The following bulletin includes information regarding the Well Connected Communities initiative for the week of October 5, 2020:
In this Edition
- Community Health Action Plans
- Upcoming Wave 1 Community Evaluation Activities
- Youth Voice and Leadership
- PD and Coaching
- FOURWARD Fund PYD Awards
- News, Research, and Resources from the Field
Community Health Action Plans
- All communities that submitted an action plan should have received their feedback summaries by September 30, 2020. If your community submitted an action plan and did not receive a feedback summary by September 30, 2020, please let Shay know as soon as possible. As your efforts continue, the PD team is happy to connect to provide guidance and learn from you about the ways in which your goal connects to policies and systems in community. We encourage you to review this feedback with your partners and update your action plan as needed. Please plan to upload your updated action plan to your community portal by November 30, 2020. If you are interested in discussing the feedback or receiving additional support as you update your action plan, please contact Shay McNeil at smcneil@fourhcouncil.edu.
Upcoming Wave 1 Community Evaluation Activities
- The Center for Community Health and Evaluation, the evaluation partner for WCC, will be conducting their first major evaluation data collection effort at the community level. This first year of the evaluation, CCHE will be focusing on communities that participated in Wave 1 of WCC. In the coming weeks, CCHE will be reaching out to PIs who started in Wave 1 for support on the following evaluation activities:
- Community coalition surveys – CCHE will launch a survey at the end of August/beginning of September to collect information on how community collaboration is going, what is working well, and where there might be opportunities to strengthen partnerships. You will receive a report that includes the survey results for all of your communities that complete the survey for your use and so that you can share back with your communities.
- Youth interviews – CCHE would like to ask PIs of Wave 1 communities to help identify 1 youth who would be willing to talk about their experience with WCC. The youth could be from any of your communities that engaged in Wave 1; ideally they have been participating in WCC for at least one year, but that’s not required. CCHE aims to conduct the youth interviews in early September.
Youth Voice and Leadership
- THIS WEEKYouth Mental Health Peer Circle
Part 2: October 7, 2020, 7:00 – 8:00 PM ET
Part 2 of the Youth Mental Health Peer Circle will be Wednesday, October 7 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM ET when we will unpack Youth Mental Health Programs planned by WCC Communities. You are welcome to join even if you missed session 1. If you have the opportunity, we invite you to view Part 1.
The registration is organized by Community so one adult lead from the community will register all youth and adults (The adult that registers everyone from their community will need to share the ZOOM link with all participants.) The session will be based on the discussion from the September 2, 2020 Session.
- Youth Food Security Webinar Postponed
The Youth Food Security Webinar originally scheduled for September 23 was postponed. At the September 2 Youth Introductory Session, there was wonderful WCC work already in progress engaging youth leadership in organizing the distribution of blessing boxes (similar to Little Free Libraries), and other food distribution techniques. If anyone has youth who would like to help plan and carry out a youth-driven food security webinar, please let JoAnne Leatherman (jleatherman@fourhcouncil.edu) know by the end of September. We would like to highlight your work through this webinar, which will likely be in late October.
PD and Coaching
- Youth-Adult Volunteer Leadership Office Hours
Office hours will be held on Tuesday, October 20 from 1:30 – 2:30 PM EST to entertain questions about Youth-Adult Partnerships or Master Volunteers. The specific sub-topic for Master Volunteers will be how to communicate impact when working with these highly trained volunteers. When you register, if you have specific questions, please enter them so they are sure to be addressed.
- Thriving Together: Recovery & Resilience during and post-COVID 19 Webinar
November 12, 2020, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
This session will focus on the healing, recovery and resilience in two areas of WCC initiative—youth and communities—especially during COVID but looking ahead post-COVID.
- Youth: The 4-H Thriving Model by Dr. Mary Arnold will focus on capacity building around programs and activities that promote thriving youth especially during COVID and a post-COVID world. Mary Arnold is Director, Youth Development Research and Practice at National 4-H Council. She currently teaches at Oregon State University on 4-H Youth Development. Dr. Arnold developed the 4-H Thriving Model which describes the processes to support positive youth development in 4-H.
- Community: Well Being Trust will present practical actions for communities across America who want to heal through the trauma of COVID-19 and secure vital conditions for people and places to thrive. Our guest speaker will highlight actions to accelerate an equitable recovery and build resilience over time.
Learning objectives include:
- Application of understanding of how 4-H helps young people thrive to shape recruitment and engagement of youth in WCC coalitions.
- Identify opportunities that will foster inclusivity and diversity among 4-H youth.
- Support communities in reaching beyond learning outcomes to probing into “what happens” especially in a COVID and post-COVID world.
- Learn practical actions that are consistent with determinants of health for an equitable recovery and resilience during COVID and post-COVID.
- Leading Together for Equity and Inclusion Webinar
September 17, 2020, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
Presenter: Dorothy Freeman, PhD
Recording (slide deck attached)
Dr. Freeman is the Director of Equity at National 4-H Council whose role is to lead Council to strategically align its programmatic priorities and vision with the Equity, Access and Belonging Committee. Dr. Freeman has a distinctive career in 4-H Extension where she was Associate Dean and State 4-H Director with the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development and 25years Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech University.
Dr. Freeman will delve into the topics listed below and her presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with some Wave 2 grantees:
- How are we defining equity and inclusion? Holding it as a value? [CES & 4-H]
- What is Extension/4-H learning about equity during this time of multiple pandemics (COVID-19 and widespread calls for racial justice)
- How are we adapting/moving to action?
- What are the unique challenges and opportunities related to WCC? What is our unique role?
- The Extension Model as a community engagement model.
FOURWARD Fund PYD Awards
- We are pleased to share some exciting updates regarding the FOURWARD Fund Positive Youth Development (PYD) Awards. National 4-H Council has successfully raised additional funding ($160,000) to underwrite a second round of FOURWARD Fund PYD Awards. As a reminder,100% of this amount will go to state and local 4-H programs rather than the 70/30 split that was initially announced in April.
Applications for the second round of funding will be available on 4-H.org/ApplyFourward on September 30 at 9:00 am ET. The application period will remain open until October 19 at 11:59 pm ET.
For more information about how to submit a successful application for the PYD Awards, please reference the following:
- View the recording and download the presentation from the Positive Youth Development Q&A session held on June 4.
- Download an updated version of the PYD Awards Q&A
- Download the Overview of the Eight Essential Elements of Positive Youth Development to help inform your application
The application process is consistent with the approach followed in June, with the addition of a diversity, equity and inclusion question. Programs that applied during the first round but were not awarded funding are permitted to revise and resubmit their applications in October.
Thank you to ADM, Crop Risk Services, Corteva, Microsoft and Tractor Supply Company for providing their generous support – making this next round of PYD awards possible.
Please direct any questions about the FOURWARD Fund Positive Youth Development (PYD) Awards to Jeanine Goldsmith or Nina Lovelace.
News, Research and Resources from the Field:
Thurs., Oct. 8, 2020, 2:00 p.m. EDT
Join this bilingual Twitter chat in observance of Hispanic Heritage Month. The chat will focus on highlighting healthy behaviors for the Hispanic/Latino community in light of the COVID-19 pandemic; getting the recommended vaccinations; and highlight efforts to improve diversity in clinical trials. Use #HealthyLatinos.
2nd Episode in 6-part series: Tues., Oct. 13, 2020, 12:00 p.m. EDT, Register here.
Research demonstrates that spirituality and religious belief can be a protective factor in the prevention of, and recovery from, mental illness. Learn more about programs that have translated this research into action and the importance of providing spiritual support for the clinicians themselves. Learn more about this series here and listen to prior episodes here.
NOT-MH-20-073 — The National Institute of Mental Health seeks time-sensitive input from all interested parties on the most innovative research and research priorities to improve mental health outcomes among racial/ethnic minority and health disparities populations. Learn more here. Response date: Oct. 30, 2020.
A new report from the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics compares 41 indicators of well-being in children by the type of community they live in. (These are metropolitan, nonmetropolitan, micropolitan, or rural, according to the Office of Management and Budget.) The brief finds that infant mortality rates were highest in rural counties (6.8 per 1,000). During the same time, the mortality rate for Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic infants was also higher for those living in rural counties than those living in micropolitan and metropolitan counties. Separately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Mental Health Treatment Among Children Aged 5-17 years, 2019, finding that as the level of urbanization decreased, the percentage of children who had taken medication for their mental health increased.
HRSA will release 2019 data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) on October 5, which is also National Child Health Day. The NSCH provides the latest national and state-level data on the health and health care needs of children as well as information about their families and communities.
Survey topics include:
- Children’s physical and mental health;
- Health insurance status;
- Access to and use of health care services, including:
- Receipt of preventive and specialty care;
- Patient-centered medical home; and
- Services to support transition to adult health care for adolescents;
- Lifetime exposure to adverse childhood experiences, and more.
The NSCH is funded and directed by HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, which oversees sampling, survey administration and the production of a final data set for public use. Look for the release on our social media channels (@HRSAgov), and like and share to show your support of Child Health Day.
- 2021 Culture of Health Prize
Call for Applications | Application Deadline: Thu, 15 Oct 2020
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize (the Prize) elevates the compelling stories of places where residents are working together to transform education, jobs, transportation, housing, and more so better health flourishes for all. A Culture of Health recognizes that where we live—such as our access to affordable homes, quality schools, good jobs, and reliable transportation—affects how long and how well we live.
Learn more about how you can be one of our next Culture of Health Prize-winning communities by reviewing an informational webinar recording and slides.
- Let’s Talk About Recovery — Resources from NIDA
In acknowledgment of National Recovery Month, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released the following resources to help jumpstart a dialogue with your community and family members.
MTV premiered a new four-part docu-series,“16 and Recovering,” spotlighting stories from teens at Northshore Recovery High School in Massachusetts. The program can be a conversation starter for parents, caregivers, and educators to help teens realize they’re not alone or different—and that the disease of addiction is treatable.
NIDA’s preferred language guide helps de-stigmatize conversations about drug use and addiction using person-first, non-judgmental language. Additional information may be found on drugabuse.gov and teens.drugabuse.gov.
This series of publications is filled with resources and information to help you or someone you care about who might have a drug use disorder, including a guide specifically written for young people.
During National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®, teens often ask about a cure for addiction. In this blog post for teens, experts explain that while there may not be a cure, there is treatment that helps people live full, healthy lives.
These questions, outlined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), will help you learn whether a substance use disorder treatment provider offers higher-quality treatment and is a good fit for your situation. Here is the link to NIAAA’s tool for recognizing quality care.