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EXI'A/qDF~ 1.13OD AND ~JI~IITIC~I EDUCATION PRC%-RA~I INNOVATIVE. PROGRAM PROPOSAL -- 1988-89 Unik: Cabarrus County District: Southwestern County Extension Director: Alvin Stanford EFNEP Supervising Agent: Doris ~. Rogers Request is for Adult Co~oonent: YES Youth Component: YES Problem Statement or Needs Assessment: Marketing the EFNEP program to the more than 4,000 persons in the poverty areas of Cabarrus County is a crucial need. There is an opportunit~ to develop understanding, awareness, and involvement in this e~ucational program ~re than ever before. There is an increase in the number of young (teen) homemakers and the costs of feeding a famil~ is growing. dabarrus County does not have an appropriate, up-to-date visual presentation t6 use aD a marketing tool to reach new audiences, volunteers and advisory~co~nittee members. A.specific need is for specialized work with teens who face early pregnancies and other premature lifestyle.changes. More than 400 youth ages 12-16 years of age live in two of the local housing prelects - Concord Housing Project and Westgreen Apartments in ~annapolis. For the most part they project a "don't care, .... so' what," "%'~y mej" attitude. Their days are spent watching television, or quarreling among themselves. Self-esteem is at the lowest possible point. At EFNEP youth meetings they talk freely about girls Having babies, some as young as 12 or 13. They express their desire to have one, too. There are very few fathers to provide a father figure and many mothers are often absent, leaving youth on their own. Some are on drugs, such as one thirteen year old who atended EFNEP Day Camp this past s~mmer. ~'~nen school recesses for the summer, these youth are on their own for their food. They have very little knowledge of food preparation or nutritional needs. These youth need more training in Droner nutrition, food preparation, grocery buying, weight control and attention to health problems which result from overuse of sugar, fat, and salt. They also need more iustruction and warning about drug abuse, alcohol, and smoking. These problems could be solved somewhat by enough funding ~o purchase foods and supplies for demonstrations, to rent or purchse visual aids or other educational materials to aid in the teaching/ learning experiences and to pay for rental o~ meeting facilities. The teen pregnancy situation is growing, especially in the Kannapolis co~unity. Cabarrus County had 339 pregnancies between the ages of 15-19 in 1985 ~hich was a 96.7 rate in North Carolina. Each week, the Adult Program Aide learns of more teens in her EFNEP communities who are expecting. Special emphasis on proper nutrition during this time needs to be done in small groups of these youth.