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FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES

OUTREACH
The Cooperative Extension Program at Prairie View A&M University is the primary educational outreach arm of the university that disseminates research-based knowledge to benefit primarily limited resource audiences in rural and urban Texas. It is a part of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences at Prairie View A&M. Since 1972, the program has provided educational assistance to youth, small farm producers, families and communities.

The Cooperative Extension Program serves the state of Texas while maintaining a day-to-day presence in 34 counties. The program utilizes county based Extension agents and para-professionals, with back up support provided by specialists at the Prairie View headquarters.

HISTORY
Established in 1914, Cooperative Extension was designed as a partnership of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the land-grant universities, setting up a rural outreach program modeled on the pioneering work of men such as Booker T. Washington and Seaman A. Knapp. Land-grant institutions were created by the Morrell Acts of 1862 and 1890. The Second Morill Act, passed in 1890, designated 16 traditionally black institutions in the Southern states as land-grant institutions. The addition of Tuskegee University brought the total to 17.

In 1915, the Texas state legislature assigned state Extension functions to Prairie View A&M College and Texas A&M College. With the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 all Extension work conducted through the historically black land-grant institutions was terminated. Within a few years, the 1890 institutions petitioned USDA to seek ways to restore the professional expertise to their campuses. Starting in 1972, funds were appropriated and made available to the 1890 institutions for Extension purposes.


EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

4-H & Youth Development
Cooperative Extension's 4-H & Youth Development Program is committed to working with youth to assist them in becoming productive citizens and leaders in their communities and to alleviate risk factors facing them.

County 4-H programs are the mainstay of this effort. Youth participate in 4-H clubs, project groups and 4-H school enrichment. Young people are involved in community services, livestock projects, leadership and receive information on adolescent health, life skills, public speaking and consumerism.

Annual 4-H activities such as the Career Awareness and Youth Leadership Laboratory (CAYLL) held on Prairie View A&M's campus and the summer camping program at the H.S. Estelle 4-H & Youth Camp help young people to develop self-confidence, choose relevant careers in agriculture and related fields, and display leadership skills. The 4-H and Youth Program is involving young people in community activities and producing leaders of tomorrow.


Agriculture and Natural Resources
The primary goal of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program is to assist limited resource producers and others to become self sustaining and profitable. Horticulture and home gardening, livestock, field crops, forages, fisheries and wildlife, forestry, and water quality are a few examples of the Program's educational efforts.

Work is also being done in the areas of sustainable agriculture and rural revitalization. The Outreach and Assistance grants for the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Project is also a part of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program. This project assists eligible farmers and ranchers who are interested to 1) obtain farms or acquire operating loans; 2) enhance management and marketing skills; 3) develop financial documentation of the farm business; and 4) develop a long range base of sustainability.

Family and Consumer Sciences
The Family and Consumer Sciences Program directs its educational programming efforts towards families with limited resources to enhance their social and economic well being.

Working within the framework of the federal guidelines for 1890 institutions, the mission of the Family and Consumer Sciences Program is to disseminate a variety of educational programs designed to address the needs of the target audience and other population.

The Family and Consumer Sciences objectives include:
* Strengthening parent/child relationships and family stability
* Reducing adolescent problems, such as teen pregnancy and drug abuse
* Improving nutrition, health knowledge and practices
* Improving consumer conpetence and resource management skills

For more information, please contact:

Grace Guerra-Gonzalez
Extension Agent (CEP) FCS
3355 Cherry Ridge Drive, Suite 212
San Antonio, TX 78230
Phone: 210/467-6575 Fax 210/930-1753
E-Mail: g-guerra@tamu.edu

The Cooperative Extension Program serves people of all ages regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion,
disability, political beliefs, socioeconomic level and marital or familial status.