The adulting camp being hosted at the UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County office is nothing short of memorable and constructive for the students who attend. Each year, the 4-H and Family Consumer Sciences Agents at the Brevard County Extension Office facilitate this camp to help prepare teens for their future. It is a week-long program full of fun, hands-on activities that help participants apply real-world situations that will guide them in their future endeavors. This camp is open to any 9^th-12^th grade students in Brevard County and is a unique, beneficial opportunity to get a head start on things such as college and career readiness, cooking and home mechanics, and budgeting and financial management. It also allows for a chance to strengthen relationship skills and self-care practices.

The young adults who attended this year’s Adulting Camp partook in a variety of projects relating to these topics. For example, to learn about meal planning and prepping, they took a field trip to the supermarket where they were given a budget on the lunch they were soon to be preparing. After making their way back, they were able to learn kitchen safety and cooking skills before enjoying their lunch. Another day, the teens were able to better understand their own personalities by taking a quiz to test what type of person they are based on a set of certain scales and compare their answers. On the college and career readiness day, college students and military representatives volunteered their time to serve as a panel and answer any questions the students had about options after high school. All these activities and lessons came together to teach students valuable practices to apply to their education, careers, and lifestyles. 100% of this year’s participants reported that they felt more prepared for life after high school as a result of attending the camp. They even got sent home with an ‘adulting kit’ containing cooking supplies and cookbooks, a tool kit, a sewing kit, a car maintenance kit, and more! Each year, this camp gives high schoolers in the area a chance to learn all kinds of life skills and not only get advice from knowledgeable teachers but interact with peers who are in the same position as them.

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