Released: January 04, 2006

TV Series Focuses on Teens’ Issues, Importance of Community Response

MANHATTAN, Kan. – A television series – “Country Boys” – will air Jan. 9-11, 2006 on four Kansas public television stations.

The mini-series is based in Eastern Kentucky, yet would seem to offer some lessons for Kansans, said Elaine Johannes, Kansas State University Research and Extension youth development specialist.

“Country Boys” focuses on two young men and the challenges they face during adolescence, with one boy growing up in a household with an alcoholic father and assuming parenting responsibilities for his siblings and the other orphaned and taken in by a former step- grandmother.

“Issues such as poverty and substance abuse are universal,” Johannes said. “There’s a perception that Kansas’ population is aging, but in reality, the ‘2005 Kansas KIDS COUNT Databook’ reports that 25.5 percent of the state’s population is under the age of 18. And, according to the 2000 U. S. Census, 11.9 percent of Kansas’ children under the age of 18 live at or below the poverty level, which for a family of four is $17,603 (also based on the 2000 Census).”

The PBS series details the two boys’ challenges and responses to circumstances of their everyday lives, she said. It also offers insight into how each responds positively when a member of the community reaches out to them.

“The series makes a strong case for community partnerships and alliances, the need to reach out to children and teens, and mentoring – setting a good example and nurturing the positives in others,” Johannes said. “While one person can make a difference, a community working together can stretch its resources and increase its effectiveness.”

It’s sponsored by 4-H, including the Kansas Association of Extension 4-H Agents (KAE4-HA), as well as the National Mentoring Partnership, National League of Cities, American Association of Community Colleges, and Health Ministries Association.

The mini-series is recommended for educators and adults either working or volunteering in youth development and with youth organizations, such as 4-H; Boys and Girls’ Clubs; Scouts; and school, community and faith-based groups. It’s also recommended for local government, law enforcement and judicial representatives and others with an interest in community economic development.

“Our children are our future,” said Rod Buchele, K-State Research and Extension 4-H youth specialist based in southwest Kansas (Garden City) and president of the KAE4-HA.

Urban and rural communities have varying resources, so building awareness is key, Buchele said. Supporting discussion and a willingness to work together to create a healthy community for children and teens can build community now -- and in the future.

For broadcast information, check local listings for KCPT, Channel 19 in Kansas City; KTWU, Channel 11 in Topeka; KPTS, Channel 8 in Wichita; and SHPTV, Channel 9 in Bunker Hill.

For more information on the upcoming PBS series or creating a discussion group locally, Kansans can contact Johannes at 785-532-5773 or Buchele at 620-275-9164. They can contact a local or district Extension office and/or visit a Web site that details the series: http://www.itvs.org/outreach/countryboys.

More information on youth development and managing family relationships successfully also is available on K-State Research and Extension’s Web site: www.oznet.ksu.edu.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Nancy Peterson
nancyp@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News