# [Partners #18- Our Children]{.underline}

Final script-text

March 21, 2007

Announcer

This time on Partners, it's Our Children. From Hero Packs helping
military kids cope with separation from their deployed parents...To the
Island Academy where youth blossom during summers on St. Croix. From
Kids of Convicts-an innovative visitation program for Missouri 4-Hers...
To Seeds To Success teaching New Jersey students about business.
Land-grant universities are nurturing the future of America

Number range CHAPTERWelcome to Partners! In the next half-hour, we'll
travel the nation and see breakthrough work in research, education and
Extension. That's what CSREES is all about - helping universities
generate valuable knowledge for those who need it, and educating our
next generation of Americans. And now, it's time for Partners!

Narrator

For ages, society has valued the nurturing of our children. Mahatma
Gandhi once said- "If we wish to create a lasting peace, we must begin
with the children." Albert Einstein concurred. "The point is to develop
the childlike inclination for play and the childlike desire for
recognition and to guide the child over to important fields for
society."

Our youth hold the promise of the future. One out of four Americans is
18 years old or younger. Over one-third of US households have children
living at home. In many ways, they mold our culture, drive our economy,
and shape our destiny.

The Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service of USDA
invests in America's youth in a number of different projects. By funding
land-grant universities throughout the United States and its
territories, CSREES is helping shape our country's next generation.

In the next half-hour, you'll see four extraordinary stories about our
youth today, and how education is key to their success. And now,
Partners Video Magazine presents -- Our Children.

Dona Leonhard, the Ohio State University

*Good Evening. How are you guys?*

Group

*Good.*

Dona Leonhard

*Well, I'm really glad that you guys came to this 4-H activity. We're
going to make Hero Packs tonight.*

Narrator

Here, at the Knox County 4-H Center in Central Ohio, local youth are
hard at work. They are making Hero Packs -- 'care packages' for children
of military parents who are currently deployed overseas.

Theresa Ferrari -- the Ohio State University

*4-H has been working with the military youth for awhile now, but it's
been focused more on the active duty installations. ... with the advent
of the global war on terrorism and the deployment of National Guard &
Reserve members, that's really changed of what we're doing.*

*The thing that strikes me most is the urgency of it-the immediacy of
it. It's now. It's something that we have to act on quickly. It's not
always convenient, but neither is deployment.*

Narrator

Tonight, the group is busy trying to meet the next day's delivery
deadline.

Bags are being sown. Hero Letters are drafted expressing gratitude to
the kids of deployed parents. And, the group also does some role
playing.

Dona Leonard

*This is our community right here.*

Narrator

This simulation shows the 4-H members how a community is affected when
its adult members leave for military duty. Each player is given a
profession, and one-by-one, told to leave the circle. This symbolizes
their deployment. Those left need to maintain the balance of the yellow
balls, which represent the military children. The exercise helps these
civilian kids understand the sacrifice of armed forces families.

Theresa Ferrari

*Hero Packs is just one part of Operation Military Kids. It's an
important part, but once we identify the military youth, we're able to
find other ways to reach them.*

Sharon Wright - CSREES

*Operation Military Kids is a collaborative effort of Army Child and
Youth services and National 4-H headquarters to supply support for
children of Reserves and National Guard soldiers who have been
deployed.*

Narrator

The program is national in scope, but it does much more than just Hero
Packs. It trains state leaders on how to conduct OMK activities. It
features Speak Out Military Kids -- public speaking experiences for
youth. And it offers mobile tech labs that give military kids media
tools to communicate with their deployed parents.

Sharon Wright

*We were trying to think of a way that would be a positive way to
recognize them and say 'thank you'. And the Hero Pack idea just grew out
of that.*

Narrator

Back in Ohio, OMK coordinator Dona Leonhard leads the group through the
Hero Packs assembly line.

Dona Leonhard

*The items are going to help stay in contact with their parents. So we
have stationary. We have a journal, ink pens, envelopes. We have
refrigerator magnets as well as a teddy bear.*

Narrator

It takes a lot of hands to complete the task. Once the Hero Packs are
full, they are loaded into boxes for delivery the next day. The 4-Hers
met their deadline.

Dona Leonhard

*The Hershey family has a parent deployed. The father is currently in
Iraq. He's a member of the National Guard, and he is in the 16^th^
Engineers group.*

Narrator

The family lives at this farm house outside Bucyrus, Ohio. Today, Leanne
Hershey and her five children are first on the delivery list.

4-H member

*Hey Leanna,* *We got the Hero Packs for the kids.*

Leanna Hersey

*-Oh, great. Come on in!*

Narrator

The two younger Hershey children get their gifts first. The Teddy Bear
looks like it has found a new home. Then the three other sisters get
their Hero Packs. The toys seem to be a big hit. But Paige, the second
oldest, also appreciates the hand-written letter.

Paige Hershey

*Dear Hero. Thanks so much for being part of the service to our
country...*

Leanna Hershey

*I have a little book that I carry in my purse (laughs) because I have
to, they are all active and everything, you know. We have track. We have
volleyball. We have baseball. We have gymnastics. All of them are in 4-H
.*

*We have one that has nightmares, but other than that, they are pretty
well adjusted. He's security for a general. I'm not really sure. He's --
I don't know where he even is 'cause he's not allowed to tell us where
he is and what he's doing. That's sometimes is hard. Right now, I
haven't heard from him in over a week so that's hard. That's hard.*

Theresa Ferrari

*Operation Military Kids* *funding has made it possible. It really got
us off to a quick start.* *The urgency of the issue is that we really
don't have the time to marshall all the resources. So it's provided us
that right away.* *The thing that we try to work on is trying to find
some positive meaning in a negative situation as a way to help them
cope.*

Announcer

Operation Military Kids reaches 34 states, serving families of the
regular service, the Reserves and the National Guard.

Narrator

Alexius Shadwick lives with her grandparents on Saint Louis, Missouri's
north side. She is like most ten-year-olds - except for the fact that
her father is in prison.

Alexius Shadwick

*Hi! Good afternoon. My name is Alexius. What I'm going to show you
today is pictures of my Daddy. This one here, my Daddy signed me up and
I took a picture with Santa Friend- the Grunch! Here is me and my Daddy.
I'm hugging my Daddy so much, God love him. And now I'm going to go and
cook my pancakes.*

Martez Shadwick - inmate

*This beautiful 10 year old -- she's helpful, she's playful. She loves
to make people laugh, smile... In my eyes, she's an angel. I got found
guilty of murder and robbery and two counts of armed criminal action but
I'm not going to be in here for long.*

Narrator

Martez Shadwick has spent the past six years here at the Potosi
Correctional Center in rural Missouri. It is considered Level 5 - the
highest degree of custody in the state. The majority of the inmates here
are in for life, life without parole, or capital punishment.

Visitation is limited for its inmates. These visitor booths provide some
contact, but any meaningful exchange is restricted. That was true until
the University of Missouri's 4-H program stepped in to help children
with inmate parents.

Rob Wilkerson -- University of Missouri

*L.I.F.E. stands for Living Interactive Family Education. We use a term
called 'enhanced visitation'. And the whole idea is that the
contact-that intimate contact with the child- you know, the hugging, the
kissing, the putting your arms around them. It helps to develop the bond
between the child and the parent because before they were not allowed to
do that. And now they can.*

Narrator

But before inmates can enjoy the benefits of quality family time, they
are required to attend a number of workshops that teach parenting and
communication skills.

Lynna Lawson -- University of Missouri

*I'm glad that you guys are all here today for our 4-H Life Parenting
meeting and today we're going to talk about self esteem with your
children.*

Narrator

Lynna Lawson helped start L.I.F.E. a few years ago when a wife of a
death row inmate wanted better visitation rights for her children. It is
financed by a grant from CSREES's Children, Youth and Families At Risk
program. Lynna and Rob Wilkerson now operate L.I.F.E. in several
Missouri prisons.

Rob Wilkerson

*When they first started the program, a lot of the community had some
issues with it... they viewed it as more of a program for offenders or
coddling offenders. And over the course of the years, they've realized
that the program's for the youth and a kid deserves to have a
relationship with his father. These are children -- they're victims too.
They've committed no crimes. They've done nothing wrong. They've just
happened to be born into a bad circumstance.*

Narrator

Two kids who have benefited from the LIFE program are Justin and Austin
Reed. Their father, Sam, has served more than half of his 13-year
sentence.

Mona Reed -- wife of Sam Reed

*I think it's helped a lot. They get to do different activities with
their dad. It's been tough at times, ya' know. They see other kids with
their dads going fishing-doing all the father-son things. I try to take
them fishing now and then -- do different things with them-but it's not
the same.*

Sam Reed - inmate

*I feel ashamed, but then again if they learn from this situation in my
life and it keeps them out of prison, then that's fine with me. It
really fills a place in our lives right now where we're separated but...
one time out of the month we're able to be a family.*

Rob Wilkerson

*You want to pick up your sheets? We'll get started. Every 4-H meeting
we start out with the pledge of allegiance and Alexius will start us
with that.*

Narrator

On today's visit, Alexius Shadwick is with her grandmother. And Mona
Reed brought Justin and Austin. The group gets a chance to play
charades. It offers a time to laugh, to work together, to just be
together.

Martez Shadwick

*Me and her can really communicate. We can talk more. I can bond with
her more. By me going through the parenting classes, I can learn about
what I should do in certain situations.* *This program, man -- since
I've been here -- it's helped me change. You know what I'm sayin'? It
has helped me to strive and to get out there to be there for my
daughter. And I love her, man.*

Rob Wilkerson

*Once they've got this relationship with their child, they're vested.
They have something to lose. So there is an incentive there for the
offenders to stay out of trouble.*

Sam Reed

*I think we're all tired of hiding behind a mask, you know. I think
we're all tired of making excuses for ourselves... and believe it or
not... we kind of got a family going here of our own to be able to trust
each others input and ... not be too timid or shy or feel like we're
going to be in threat of exposing ourselves and our thoughts. They help
keep my mind out of here. I'm not focusing on what's going on in here,
but I'm thinking about the future when we're going to be together and be
a complete family again out there in the free world.*

Announcer

Since 2000, the L.I.F.E program has allowed over 50 Missouri children
quality visitations with their fathers.

Lois Sanders -- University of the Virgin Islands

*At Henderson, we focus more on hands-on activities probably because of
the age of the young people. They are 5-14.*

Narrator

Here in the US Virgin Islands, an innovative 4-H youth program called
the Summer Academy is in full swing. It offers the children of this
American territory important knowledge, but in an entertaining way.

Lois Sanders

*We wanted to take advantage of every opportunity to enhance the
educational experience for young people in the territory. We know that
they get academic subjects throughout the year. But we wanted to make
sure that they didn't loose any ground that they gained during the
year.*

counselor

*Come on. Work together guys. Work together. Watch out for the pillar!*

Narrator

Junior counselors lead many of the activities like this obstacle course.
The program offers these college students summer jobs and an opportunity
to contribute to the curriculum.

Jamaar Hosier - counselor

*I wanted this to portray the obstacle of life. I wanted them to hold on
to this piece of string and realize that there are little goals. I
wanted that to push them on -- that little string to carry them all the
way back to the classroom.*

*I hope that they will follow their goals, and even though there may be
obstacles in life, that they should still carry on and push and keep
that will that they have inside.*

Narrator

Blending fun and education is key at the Summer Academy. Here, ice cream
making mixes enjoyment with chemistry. Kids learn the balance of rock
salt and ice, and the physics of temperature and agitation. Students
also have fun in the dirt while learning how to grow plants. And at the
raucous Mini Society, the goal is to develop entrepreneurship on an
island where over three out of four that do work, work for the
government.

Student Auctioneer

*Going once. Going twice. Sold!*

Narrator

This auction teaches the value of the dollar, supply & demand, and how
to bid. St. Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands, located just
east of Puerto Rico. For centuries, agriculture drove the island's
economy. Today, beyond the government jobs, the HOVENSA Refinery hires
many Cruzans, as the residents of St. Croix call themselves. And there's
some opportunity in tourism. Still, unemployment is a major concern. It
often reaches double digits. And the youth here have challenges of their
own - much like their mainland counterparts.

Lois Sanders

*They face the same problems that kids face everywhere - the influence
of illegal drugs, the high divorce rate, single parent families, the
difficulty of raising multiple kids -- those kinds of things.*

Narrator

One part of the Summer Academy that helps kids through those difficult
times is the Young Scholars Program. Held at the University of the
Virgin Islands' St. Croix campus, it is aimed at youth ages 11-14. And
today is special as they embark on an adventure...

This is Estate Mount Washington- a historic sugar plantation established
in 1750. The Young Scholars meet their guide for the day, Olasee Davis.
Mr. Davis is a forest & ecology Extension specialist from the
university.

Olasee Davis -- University of the Virgin Islands

*Commercially, they use...*

Narrator

This field trip gives the students a chance to touch & experience the
natural world of St. Croix.

Lois Sanders

*Without USDA funding, the opportunities... would not occur. We just
don't have that level of resource here in the territory to do those
kinds of enriching programs. They have a lot of potential- a lot of
really smart, young people. And with the right support and the right
resources, they'll be fine*

Students sing 4-H song

Narrator

Back at the Alexander Henderson School, it's Farm Safety Day. And after
the group concludes the 4-H song, they join the fun. Face painting
reinforces important safety symbols. There are demonstrations in CPR.

Instructor

*He's not breathing.*

Teacher to class

*It affects the home. It affects the community.*

Narrator

Information about drug use is offered. Boating safety is also taught.
One of the favorites is a tour of the Haz-Mat truck, part of the
island's emergency preparedness efforts.

Lois Sanders

*It's a matter of widening their vision. A child can not exceed his
thinking or her thinking. And so what we try to do is expose them to the
idea that 'whatever you want to be-whatever you want to do- if you work
hard enough you can achieve it.' And that's kind of our underlying
mantra for our summer academy.*

*Each summer, we try to do something different. Last year, we offered a
video production class which was very well received. This year, we
decided to offer steel pan.*

Steel pan band plays

Lois Sanders

*We offer things that they routinely would not get in school-because of
time, because of resources.* *I think there's a bright future for the
children here.*

*We are growing leaders. And the 4-H program does make a world of
difference.*

Announcer

CSREES supports St. Croix's Children, Youth and Families At Risk
program.  CYFAR funds allow children from public housing communities to
attend the Summer Academy where they build critical academic and
leadership skills.

Narrator

It is 8AM on a hot July day. These young people in Woodbury, New Jersey
start their morning with a major setback.

Luanne Hughes -- Rutgers University

*Over the weekend, a major storm blew through and destroyed the tent
that covers the tables at the farm stand. We had to completely
disassemble a broken tent and reassemble a new one. So that took a lot
of extra time. And this season has been especially hot. To their credit
they come back every day.*

Narrator

Luanne Hughes is referring to these local high school students. They are
part of a 4-H project funded in part by CSREES's Children, Youth and
Families At Risk program.

Linda Strieter -- Rutgers University

*Seeds To Success ...is a program that teaches special-needs, at-risk
children how to run their own business Special needs children are
children that have been classified for some type of disability. In some
situations, it's a learning disability. In other cases, they may have
physical problems or mental impairments.*

Narrator

That doesn't seem to slow down this group - even with the hot weather.
Today's forecast is predicting temperatures in excess of 100. And as
they hurry to get produce packaged, another farmer arrives with a
delivery.

Ed Cuneo -- New Jersey farmer

*Good Morning, gentlemen! How are you today?*

Kids

*Good.*

Ed Cuneo

*Think you're going to get a lot of business in this hot weather?*

Kids

*Sure*.

Ed Cuneo

*OK let's go.*

*The children are very helpful. They are very enthusiastic about what
they're doing. I know they're learning a lot. I think they've picked up
a sense of business acumen. And I also think they've picked up a sense
of where their food comes from. This Seeds (to) Success program is great
for us in that they don't take a volume of things.*

*And it's very timely considering we only deliver once a week there. So
this is a perfect fit for us. It's a boon for both the small farmers
such as ourselves, the children who are involved with the program. But
also importantly is the community because they are now getting an outlet
for fresh produce.*

Luanne Hughes

*Each of our three target communities who are Seeds To Success
communities, are limited resource communities. That means that 50% or
more of the residents are at or below poverty level. So were talking
about three communities who would be considered at risk, or low income
or limited resource.*

Narrator

The first customers of the day start arriving at the stand. In spite of
the heat and the tent replacement, the students open on time.

Luanne Hughes

*What Seeds does is actually create a new workforce. It's giving the
children on-the-job training to take back and work their communities.
They're learning not only job preparation skills and life skills, but
community service as well.*

Terron Knight - student

*It's just a way to learn a business. And your still learning as the
summer goes. Even though you're not in school, you're still learning.*

Javon Jackson - student

*It helps me learn how to run a business 'cause I would like to be a
clothes designer one day. And it teaches me how to manage money, run my
own business, deal with customers.*

Sparkles Jones - student

*It gives you good experience working here. Like make your own prices,
how to handle your money and work as a team.*

Luanne Hughes

*They are more comfortable looking you in the eye when they speak. They
are more confident. Our grant from CSREES was what really helped get our
project off the ground.* *Many of our children wouldn't have jobs if it
weren't for this project. So this gives kids the opportunity to really
get out and it gives them a chance to shine and to grow.*

Announcer

On the next edition of Partners, scientists venture into the underground
with probing, experimental radar-- giving California wine growers a
competitive edge.

Dan Bosch - viticulturist

*We're hoping that with the techniques like GPR that we can make some
jumps ahead...*

Announcer

From the frigid wilds of Alaska's Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest to
the

serious sediments of New Jersey's Meadowlands, we follow The Soil
Explorers on the next expedition of Partners Video Magazine.

Announcer

For more on *Our Children* or other episodes of Partners Video Magazine,
log on to this web site