NMSU Extension presents youth webinar on skills for success beginning Oct. 1

Academic success is important whether continuing to higher education or pursuing a career after high school.

Developing effective skills is key for student success, especially when transitioning into the higher demands and workloads experienced in high school and post-secondary education.

New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service 4-H and Youth Development program will host a five-week webinar series, “Take it to the Next Level: Skills for Student Success,” for youth ages 12 to 18 to help them build and advance skills for student success in school, work and their personal lives.

The 30-minute sessions will be at 7 p.m. every Thursday in October, beginning Oct. 1. To register for the webinar, visit http://rsvp.nmsu.edu/rsvp/nextlevel.

“This webinar series is presented by the Aggie Next Step: Post-Secondary Success program,” said Newt McCarty, NMSU Extension 4-H and youth development agent. “This is the first outreach of the Aggie Next Step program that will be introduced in January and piloted in some eighth-grade classrooms throughout the state.”

The October webinar will include sessions on personal responsibility, study skills, goal setting, organizational and time management skills, and positivity.

“Being academically successful is challenging for many students, even in traditional school settings. Our current learning environment has increased those challenges significantly,” McCarty said. “The skills presented in this series, if practiced, will help students become more successful in their academic career.”

“This series is exciting in that it provides opportunity for youth across the state to experience and benefit from 4-H, even if they are not yet enrolled in the 4-H program,” said Laura Bittner, NMSU Extension 4-H and Youth Development interim department head.

“It aligns with the 4-H program’s goals of providing opportunities for young people to develop leadership skills, positive self-esteem, effective communication skills, a solid sense of personal responsibility and the ability to make sound decisions,” she said. “The life skills learned in 4-H enable youth to become productive, well-informed, self-reliant responsible adults.”

Aggie Next Step: Post-Secondary Success program is being developed and implemented through NMSU’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences’ 4-H and Youth Development Program.

“Aggie Next Step will guide eighth- to twelfth-grade youth in developing and enhancing key life skills in three major focus areas: academics, career and personal,” said McCarty. “The sooner youth develop and advance the skills necessary for academic and career success, the better.”

For information on the Next Level Series or Aggie Next Step program, contact Newt McCarty, jnewton3@nmsu.edu.