March 9, 2007
Topics in today's issue of Extension Update:
ALL EXTENSION CONFERENCE
Thanks to the planning committee and the co-chairs Pat BoyEs and Blair Wolfley for the fantastic All Extension Conference. For anyone who attended this event, continue to watch the web site http://ext.wsu.edu/aec/INDEX.html for posting of Hall of Champions, PowerPoint presentations, etc. Remember also to complete the online evaluation.
For those who missed the event, here are the awards presented on Wednesday at the banquet:
Big Cat Awards:
- Climate Friendly Farming
- Food $ense
Climate change is perhaps the most challenging collective action problem the world has faced. We are proud to recognize as the first of two Big Cat Awards for 2007 the Climate Friendly Farming Project, lead by the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR). The goal of the Climate Friendly Farming project is to develop and implement agricultural systems and practices that mitigate global climate change. The 30-member team (12 WSU faculty and additional ARS research scientists, graduate students and staff) has chosen to study three agricultural systems of state and global significance – dairy, dryland grain, and irrigated specialty crops. This Project is funded by Paul G. Allen Family Foundation (PGAFF) for $3.75 million over 5 years; started November 2003.
Starting with two employees in two pilot projects in 1990, Food $ense has grown into an organization employing over 160 people from 25 counties and four tribal nations. In 2007 the program will reach more than 100,000 individuals in Washington State. About 45% of the participants are youth and children who will learn to choose healthful snacks, teach their families shopping skills, and influence nutritious food choices. Approximately 55% of all participants are people of color or Hispanic heritage. Food $ense collaborates with Washington’s diverse immigrant population to present information in multiple languages. One school district currently served by Food $ense has 55 languages other than English.
Funding for WSU Extension’s Food $ense includes:
- USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), through its Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP); and
- USDA Food and Nutrition Service Food Stamp Program, in which federal dollars are leveraged through the contribution of time and resources of over 600 state and local partners. A collaborator is the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. Cooperating agencies include schools, food banks, county and city governments, and participating members of four region’s Tribal Nations.
Partner Award:
We are pleased to announce that the Partner Award was presented to the Western Washington Fair. Present to accept the award were Kent Hojem, Puyallup Fair and Events Center Manager, David Schobee, Vice President for the Western WA Fair Board, and Jill Schwartz, member of the 4-H Fair Board. A partner for 105 years, the Western Washington Fair, the sixth largest in the nation, is the host and long-time contributor to the Washington State 4-H Fair. As the host of the 4-H State Fair, the Western Washington Fair has ensured that five generations of 4-H members have had the opportunity to display their very best achievements to over 1.3 million fair-goers annually. The Washington State 4-H Fair is truly the showcase for the personal achievements of individual youth and also for the breadth and depth of the opportunities available to young people through 4-H.
Congratulations to all the award recipients!
4-H HEALTH ROCKS RFP
Land-Grant Universities are invited to submit a proposal in response to an Request for Proposals (RFP) supporting state-level implementation of National 4-H Council’s Heath Rocks!® healthy life curricula. Funding is available to states with the interest and capacity to implement the current Health Rocks! curriculum targeted at youth ages 8-12. Proposals must be received no later than April 27, 2007. Competitive grants of $35,000 each will be awarded to five state 4-H programs. Grantees are expected to identify and train youth/adult leadership teams which will implement the curriculum locally, reaching a total of 5,000 youth providing a minimum of ten contact hours each (excluding introduction and celebration).
Health Rocks! is a prevention and decision-making program. Curricula is taught by teen/adult leadership teams that help youth learn key health messages and skills such as critical thinking, how to manage stress, how to handle peer pressure, and how to communicate effectively. Special emphasis is placed on tobacco use prevention. Developing life skills, such as communicating with others, managing change, and dealing with stress, helps youth develop internal strength to resist risky behaviors. The Health Rocks! healthy life curricula series will allow participants to experience activities that help them learn and adopt many important skills.
Since its inception, the Health Rocks! healthy life program has been implemented in partnership with Mississippi State University Extension (MSU), which serves as the virtual training facility - providing training to youth/adult implementation teams, incentive support, personal and web-based technical assistance, and facilitating program evaluation and reporting. To assist state grantees with implementation, each will designate a core leadership team of two youth and two adults to attend a 3-day train-the-trainer conference in early June 2007 provided by MSU. MSU will continue to provide direct program support to State Grantees throughout implementation and reporting. To final out more about Health Rocks! go to http://msucares.com/4h_Youth/health_rocks/.
Anyone interested in partnering in submitting a proposal for Washington State should contact Janet Edwards at edwardsj@wsu.edu.
SCHEDULE
Linda will be in Pullman Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. She will be in Ellensburg on Tuesday attending the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR) Advisory Committee meeting. John will be in Amman, Jordan for meetings on the Extension Agriculture Iraqi project all week.
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Linda Kirk Fox, PhD
Dean and Director
Washington State University Extension
PO Box 646248, 411 Hulbert Hall
Pullman WA 99164-6248
(509) 335-2933 Office
(509) 335-9223 Desk/Voicemail
FAX (509) 335-2926
lkfox@wsu.edu |
