4-H Youth Development Extension’s 4-H program welcomes youth of all beliefs and backgrounds, empowering hundreds of thousands of young people with the skills to lead for a lifetime.
Preventing Opioid Misuse in Rural N.C. Studies show that if children feel free to talk about anything, and if parents listen to their concerns, we can stop problems like substance misuse before they start. That is the premise of the NC State Extension 4-H Empowering Youth and Families Program (EYFP). The 10-week family leadership program focuses on opioid prevention education for youth and their caregivers in rural North Carolina. The goals are to bolster parenting skills to equip young people to make healthy choices, improve family relationships, and empower families to lead community change. “After going through the program, they say it's easy to talk with their kids,” said Niki Maness, program administrator in Yancey County. “They can communicate about things like peer pressure, knowing what substances are, and don’t take pills that aren't yours.” Afterward, families are encouraged to hold community events and spread the word about what they've learned. 13
“That’s our change mechanism, creating advocates who can then educate their community,” said Autumn Cano-Guin, Extension 4-H youth specialist.
The program is now available for all counties in North Carolina, and a training will be held this spring for all interested 4-H professionals.
A USDA-NIFA grant helped launch the program in 2017. 4-H implemented EYFP in three counties the following year, eventually expanding it to 12 counties.
go.ncsu.edu/4HEmpoweringYouth
Extension FCS agent Niki Maness (rear) at Millstone 4-H Camp in Ellerbe with a family that participated in the Empowering Youth and Families Program.
