Tagged With "You are enough!"
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Evaluating a System-wide Project: An interview with the EXCITE evaluation team!
We are excited to have Isabel Osborne and Laura Downey to discuss their involvement in the evaluation and reporting process for the system-wide Extension Collaboration on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE) Project. Isabel and Laura have been integral in developing a comprehensive and dynamic system for evaluating the EXCITE project's progress and success. Q: Isabelle and Laura, could you please tell us about yourselves and the roles you play in the evaluation team? Laura: Great.
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Let’s talk about nutrition security
By Noelle Harden I recently talked with my mom and grandparents about hunger and food insecurity in the military. My grandpa served in the air force, then worked for the Veterans Administration. My mom spent her childhood moving across the country from base to base. They shared their struggles to be able to afford healthy and affordable food. Food Insecurity in the Military The RAND Corporation released a report last month on food security in the military. They found that 15.4% of active...
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"No" isn't negative
"No! Don't touch the hot stove." "No! Don't text and drive." In these examples, "no" is actually positive to alert us from burning ourselves and not driving while distracted. In other situations, primarily in our professional lives, we perceive saying "no" will be viewed as negative. This leads to saying "yes" to much more than we can accomplish and the mistaken idea that if we're busy it means we're valued more. Does always being busy with more equal accomplishing more? Here's a scenario...
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Healthy Eating Resources for Families Facing Food Insecurity
As any parent can tell you, it can be tough to get your kids to eat healthy foods. Proper nutrition is an important part of raising happy and healthy families. But what happens when proper nutrition is difficult to obtain? Not having enough food to eat is a growing problem for many families, so it can be hard to eat healthily when food is limited. Whether a family is facing a lack of access to healthy foods or affordability issues, this challenge of food insecurity puts families through...
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Mental Health First Aid Summit- #BeThe1in15 during Mental Health Awareness month this May
Have you taken a first aid class or been trained in CPR? What about Mental Health Frist Aid? Mental Health First Aid is a course that teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. We were fortunate enough to attend the Mental Health First Aid Summit in LA on May 1 st . We spent the day learning from our peers about the importance of mental health and how we can bring the MHFA program to every corner of the country and the world.
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Memorial Day: A Special Tribute
Decoration Day or Memorial Day as we now call it, is set aside to honor those who have died in our nation's wars. It wasn't an official federal holiday until 1968. Flags will fly at half-mast on this day. "If there is ever a day of commemoration, a day, when, as one, America pauses, thinks, thanks and prays, it is Memorial Day. We honor our war dead." -John L. Borling, Major General, U.S. Air Force (retired) Remember what this day is all about. In this tribute, 1963 Air Force Academy...
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Celebrating Active Aging
By ADM Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health In May we celebrate two National Health Observances, Older Americans Month and National Physical Fitness and Sports Month , both of which offer opportunities to explore the benefits of regular physical activity and their importance to healthy aging. Older adults – individuals aged 65 years and older – can reap big rewards from sitting less and moving more. As we age, the activities we do in everyday life can become more challenging. Being...
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Three Ways Service Providers Can Expand Food Security in Their Communities
In 2021, 33.8 million people living in the United States were food insecure (Weeks et al, 2023). Food security is defined by the USDA as, “Access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members” (OPA). Frequent relocations, barriers to spousal employment, and the Basic Allowance for Housing being factored into SNAP eligibility compounds the issue of food security for military families. As a result, one in four service members currently experience food...
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Finding Hope and Confidence by Practicing Connection
Professionals, like you, can make a difference through connection and collaboration. The Practicing Connection initiative is a place for ideas, inspiration, and information on building skills and creating connections that will help support the well-being of military and civilian families. It’s an exploration of the practices that empower us to work together to help each other, our families, and our communities improve our resilience and readiness. So, why should you join Practicing...
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Feel the surge? Resist the urge!
A few years ago an assignment came my way due to a lack of personnel with the right experience. It featured a lot of diverse tasks to prepare a team for a challenging assignment involving advanced training, remote communication, outside agency networking/coordination & team building. After months of painstakingly detailed work, my bosses felt I had not asked the right questions, sweat the small stuff enough and let too many “balls drop”. In a one-way conversation, they fired me. This hit...
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The #1 clue of dysfunction
In some leadership sessions recently we asked the participants what they were experiencing that might be holding back their teams. Without much hesitation, they said there was something keeping them stuck. Keeping them from collaborating the way they hoped. It's probably not what you expect. They said it was not asking for help . Seriously? Yes! This one thing reveals a number of things that work against effective collaboration. Here are two... Fear exists Poor psychological safety Fear is...
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Leadership is...
So often when we think about "leadership" it becomes such a big concept we can't imagine how it might apply to us. It is easier to think that it applies only to people with bigger positions, titles, and more responsibility than we have. As a coach of mine once said: "That's stinkin' thinkin'." When we think leadership is just for those "other people" we've unconsciously decided it's not for us. That we don't have to do it. We've told ourselves what we do every day doesn't really matter. In...
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Holiday Shopping with a Financial Mind$et
As we approach the Christmas season, be mindful of excessive holiday spending. While Christmas is the season of giving, excessive spending can lead to much regret, depression, and even added financial struggles in the new year. According to Berden and Haws (2012), spending can quickly get out of hand when it is driven by emotions rather than a plan. Have you ever gone to the store to grab a few items, but as you stroll next to the; buy one get one free, the rollbacks, the manager's special,...
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"Hot" for Change!
Imagine you're making popcorn on the stove. You heat the oil and put in the kernels. Too little heat and the kernels don't pop. Too much heat and the popcorn isn't edible because it's burned. Just the right amount of heat makes a yummy treat! Heat is the catalyst for change. It's the same for our teams and organizations. You're in the regular weekly update meeting and the boss checks in on how everyone is doing with the newly installed system-wide software. One team member speaks up and says...
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Recording and Resources: Catch Up on the NAPPC Webinar - Drilling Down on EPA Regulations: What Is the Latest Buzz on Pesticides and Bees?
Explore EPA Regulations on Pesticides and Bees in this webinar. Follow a pesticide's journey from risk assessment to the marketplace, led by host Andony Melathopoulos. Gain insights into the EPA's historical and current approaches, understanding their role in safeguarding pollinators. Since 2010, the EPA has focused on assessing pesticide risks to bees. The key question: Is the EPA effectively protecting bees? This webinar delves into this topic, exploring its impact on our environment and...
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EXCITE Adult Vaccination Project
The Virginia Cooperative Extension EXCITE Team and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) conducted a symposium on November 3rd, 2023 to discuss the EXCITE project funded through CDC and ways that Virginia Cooperative Extension Agents could get involved in vaccine education! This session introduced our vaccine ambassadors and their roles in their respective localities, provided background on adult vaccinations and the current vaccination schedule, and discussed approaches to communicating...
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Extension Professionals Unite at Historic Climate Action Convening
As an atmospheric river intensified by climate change bore down on the West Coast, more than 40 Extension professionals from across the U.S. and outlying territories gathered in Tucson, Arizona for Cooperative Extension’s first national Climate Action Convening. A central question guiding the gathering was: “How can we mobilize the U.S. Cooperative Extension system to quickly and effectively contribute to climate change solutions? Hosted by the Extension Committee on Organization and...
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Insights from Nate Birt on our new Fundraising, Grants, and Partnerships Professional Development Series!
Meet Nate Birt , the founder of Silver Maple Strategies , a distinguished communications and fundraising consultancy dedicated to empowering nonprofit leaders in driving impactful climate-change solutions. Nate's expertise has been recognized through his latest book, " 7 Secrets of Highly Effective Social Impact Communicators ," which rose to become a No. 1 new release in business ethics on Amazon. Formerly the vice president of Farm Journal 's pioneering climate-change division, Trust In...
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2024 National Urban Extension Conference Presentation Update
Individual Presentations Individual oral presentations on topics related to the conference theme or other topical areas of interest will be 15 minutes in duration. Each room will have a moderator to maintain time restrictions which will allow all presenters to use allotted time and enable attendees to attend multiple sessions. Presentations should be succinct, with well-developed concepts, applications, and results. Presentations will be grouped by topic for 60 minutes sessions. Panel...