Delaware Salutes military families for their bravery.
For information on Operation: Military Kids in Delaware, please contact:
University of Delaware Cooperative Extension is participating in a nation-wide program called Operation Military Kids (OMK). This initiative is designed to work throughout the state of Delaware with partners to provide sustainable support services to youth in military families before, during, and after family members are deployed.
The Delaware program is supported by a growing network of the partnerships and efforts involving the Delaware Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Programs, Army and Air National Guard, Dover Air Force Base, all Reserve units throughout the state, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, the Delaware Department of Education, Child, Inc., as well as, numerous community civic groups and community volunteers.
The Delaware OMK partners are proud to provide support to Delaware citizens and communities addressing the issues facing military families. We strive to support youth, families and communities through a variety of actions.
The Deleware OMK Program:
- Creates community support networks for military youth.
- Delivers recreational, social and educational programs for military youth.
- Supports military kids coping with the stress of knowing their deployed parents may be in harm’s way.
- Collaborates with schools to ensure that staff members are aware to the unique needs of military students.
- Educates the public on the impact of the deployment cycle on military members and their families.
- Provides opportunities for youth to become a part of the ongoing 4-H Program.
Working together we have a strong influence on military families throughout the Delaware.
SPEAK OUT FOR MILITARY KIDS (SOMK)
SOMK is a community service opportunity for the OMK Delaware Teams to train military and non-military youth to establish Speakers Bureaus to advocate for military-connected youth affected by deployment.
The expected Outcomes for SOMK are:
- Raise community awareness of issues faced by geographically dispersed military children and youth;
- Foster community support for the sacrifices that military Families make;
- Youth acquire knowledge and skills in developing creative and informative presentations using a variety of different media;
- Youth gain leadership, research, organization, & public speaking skills.
HERO PACKS
Hero Packs are OMK knapsacks filled with a variety of items from the Delaware OMK Partner Agencies, which are given to military youth as a “Thank You” for the sacrifices that they make while their parents are deployed. Delaware OMK has presentedHero Packs to over 600 Military Youth throughout the state.
READY, SET, GO! (RSG!)
Hosted throughout Delaware, RSG training is comprised of a comprehensive training toolkit designed to educate youth workers, educators, counselors and other community service agencies on military culture, the deployment cycle, fostering resilience in kids, influence of the media, and building community capacity. The intent of RSG! training is to increase ordinary citizens’ understanding of the unique issues facing military youth and assist them in creating State and Local OMK support networks. School personnel, youth-serving agency staff and civic groups may find RSG! training especially beneficial.
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