of wood were harvested and given to needy families -5 pocket parks created in one community
Publications
- (Buehler, 2011) Rural Youth Impact Communities through Living to Serve Grants, New Horizon.
- (DeHoff, 2010) Living to Serve: How Community Development has Evolved in FFA, New Horizon
- (Keller, 2010) Grants to the Rescue, Making a Difference
|
Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The USDA Rural Youth Development Program was the catalyst to move FFA from a model of "community service" to a much more rich and meaningful model of "service-learning" during the 2007 National FFA Convention. This transition all began with the RYD funding that allowed FFA to begin to create resources for agricultural teachers and members on service-learning and civic engagement. Through the youth governance model of the FFA Delegate process, youth representatives from across the country stated that although the FFA model of traditional service was beneficial to the community the impacts to the participants, beneficiaries and the community was not as deep or meaningful. Thus, the FFA youth delegates put forth a request of the National FFA Board that put into place the move from a model of service to a model of service-learning. Funding for the Living to serve/ Rural Youth Development Program aided in the creation of The Living to Serve (LTS) instructional materials that provide education on the principles of service-learning. These resources were designed through an intense roundtable meeting with novice and veteran agricultural education teachers. Lessons were created for both middle and high school teachers to educate students on authentic needs assessment, meaningful service and civic engagement. Other lessons focus on the planning and execution of service-learning activities as well as the reflection, celebration and recognition components of a successful service-learning program. These materials are available on the Team Ag Ed Learning Center www.agedlearning.org and have a national outreach. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Research studies indicated participation in FFA enhances leadership abilities. Several researchers (Townsend & Carter, 1983; Wingenbach & Kahler, 1997) have found a positive relationship between leadership skill development and FFA participation. Further, Brannon, Holley, & Key (1989) found Vocational Agriculture and the FFA had an impact on the success of many community leaders. These community leaders who had participated in vocational agriculture felt their leadership activities were effective in developing their leadership skills, contributed to their success, and have been of value to their careers regardless of their occupations (Brannon, Holley, & Key, 1989). Scales and Leffert (1999) concluded that youth organizations provide opportunities for success, a sense of belonging and safety, activities that are challenging, interaction and support from adults, leadership opportunities, and other interactions that contribute to the positive development and resiliency of youth. (Peiter Horstmeier, 2009) While the local FFA Living to Serve projects have dealt with specific community needs identified by the FFA members, the overarching goal of civic engagement and youth leadership has been met through the USDA/RYD grants. This is evidenced in one FFA member's statement from an FFA chapter in Louisiana to the Program Director of the USDA/RYD program during a conference. The young member, a junior in High School, stated that "she always felt that she had the skills to be a leader and that FFA had taught her those skills, but it wasn't until their FFA chapter started planning and implementing their LTS project that she had an opportunity to truly test those skills." She went on to say that the service-learning project taught her more about truly being able to "lead" people versus bossing them around. She went on to say that the hands on experience she had through the RYD/LTS project was "one of the best leadership experiences of my life." Through the RYD program, FFA members have created change in their communities and have addressed the identified community capitals noted below. The RYD/LTS Program Manager analyzed the Community Outputs and Report of Communities submitted by grantees and qualitatively assessed an increase in skills. Further support was gleaned from comments by FFA Advisors on the increase of skills and abilities of the participating students on the aforementioned reporting instruments.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|