Recipient Organization
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
WEST LAFAYETTE,IN 47907
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Funds will be utilized to promote the creation and the availability of adventure camps for military teens at regional locations around the U.S., its territories, and internationally.During the project time period designated as September 1, 2022- August 31, 2023, 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 13-18. Adventure Camp Programs will be built upon adventure opportunities such as ropes courses, backpacking, rafting, boating, survival camps, etc. and will 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 United States. 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 2023 camp program schedule of the successful respondents, and will expand outreach and access to military youth. Each successful respondent under the RFA will be expected to submit reporting requirements upon completion of the camp experiences, including, but not limited to, budget reconciliation, reflection of partner involvement, evidence of expanded ability for outreach, required evaluation, and participant demographics.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goals: 1) Lead the consortium of states to administer and manage teen adventure camps 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 connect military teens and address life skills, leadership, resiliency, communication and teamwork. B) Establish a timely, fair and equitable RFA review process; C) Provide timely sub-contracts to partner LGUs; D) Provide ongoing support to successful PI's. 2) Develop a mechanism to provide programs for military-connected youth with the consortium of LGUs. Programs include residential high adventure camping experiences (based on needs and grounded in research) for military-connected youth in 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) Maintain MTAC website. 3) Design and distribute a reporting system to determine 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
A timeline of methods to be implemented include: October, 2022 - Release camping RFA to Land Grant Institutions; November, 2022- Adventure camp RFA responses due and Purdue staff review camp proposals to assure adherence to RFA criteria; December, 2022 - Review Team reviews and scores documents and requests clarifications and revisions to selected proposals. January, 2023- grant recipients announced; February, 2023- Adventure camp sub-awards executed (pending Purdue University programming and fiscal approval and contractual agreements being completed); March, 2023- camp marketing website opened/camp registration begins; Camps conducted May through July, 2023with ongoing evaluations; all evaluation and demographic information submitted from both programs. September 30, 2023- FinalREEport completed.