Learning Opportunities

Dear National Extension Climate Initiative partners, Please join us for an engaging presentation and discussion at our next NECI monthly meeting on Thursday, October 7, at 12:30 PT/3:30 ET. This month, we'll be learning about the North Central Climate Collaborative (NC3) and how they have successfully launched a regional collaboration of Extension professionals to provide a foundation for lasting climate education. Two NC3 state representatives will be sharing: Hans Schmitz is the Posey...

Look for us at the Annual Impact Collaborative Project & Program Summit! Dates: October 5th, 6th, & 7th, 2021 The SEED Technical Assistance Team will be serving as expert Key Informants on strategies and tools for effective stakeholder engagement program and project planning, development, and implementation during the this year's Impact Collaborative Project & Program Summit. The Impact Collaborative Summit connects Extension teams including their community partners with skills,...

The opioid epidemic is a national issue impacting communities across the country. It was declared a public health emergency in October 2017. Communities have mobilized at the national, state, and local level to address the problem, and Cooperative Extension has partnered with them in their efforts. The drivers and impacts of the opioid crisis in communities are complex and require a multi-level response. We employed a stakeholder engagement methodology, the SEED Method , to create...

Mark your calendars for a free professional development opportunity/webinar focusing on climate change communication, helping us develop “narratives to engage your communities” by physicist Dr. Rob Davies , Thurs. Sept 2 3:30-5:00pm EST. The webinar is hosted through the National Extension Climate Initiative (NECI). You can learn more about Dr. Davies’ work via a past lecture at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufphd21wqwk WEBINAR TITLE “Tipping Points” WEBINAR DESCRIPTION In the words of...

Navigating the grocery store aisle is challenging for many consumers—especially those who want to buy the most nutritious food and stay within their budget. Food manufacturers and distributors cover their boxed, canned, and bottled foods with labels like “whole grain” and “low-calorie” to suggest that their food has certain health benefits. Among the most misunderstood food marketing labels are “non-GMO,” “natural,” and “organic." The UConn Extension New Technologies in Agricultural...

How can health messaging work within rural communities ? Save-the-Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 1-2pm central time (11 PST, 12 MT, 1 CT, 2 EST) (Webinar registration link will be announced at later date) Poverty in rural areas of the US is higher than in urban areas. Geographic isolation, lack of infrastructure, fewer available resources, and limited economic opportunity compound these challenges. Many extension and outreach professionals aim to strengthen supports for families, so they...

June 24th, 2021 3 PM - 5 PM Eastern NTAE acceleration projects are selected to align with the USDA Strategic Plan and are early stage (have goals, expected impacts, some project start up activities) and have high potential for impact. Selected projects will receive support from a catalyst team to advise and mentor projects and support from Key Informants who will work with the team to increase skills and capacities in leadership, partnership, marketing and communications, publishing and...

On Wednesday, May 19 th , over a dozen Cooperative Extension professionals across the nation gathered in a Connect Extension chat to discuss disaster response and mental wellness in our work. The main themes interrogated throughout the hour were: mental wellness, disasters*, disaster recovery, and community interaction within those sectors. In this discussion, we wanted to learn how branches of Extension approach mental wellness in their communities and if they find themselves in disaster...

Join in the MyPlate birthday fun by helping us celebrate throughout the month of June. For additional information and MyPlate birthday ideas go to: https://www.myplate.gov/birthday

The Extension Foundation has had the pleasure of hosting a number of outstanding individuals across Cooperative Extension for our Connect Extension podcast. The Connect Extension Podcast is available in most places podcasts are available. Here is a listing of some of our more recent episodes: Episode 16: Navigating the Grocey Store Aisle: Understanding Food Marketing Labels In this episode, we connect with Stacey Stearns from the University of Connecticut Extension on a project she is...

A couple of weeks ago, we had Stephenie Fu and Elizabeth Rahavi join us from the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion to discuss the new Dietary Guidlines for Americans for 2020-2015. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 to reflect the current body of nutrition science. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the nation’s source for nutrition guidance to promote health and...

Highlights from recent research on labor management and decision-making on small and mid-sized produce and livestock farms across the US.