Operation Military Kids

MISSION

WVU Extension Service 4-H Development West Virginia Operation: Military Kids (WV OMK) builds community partnerships to increase capacity for youths, families, and communities to support youths of military families.

GOALS

• Create a network of trained citizens and volunteers who will build community networks for military youths during their parents’ deployment and post-deployment to help them handle any changes that may occur.
• Educate the public about the impact of the deployment cycle on service members, families, children, and the community as a whole.
• Work closely with the Family Division of the West Virginia National Guard to support efforts on behalf of youths and families.
• Celebrate the strengths and sacrifices of military kids as everyday homefront heroes.

Highlights

• 735 WV military youth attended eight summer camps across the state
• 16 Ready, Set, Go! trainings were conducted for 1,054 community and military members
• 25 community organizations received informational briefings on OMK
• 333 military youths participated in eight Yellow Ribbon events assisted by OMK staff

NEW IN WEST VIRGINIA OMK

DROP-A-KID-DAYS

A non-traditional type of day camp, “Drop-A-Kid-Days” give military youth the unique experience to travel one day out of the summer to a place they may not regularly visit. During the summer of 2010, military youth traveled to the Columbus Zoo, as well as the Columbus Center of Science and Industry in two different trips. OMK partnered with the WV STARBASE Academy, as well as with the National Guard Child and Youth Program office to sponsor the trips, and plan to extend the program to various locations around the state for the summer of 2011.

READY, SET, GO!

Ready, Set, Go! (RSG) trainings allowed for West Virginia OMK to educate community members and professionals about the deployment cycle, and the special needs of military youth and their families during that time. These trainings offered ideas on how to support military kids, on additional OMK programming, as well as opportunities that are available to military families in communities around the state. These trainings also allowed for community members to network with others, and formulate action plans to develop their own support networks for military families and youth in an effort to provide more effective assistance. In the past year, 16 RSG! trainings have been conducted, reaching 1,054 participants.

HERO PACKS

Hero Packs are backpacks given to a child with a deploying parent, and are a concrete way of showing a community’s support for military youth and their families. The packs are filled by non-military youth or community organizations, with items received through donations, and are hand delivered to military kids by their peers. While the pack’s contents are never identical, they consist of three essential elements that will assist them in connecting with a deployed parent; the appreciation element, the content element, and the support element. Each pack is accompanied by a handwritten thank you letter from a peer, and includes a “Parent Pouch” with information on clubs, activities, and other support services in their communities and surrounding areas.

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY LAB

The Mobile Technology Lab (MTL) is used as a resource for military youth with deployed parents. The MTL was transported to various events across the state, and helped military youth create cards, pictures, and photo albums to share. The lab was also utilized by our SOMK group to edit their video on Hero Packs, create brochures, and retouch photographs for their display board. A number of state partners also checked out our MTL to use for various projects and events.

SPEAK OUT FOR MILITARY KIDS

Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK) is an on-going program that is made up of both military and non-military youth, who work together to share their experiences and relate stories to their communities to generate awareness of military kids and families. SOMK participants gain public speaking experience, presentation skills, learn video editing techniques, and advance their leadership skills. During the summer of 2010, SOMK participants wrote, filmed, and edited a video presentation on Hero Packs, as well as created brochures and a display board. These pieces have been used to educate their communities on the unique situations of military youth and their families, and on Operation: Military Kids and its efforts.

BABYSITTING TRAINING

WV OMK’s first effort at conducting a babysitting training course was a huge success, and the demand for repeating it was high. We got the same instructor from the WVU Extension service. She was excited as were the youths. After receiving their babysitter certification and CPR training, they are better prepared to babysit for their siblings and other children. We trained 15 youths in this session.

YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAMMING

West Virginia OMK has partnered with the American Red Cross to provide deployment cycle activities for children attending Yellow Ribbon Events. These activities have been added as part of the American Red Cross “Coping with Deployment” course that is offered for families of deploying service members during Yellow Ribbon Programs. These activities and OMK deployment cycle curriculum, allow military youth to participate in their own way, and learn ways to cope with deployment and changes to their families.

NATIONAL PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

• WVU Extension 4-H Youth Development
• The American Legion
• U.S. Army Child and Youth Service
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• Military Child Education Coalition
• National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WV OMK

Contact:

Chad Higgins
WV OMK Coordinator
WVU Extension Service
160 WVU Jackson’s Mill Rd.
Weston, WV 26452-8011

Richard Switzer
Youth Program Specialist
1703 Coonskin Drive
Charleston, WV 25311

Kaitlyn Rozich
OMK Project Coordinator
WVU Extension Services
609 Knapp Hall, PO Box 6031
Morgantown, WV 26506

WWW.OPERATIONMILITARYKIDS.ORG