Performing Department
Cooperative Extension Service
Non Technical Summary
During the project time period designated as October 1, 2016 - September 30, 2017, Purdue University will create a competitive RFA process for the Cooperative Extension System to design, schedule and implement Military-Extension Adventure Camp opportunities that will be made available to military teens ages 14-18. Adventure Camp Programs will be built upon adventure opportunities such as ropes courses, backpacking, rafting, boating, survival camps, etc. and should be open to youth across all service branches including opportunities for youth of National Guard/Army Reserve families. State 4-H and other Extension Programs will have the opportunity to apply for a competitive grant to support adventure camps that feature the institution's specific camping expertise. The subsequent adventure camps will be conducted at regional locations around the U.S. Camping experiences will be offered at modest expense to the military youth and family.Camp opportunities will be planned and executed under the direction of a Principal Investigator at each university determined to be a successful RFA respondent with each respondent committed to including at least two additional non-extension partners identified per type of camp. Camp opportunities funded under this RFA will support new camp program opportunities in addition to those already planned events/activities in the 2017 camp program schedule of the successful respondents and will expand outreach and access to military youth.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goals: 1) To lead the consortium of states to administer and manage teen adventure camp programs that build life skills for military-connected youth. Objectives: A) Prepare a Request for Applications (RFA) from LGUs to plan and implement high adventure opportunities that will connect military teens and address life skills, leadership, resiliency, communication and teamwork. B) Establish a timely, fair and equitable RFA review process; Provide sub-contracts to partner LGUs in a timely manner; C) Provide ongoing support to successful PI's. 2) To develop a mechanism to provide programs for military-connected youth with the consortium of land-grant institutions. Programs will include residential high adventure camping experiences (based on needs and grounded in research) for military-connected youth within the United States.Objectives: A) Prepare a communication plan for the project. B) Determine timeline and tasks for Purdue project staff and sub-awardees; C) Create marketing website and print brochures; D) Maintain social media to share the activities and impacts of the various camps. 3) Design and distribute a reporting system to determine the impacts of these opportunities. A) Review USDA/NIFA and DoD desired reporting to assure incorporation into evaluation; B) Write MTAC evaluation protocol and secure IRB approval; C) Disseminate required evaluation components to PIs at each LGU and report evaluation results to partners.
Project Methods
Purdue University will administer all aspects of a competitive RFA process and will work with assigned National Program Leaders at NIFA/USDA and personnel from the Office of Military Community and Family Policy (MC & FP) at the Department of Defense to design and advertise the competitive RFA process for Military-Extension Adventure Camps. Purdue will work collaboratively with NIFA/USDA and MC & FP to establish and convene an external review panel to determine the successful RFA respondents. Residential 4-H camping programs have a rich history of providing educational programming to thousands of teens annually through hands-on, experiential learning activities. 4-H camping engages teens in activities that will help increase their self-confidence and positive risk taking by encouraging them to make their own decisions, solve problems, and manage their resources thus learning to become more responsible. Teenagers from military families have often been moved with their families on a frequent basis, many times resulting in experienced loss and emotional uncertainty. Teen Adventure Camps provide a unique opportunity for military teens, and in some cases, their family members, to connect with each other. Through guided activities such as whitewater rafting, mounting climbing, winter camping and more, military teens are provided opportunities to connect with each other and develop skills to help them thrive as a military child. A variety of "high adventure" camping opportunities will be organized, managed, and led by Land Grant Universities (LGUs). These high adventure opportunities will be designed by youth development professionals at the Land Grant University for military teens to develop skills that will support them as they cope with general military life and/or the deployment of a loved one.The evaluation component of each of the camp opportunities resulting from this RFA will utilize the American Camp Association Youth Outcomes Battery (YOB) which is designed to measure developmental outcomes in youth programs. The evaluation is focused on eight common youth outcomes. The statistically tested scales are age-appropriate, short and concise, easily administered tools that can be individualized to each particular camp setting. The YOB focuses on eight outcomes as follows: Friendship Skills; Independence; Teamwork; Family Citizenship; Perceived Competence; Interest in Exploration; Responsibility; and Affinity for Nature. Each state will also be required to provide the demographic information for camp participants as well as each family's military status. PIs who have a pre-established evaluation protocol for camps conducted in their state may request the opportunity to amend their approved IRB protocol to add the YOB.