Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Project YES is dual-focused: military youth and intern professional development. From a youth development perspective, the target audience is National Guard and Reserve families and youth engaged in any phase of the military deployment process. Project YES interns work specifically with youth aged 6-18 years of age. The primary target audience is youth attending Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Programs or Deployment Readiness Training events. Cumulatively, the experiences provide participating youth with the ability to grow as military family members and overall leaders through an increased ability to adapt to changing family dynamics, global sociological factors, and an ever-changing global marketplace. The professional development aspect provides participating interns with the opportunity to complete 1-year of consistent professional development in youth development curriculum and program delivery skills, as well as the requirement to complete a career-focused project. The project is completed under the guidance of an individually assigned mentor, who assists them in learning more about the career field they have either decided upon entering following graduation or a career field they are interestedin learning more about during the discovery phase of their internship. Changes/Problems:Project YES does not anticipate major changes or problems that will negatively impactfuture operations. However, we will continue to adapt and/or adjust to routine changes impacting recruitment, YRRP event curriculum adjustments, and logistical issues. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Tools and skills were the primary focus of the training and development for the fellows during this period. The new cohort of 16 interns (13 returning and 3 new) participated in the annual intern orientation. The annual orientation sessions are mandatory for all interns, regardless of whether they are new or returning. These sessions provide essential professional and program development skills. Training is consistently customized to the specific cohort. Returning apprentices participated in meetings that were specifically designed to enhance the skills they had acquired during their previous participation, as appropriate. At other times, the entire cohort convened to address communication, group interaction, classroom management strategies, and curriculum planning and implementation abilities. In addition to learning and facilitating the activities, they collaborated as a group to incorporate the DEAL critical thinking and reflection model. Interns also participated in a mid-year training session that emphasized and enhanced their facilitation abilities by incorporating new activities for the youth who were attending. The aspect of professional development was further fortified by the ongoing implementation of their individually designed career-widening project. Each intern collaborated with a mentor to gain a deeper understanding of their individual career opportunities. Mentors are selected from a diverse array of sources, such as educational professionals from their institutions, 4-H/Cooperative extension staff and faculty, or professionals employed by other commercial entities that support their career choice. The scope of projects encompasses program formulation and delivery, as well as shadowing and reflection activities. The current cohort was able to participate in an in-person Spring Training event organized by Project YES. Tools and skills were the primary focus of the training and development for the fellows during this period. The new cohort of 16 interns (13 returning and 3 new) participated in the annual intern orientation. The annual orientation sessions are mandatory for all interns, regardless of whether they are new or returning. These sessions provide essential professional and program development skills. Training is consistently customized to the specific cohort. Returning apprentices participated in meetings that were specifically designed to enhance the skills they had acquired during their previous participation, as appropriate. At other times, the entire cohort convened to address communication, group interaction, classroom management strategies, and curriculum planning and implementation abilities. In addition to learning and facilitating the activities, they collaborated as a group to incorporate the DEAL critical thinking and reflection model. Interns also participated in a mid-year training session that emphasized and enhanced their facilitation abilities by incorporating new activities for the youth who were attending. The aspect of professional development was further fortified by the ongoing implementation of their individually designed career-widening project. Each intern collaborated with a mentor to gain a deeper understanding of their individual career opportunities. Mentors are selected from a diverse array of sources, such as educational professionals from their institutions, 4-H/Cooperative extension staff and faculty, or professionals employed by other commercial entities that support their career choice. The scope of projects encompasses program formulation and delivery, as well as shadowing and reflection activities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Program updates are shared withthe Department of Defense, Office of Employer Programs & Policy, as well as the US Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Additionally, Project YES senior staff membersparticipate in the monthly YRRP meeting organized by the Office of Employer Programs and Policy. They also participated in the newly re-insituted USDA/NIFA program managers meeting. In all forums, Program information and achievements were disseminated to the general public at partnership and lead institution meetings. In addition, the Project YES website offers a plethora of information for both current and prospective interns. It also gives a comprehensive schedule of events and availability for organizations seeking updates on the status and locations of these activities. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Project YES will continue to deploy the current model of intern selection and opportunity to serve in 1-year long programs. Doing so will continue opportunities for interns to gain valuable youth development program planning and facilitation while enhancing their future careers through the professional development process. This process will continue providing the opportunity for thousands of youth affected by military deployments to participate in much-needed leadership development and resilience/life skills activities. We continuously monitor and update activitiesthat support the three main academic pillars: leadership development, resilience/life skills, and STEM. We will continue to monitor customer needs (military hosts and participating interns) to determine areas that need to be added or updated/maintained in order to provide quality programs. We will continue to assess the overall Project YES program (themes, methodology, delivery, etc.) and adapt to the constantly changing military and global environment. One major change, the introduction of a new virtual program element, is discussed in more detail in the "Changes/Problems" section of this report.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Project YES facilitated 27 youth events, supporting ~713 military youth. From 1/1/2011 through 6/31/24, Project YES has supported 1063 individual events and served ~32,000 youth in 49 states, Washington DC, 4 US territories, and Germany. Participating interns also completed career-enhancing projects under the guidance of their individually assigned mentors. The career projects provide interns the opportunity to either explore their chosen career field through an application-level project or an individualized opportunity to help narrow their career focus through interactive, experiential learning. In both scenarios, interns work closely with mentors to deepen their knowledge of the specific career field while improving the more generally accepted aspects of networking, professional development, and enhancement, resume' writing, interviewing, etc. Cumulatively, these activities serve to provide an enriching, substantive experience that deepens the professional development and enhancement necessary to successfully compete in the global marketplace. Training Orientation Trainings: YES was able to maintain a team of interns who were prepared to support military youth once military clients were able to resume events. Project YES needed to maintain a team of well-qualified interns who had the required training to support Yellow Ribbon events. Project YES returned to the standard in-person orientation trainings to enhance the training levels of returning team leads and interns, as well as to train new interns joining the team. Interns engaged in training on the Project YES model and professional development during 40+ collective hours of virtual orientation training. Traditionally, upon completing orientation training, interns engage in a one-hour monthly debrief and training session that is conducted virtually. They also engage in on-site training at in-person events. Doing so took advantage of larger groups of interns for continuous training opportunities and the ability to immediately put newly learned skills into practice. Professional Development (PD) Career-Enhancing Project (CEP): Project YES integrates a meaningful career-enhancing project with the guidance of an experienced mentor. Mentors are selected based on the specific needs of each intern and are expected to provide advice, feedback, and additional networking opportunities. Then, through a flexible process, each intern works with a mentor to complete a career development project that connects directly to their intended career path. The CEP process generally begins in June of each year. However, due to the stay-in-place orders and other changes associated with the pandemic, the interns experienced challenges in scheduling meetings with their mentors, traveling to organizations, and having limited access to in-person networking opportunities. The modified path provides a personalized, self-paced approach to interactive virtual activities and reflections. The modified approach allowed interns to complete action items on adjusted timelines and continue to gain the professional development skills contained within the traditional CEP. The modified path explores threespecific avenues to support intern exploration and advancement: 1) Career Enhancing Project, 2)professional development focus topics, and 3) personal focus topics. All data is compiled into a developmental portfolio that the intern can utilize with future career exploration and as an additional tool in their future job exploration. Project YES also introduced the Leadership Development Journey Certification Program, an online professional certification created to expand their leadership skills andto enhance their career, educational, and personal growth. The programincludes approximately 30 hours of self-paced learning via online, asynchronous content modules. Sample topics include time management,emotional intelligence, adaptability, and conflict management. Currently, all returning interns are participating in the program and areprojected to complete the leadership development certificate by April 2025.
Publications
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