Tagged With "Active Listening"
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The SEED Method - Engaging Martinsville Podcast Interview
Communities throughout the nation have been greatly affected by the opioid epidemic, and it was deemed a public health emergency nationwide in October 2017. Since many factors contribute to this crisis, addressing it requires solutions involving every level. Cooperative Extension has collaborated at the local, state, and federal levels to help communities address this critical issue. The opioid epidemic has heavily impacted Southwest Virginia. The town of Martinsville has one of the nation's...
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EXCITE(ing) Strengths!
Since launching in 2021, the EXCITE program has reached more than 12 Million individuals with immunization education in 1,017 counties across 48 states and territories through the hard work of Extension Professionals from 72 land grant universities and 410 community and healthcare partners. It all began with support for the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) "Vaccinate with Confidence" campaign in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. WHY EXTENSION? Cooperative Extension has an over 100-year...
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Uplifting the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Youth
An estimated 5% of the 1.76 million youth in military families identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer. Surveyed LGBTQ youth with a parent currently serving in the military that experienced high levels of family support reported lower mental health challenges and suicide risk ( Trevor Project, 2022 ). When youth feel safe at home, their mental wellness is significantly improved. Fostering healthy family relationships translates into protective factors for younger and older...
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Leadership ABC's
A = Attitude One of 2 things within your control; attitude and effort! Attitude is everything, pick a good one. B = Brave When you believe strongly in something or perhaps it scares you a bit, let your courage shine through. Be brave enough to go first and model the way. C = Character This is your behavior when nobody is watching. You won't always have the training and education for the situations you find yourself in. Your strong character will get you through. D = Dependable You do what...
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HHS Now Accepting Public Comments on the Physical Activity Guidelines Midcourse Report on Older Adults
Posted on February 23, 2023 by ODPHP HHS is seeking written comments from the public on the draft Physical Activity Guidelines Midcourse Report on Older Adults (Midcourse Report) . You can review and comment on the Midcourse Report during the public comment period through 11:59 p.m. ET on March 10, 2023. Learn More About the Midcourse Report The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans provides science-based recommendations on how physical activity can help promote health and reduce the...
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Have you ever...
Have you ever tried to change something about someone else? Of course, you have. We ALL have! The point is we can't motivate anyone else. Like us, they show up for what they believe in. And like us, they always find time for what's important to them. We can engage , inspire , and support . In short, we can show up for them in an authentic way because we care about them. We don't have to be better or smarter, we just have to courageously care about them. Connect first with your intention. If...
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Join Us for a Webinar on the Impact of the Move Your Way Campaign!
Move Your Way® is the promotional campaign for the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans . It aims to help people of all ages and abilities find safe, fun ways to get active. On April 26 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET , we’re hosting a webinar titled How Move Your Way Impacted Physical Activity Outcomes in Communities Across the United States . In the webinar, we’ll share how ODPHP worked with pilot organizations in communities across the country to implement the campaign,...
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New Video: Get to Know the Move Your Way Campaign!
Posted May 25, 2023 by ODPHP In 2018, ODPHP created the Move Your Way® campaign to promote the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans . Now we’ve created the Get to Know the Move Your Way Campaign video to provide helpful information about Move Your Way and how community organizations can use it. The new video outlines the guiding principles of the campaign, shares the Move Your Way resources available to organizations, and includes testimonials from 3 community...
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Get to know the Move Your Way campaign!
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) created the Move Your Way® campaign to promote the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans . Now ODPHP has created the Get to Know the Move Your Way Campaign video to provide helpful information about Move Your Way and how community organizations can use it. The new video outlines the guiding principles of the campaign, shares the Move Your Way...
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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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2 Questions...
How do you know it's time to do leadership development? The short answer is it's always time. Developing our leadership is a journey, not a destination. Improving our self-awareness and becoming truly effective takes consistent focus. Here are some clues to watch for on your journey to help stay focused: If you're feeling like some honest and respectful feedback it might be time for leadership development! Feedback is the breakfast of champions. Getting meaningful information from trusted...
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Social Determinants of Health for Military Families in Transition
By: Jenny Rea, Ph.D. , Edited by Anna Peterson Arizona is home to 500,000+ service members, veterans, and their families. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Arizona Coalition for Military Families’ 13th Annual Statewide Symposium in Phoenix, Arizona. This annual event is Arizona’s only conference that brings together the military, government, and community. The symposium focuses on strengthening services and support for Arizona’s military-connected population. As Extension...
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Ten Personal Finance Capstone Review Activities
Every extension educator has been there. You’ve just taught some personal finance content (e.g., investment basics or wise credit use) and you want to make sure that it “stuck.” You are looking for a fun, interactive activity to reinforce what you just covered. Below is a summary of ten interactive activities to review previously taught personal finance content: Educational Games - Tools that are popular with teachers in a K-12 setting can also work well as capstone reviews with adults. For...
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Increasing Physical Activity Among Older Adults Webinar with HHS/ODPHP
Increasing Physical Activity Among Older Adults August 16th, 2023 2 - 3 PM ET Register Here This webinar will introduce the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Implementation Strategies for Older Adults and summarize key strategies to increase physical activity among older adults. Additionally, this webinar will highlight Move Your Way® resources that Extension professionals can use to promote physical activity in their work. Register at the link above to receive a...
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Harvests from the Equitable Development Field Leaders Dialogue Series
The Equitable Development Leadership Academy has danced across several iterations seeking to encourage youth leadership, community capacity building, and the well-being of all life. With the boundless support and ingenuity of Solvable , this work has come to life for me, and I am truly thrilled about the unique resources and experiences we are creating. To inspire our work, we drew upon the wisdom of equity leaders hailing from all corners of the United States. We embarked on a spellbinding...
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Increasing Physical Activity in Older Adults: Implementation Strategies for Older Adults Webinar Recap
The Extension Foundation recently hosted an webinar with the HHS to discuss and summarize key strategies to increase physical activity among older adults! Leading this webinar were Bianca Macias and Malorie Polster, representatives from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion to relay the results of the Midcourse report. The focus of the webinar was a review of the "Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Implementation Strategies for Older Adults," along...
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How to be a leadership "boss"
My first real job where there was a paycheck was at 13 years old at a local pizza joint. It was "the" pizza joint in town run by a graduate of the college where my parents both taught. This meant it was okay to work there as they trusted him. Most of the kids in Branson, MO worked over the summer because it was (and still is) a huge tourist destination. Despite being busy with camps and sports we found a few hours to earn a little money each summer. If you could do it someplace that taught...
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National Juntos Consortium (NJC) Update: October 3rd, 2023
Registration Link: https://pages.extension.org/njc Dear Colleagues, We invite you to join us on October 3, 2023 from 2:00pm-3:15 EST for the National Juntos Consortium (NJC) update. You can learn more about the new direction Juntos is taking to support its growing community. During this call, you can expect the following items to be discussed NJC initiation timeline Breakdown of the NJC membership package YEA Juntos Award Juntos is one of five projects awarded the NIFA’s Youth Innovators...
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Job Opening: Assistant Professor Position Extension Specialist – Physical Activity and Mental Health at Utah State University
Position Summary The Department of Kinesiology and Health Science at Utah State University (USU) seeks an Assistant Professor to serve as an Extension Specialist. The position will be housed on the USU Logan Campus and includes statewide responsibilities. This 12-month, tenure-track, full-time benefited position begins July 1, 2024. We seek applicants with research and teaching expertise in physical activity and mental health . Scientists with an academic background in kinesiology, public...
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Treat each other with L.O.V.E.
A team we worked with was doing well except for a couple of team members who didn't get along very well. At the end of their time with us, we asked how their relationship was going. Particularly we asked if they could trust the other person. One of them replied "yes". Initially, we were excited about their progress! They continued to say they could trust them to be a jerk. What?! After some follow-up questions, we learned the behaviors they exhibited to this team member supported predictive...
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How do you want to be remembered?
During a recent workshop we did a connection exercise where participants chose a question to discuss with others at their tables. When visiting the tables one of the folks was sharing their take on how they wanted to be remembered. It was very moving and inspirational. They asked me if I'd answer the same question. Here's the story I shared with them... When we were stationed in Japan my father's health was declining. Just a few years earlier he had recovered from an impossible amount of...
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Mental Resilience
Thought you might enjoy a Yogi Berra quote to start... "Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical." Too funny and makes a great point. Life is a constant mental challenge. And we know, heaven or hell, it's between our ears. As you ponder what it will take for you to become more mentally resilient, here are some things to consider. "I don't count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they're the only ones that count." -Muhammad Ali When the going gets...
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"Cheesy" Advice
On some recent trips, my wife was administering health screenings at two of the factories in the largest cheese-manufacturing company in the world, Leprino Foods has 5,500 employees in 19 locations around the globe. You've probably eaten their product without even knowing. Hang on to your organizational health hats! One of the leaders in this area, Patrick Lencioni, would be proud! Back to my wife's experience... Her time at their factories was very similar despite the locations being far...
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New Year Resolutions?
Every year is an adventure we take one step at a time over 365 days. The adventure is up to us, we get to choose. Each January, these choices lead us to resolutions. The thought of these resolutions leads me to recommit to my version of Merlin Olsen's mission statement. Without boring you with mine, here's what he says… “The focus of my life begins at home with family, loved ones & friends. I want to use my resources to create a secure environment that fosters love, learning, laughter...
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Re: Moving the Needle on Racial Equity in Extension, Part 2 of 3
This is not an easy tightrope to walk -- being uncomfortable and even offended can lead to shutting down and distancing from DEIB matters and conversations, but it can also lead to questioning, learning, and growth. Some of us, particularly people who are like myself (white, cis-gender, middle-class) are less familiar with discomfort and may be more resistant -- we're accustomed to having our way be the "normal." I think there are benefits to affinity groups as a more familiar space to take...
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Intensity & Consistency
The NIKE company is over 50 years old. What? How did that happen? No matter what your preference is on athletic apparel, you have to admit they've been a leader in this arena. They have been very consistent in offering high-quality products people need to get out there and "just do it". They have also had their moments of intensity. The decision to create a whole product line around a single athlete, Michael Jordan. The "Bo Knows" campaign with multi-sport athlete Bo Jackson only to have him...
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What makes a successful Executive team?
Being chosen for a role with the primary responsibility of caring for others is a privilege. It's an honor to be selected for these positions. The real challenge is to be worthy of that honor every day. Too much? You're right to think that. It's a lot. Notice though, you're part of an executive "team". Everything that needs to be done can only be done with a team. An executive team is expected to model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the status quo, enable others to act, 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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Join the new Physical Activity Interest Group for Extension Professionals!
Last year, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) collaborated with Connect Extension on a webinar, Increasing Physical Activity Among Older Adults . To continue the conversation and connect with more Extension professionals, we created a Physical Activity Interest Group on Connect Extension. This group is for Extension professionals, community partners, and other affiliated professionals whose work involves...
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How Innovative Leadership Keeps Cooperative Extension Strong: An Interview with Karl Bradley
Introduction In a rapidly changing world, innovative leadership is critical for Cooperative Extension's success. Leadership development equips Extension professionals with the skills to navigate complex issues, build collaborative teams, consistently adapt, and create programs to meet emerging needs. This ensures Cooperative Extension remains a relevant and impactful force. The Extension Foundation actively supports this goal through the expertise of Karl Bradley, its Leadership and Team...
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Unearthing Financial Trauma
Transitioning into 2024 marked a new year. Many of us saw the new year as an opportunity to start fresh, but financial hardships and losses can have a lasting impact on our mental health. This type of impact leads to unforeseen trauma. Often, we make resolutions to hit the ground running in the new year, but old habits die hard, mainly when these habits are deeply rooted in our psyche. Let us be realistic: We all plan to go to the gym on January first; we even go shopping over the holiday...
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Top 5!
Peter Drucker says regardless of our inherent personality traits, gifts, or talents; we can all become effective leaders. After all, it's this journey that's essential for the success of our communities, organizations, and teams Here's a "handful" of reminders! 1. Leadership is Relational Early in my coaching career, an experienced colleague on our staff told me not to get too close to the players. What became apparent quickly was that this wasn't my style. If you aren't willing to give all...