4-H Health and Wellness Programs

Junior Master Wellness Volunteer

Junior Master Wellness Volunteer program is a community health education leader training program offered through the MSU Extension 4-H program in partnership with the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and the UMMC/Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute. This program equips youth with health messages that help improve health literacy and lead to choices and lifestyle changes for a healthier Mississippi. Participants will develop leadership and teambuilding skills, become prepared to support ongoing and new programs in communities that engage and promote healthy principles, and learn how to become prepared to provide health promotion aimed at improving health literacy and healthy lifestyle choices. For more information contact Ann Sansing at aps6@msstate.edu.

The Pillowcase Project (A Partnership With the American Red Cross)

The Pillowcase Project, developed by the American Red Cross and sponsored by Disney, will teach students in grades 3 to 5 about personal and family preparedness, local hazards, and basic coping skills.

Participants will:

• Learn basic knowledge of hazards and the ability to identify the best way to stay safe during emergencies that occur in their region,
• Have basic understanding of what to do for home fire emergencies,
• Be equipped with preparedness tools necessary to motivate families to create an emergency communication plan and prepare an emergency supply kit,
• Prepare a pillowcase kit that will provide a source of resiliency in emergency situations and an easy-to-find container for personal emergency supplies, and
• Be empowered to make emergency preparedness a priority in their homes and communities.

Ready in the Middle

Ready in the Middle is a youth preparedness initiative designed specifically for youth ages 11 to 12 and their families in Mississippi.

Participants will learn:

• How to identify potential hazards;
• About hazard and risk mitigation;
• About individual, family, and community preparedness;
• About home safety audits; and
• About home hazard hunts.

Love You 2 Relationship Smarts Plus

The Relationship Smarts Plus (RS+) curriculum focuses on personal development related to identity, goals and values, distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors, making safe choices in forming relationships, preventing dating violence, developing communication skills, and preparing for adult roles and responsibilities. The program consists of 13 lessons that build skills and knowledge regarding healthy relationships.

The objectives are to increase teen knowledge of:

• healthy and unhealthy relationships,
• healthy dating patterns (using effective approaches to conflict management and communication), and
• the importance of mutual respect, shared values, and commitment.