"My Community: What's the Plan?" Program
Posted: September 11, 2012
Indiana County Fair Kiddie Farm Building youth and their parents learn about the implications of their land use choices at the My Community: What’s the Plan? "wooden village” educational activity.
3,215 youth entered the Kiddie Farm building at the Indiana County Fair. Our team of educators and volunteers interviewed 263 of these youth who worked with the wooden village model community. To evaluate the educational value of the program, each youth was asked three questions:
Did you enjoy helping us build this community?
Response --
>99% Yes
< 1% No (this sort of reminds you of the child in the Jimmy Fallon commercials that doesn’t want “more money,” doesn’t it? J)
Have we made you think about where you will live in the future?Response --
92% Yes
5% No
3% Maybe
Is community planning something you would like to learn more about?
Response --
53% Yes
10 % No
>12% Not sure/Maybe
This youth event was organized and staffed by Penn State Extension Educators Jeff Himes and John Turack, with an additional generous commitment of time by community leader volunteers, and by students and faculty from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Geography and Regional Planning.
To learn more about the My Community: What’s the Plan? Penn State Extension program, see http://extension.psu.edu/ecd/news/2012/land-use-decisions-and-youth-reflections-from-ag-progress-days-2012-1 ”
