In the new report Driving Systems Change Forward , authored by the Urban Institute and published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco , you’ll read key lessons from multi-site networks from across the country about what it takes to advance systems change forward by shifting power and promoting racial equity. Join us for a free virtual coffee chat on August 31 from 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET with one of the report authors— Corianne Scally —from the Urban Institute and contributing...

Deep-rooted structural racism, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic, have exacerbated inequities within our food system. Millions more people—mostly Black and Latino families—have gone hungry in the past year while high obesity rates put many at risk for severe COVID-19 complications. Grocery store clerks, meat packing plant staff, and farm workers making low wages have struggled financially while risking their health to feed our country. We need a more sustainable and resilient food...

Register HERE for the September 22, 2022 Project Info Session The EXCITE national program team is happy to announce the EXCITE program is continuing! The CDC, NIFA, and the Extension Foundation will support projects in our LGU Cooperative Extension communities to address adult immunization education. This opportunity is open to all Land Grant institutions regardless of previous EXCITE participation. As a reminder, EXCITE is a nationwide response by U.S. Cooperative Extension made possible...

In my role as a Well-Being and Equity Project Manager, I am working to co-create a process for youth and adults to promote equitable development in their community by partnering with Cooperative Extension. I’d like to take a moment to ponder some of the ways Cooperative Extension currently shows up in this movement for societal progress. It is time we deeply question the ways we promote and discourage equitable development in our work, for perpetuating the status quo hurts communities and...

A great thought-provoking article. We must all work together to transform in ways that ensure the future of Cooperative Extension.

I am relatively new to Extension and come at it from the Master Gardener Volunteer side. I will say that your article mirrors my experience with the organization very well. There are a lot of great people working hard to make a difference but the structure and culture of CES make that an uphill battle. I fear that if Extension doesn’t address these issues soon, their relevance is going to be diminished greatly. That would be a tragic waste of what could be a very good thing given some...

Sophia, thank you for sharing this. I agree, deep reflection and addressing some uncomfortable truths can lead us towards our aspiration to advance equity as a core system value.

Thank you so much for this article. I agree there is passion and dedication everyday within CCE. But the accepted culture and the inherent creation of silos prevents a lot of good things from happening. With many times, gaps being closely related to the lack of effective, inclusive communication leading to unwillingness to collaborate on projects, programming and mission.

We are sharing different ways in which EXCITE and other health and wellness projects can share their great efforts with both internal and external audiences! This will help foster best practices, create and build partnerships, and spread the work of Extension. We encourage teams to explore different platforms and audiences to share their projects and further the mission of Extension becoming a trusted partner in public health. Internal Extension-focused opportunities: Consider writing a post...

Wow! You really got to the heart of Cooperative Extension in this thought-provoking essay. Our traditions can enrich our experiences but can present barriers to participation for others who are not part of our traditional audiences. I hope that we as leaders in this organization can develop a habit of reflection and self-knowledge that will allow us to adapt to a changing society and remain relevant. I am confident that we will do so.

Excellent synopsis of our current situation and suggestions for moving forward - thank you! This is right in line with the conversations my teams are engaged in as we consider our approach to systems level change.

I would love to talk Sophia!!

Well said!

so true and so relevant we all struggle with these issues would love to continue this discussion but with some plan of action

Thank you for this. It definitely resonates with me, especially around silos and needing more two-way communication. Thought provoking read!

This article is a ray of sunshine in written form. I appreciate the author's ability to uplift and motivate. Watermelon Game

The Journal of Human Sciences and Extension is soliciting articles for a summer 2025 special issue: Aging in America. The aim of this special issue is to provide human scientists and Extension professionals with research, new or emerging initiatives, creative critical thinking, and innovative practices that will propel aging-related work within a next-generation Cooperative Extension System. Format-free manuscripts are welcome.

This is a very good article and does an excellent job of highlighting the efforts of Cooperative Extension Service over the years! It also does a good job of talking about the disparity's within the organization as a whole. Hopefully, we all will eventually rise to the challenge of making some changes to make it more sustainable over time.