The following bulletin includes information regarding the Well Connected Communities initiative for the week of November 30, 2020:
In this Edition
- Community Health Action Plans
- Q4 Reporting
- Youth Voice and Leadership
- WCC Grant Financial Office Hours
- News, Research, and Resources from the Field
DUE TODAY Community Health Action Plans
- We encourage you to review your community’s Action Plan Feedback Summary with your partners and update your action plan as needed. 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. UPDATE: Please plan to email your updated action plan to Shay McNeil at smcneil@fourhcouncil.edu by November 30, 2020.
We will be coordinating some peer-to-peer cohort learning sessions. Hayat Essa has been reaching out to determine availability and coordinate the sessions.
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.
Q4 Reporting
- The Q3 report will be due December 15, 2020. The reporting period is September 1 – November 30, 2020.
- The reporting will consist of each community submitting a community report – submitted via the WCC community portal
- one LGU Financial Status Report – an excel spreadsheet submitted to smcneil@fourhcouncil.edu
- one Tobacco Separation Protocol validation letter – emailed to smcneil@fourhcouncil.edu.
Youth Voice and Leadership
- National 4-H Summit for Health Living, February 12 – 15, 2021
- The National 4-H Summit on Healthy Living will be virtual and held on its usual Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 12 -15, 2021. The number of hours per day is still TBD but will last no more than approximately 4-5 hours on any one day.
- Cost is $75 per youth or adult.
- Registration will be open only during the month of January, 2021.
- There will be seven tracks which participants will stay in for the three workshop sessions; once a track is chosen, that’s where you stay:
- Food Insecurity
- Health Equity
- Physical Fitness
- Substance Abuse
- Nutrition
- Mental Health
- Adult Track for professional development.
- Because of the tracks, there will be no limit on the number of registrations.
- Highlights of the Summit will include keynote and capnote speakers and a speaker of the day, virtual State Showcase, 3 workshops, career exploration, a virtual “Coffee House” for discussion of national health issues, action plan development, and lots of opportunities for networking.
- New for this year will be TBD follow-ups for pitching action plans in the “Dolphin Tank”, and following those action plans throughout the year to see the impact on communities.
- A detailed agenda will be available in mid-November.
- Opportunities for Collegiate Facilitators are available for those 4-H alums who are in college and attended at least one 4-H Healthy Living Summit. Applications are due November 20, 2020.
- National 4-H Summit on Healthy Living Request for Workshop Proposal
National 4-H Council invites you to submit a proposal to conduct a workshop for the virtual National 4-H Summit (N4-HS) on Healthy Living. The N4-HS on Healthy Living takes place February 13 – 16, 2021. Workshops provide youth with a place to gain information in specific subject areas to increase knowledge, inspire career paths and help them develop action plans to implement and create change/impact in their communities. These action plans enable youth and adults, working together powerfully, to share information and bring about positive health outcomes in their home states. Interested youth and adult teams have an opportunity to submit a proposal for the N4-HS on Healthy Living by:
Proposal submission deadline: December 4, 2020
Target audience: Youth in grades 9–12
Workshop timeframe: 45-minute
Workshop participant size: Average of 20 – 30 participants
Workshop criteria: High level of hands-on, given the virtual format and include a career component, if feasible.
Submitting a Proposal
Workshops will be conducted via tracks in 2021. The planned tracks are below. Please be sure to indicate which subject matter area you are covering in your proposal.
- Food Insecurity
- Health Equity
- Mental Health
- Nutrition
- Physical Fitness
- Substance Abuse
Proposal Selection
Proposal application is attached. Proposals will be scored by the Summit Workshop Review Team and you will be contacted by December 18, 2020.
For Questions Please Contact:
Justin Crowe
Summit Coordinator
jcrowe3@utk.edu
865-974-2128
WCC Grant Financial Office Hours
- If you have questions about doing a budget modification, spending, or the Q4 financial reporting, I have set aside 2 blocks of time, one hour each, for Office Hours:
WCC Grant Financial Office Hours
December 8, 2020 and December 10, 2020 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
News, Research and Resources from the Field:
Presented by The Social Impact Exchange and Morgan Stanley
Over the past 10 years, SIE has hosted the nation’s only annual conference exclusively focused on scaling social impact. The conference is now hosted in partnership with Morgan Stanley. The Exchange 2020: Unifying Leadership was held virtually on September 23-24.
In this year of existential issues, we need leaders who can bring us together to achieve true systems change. The Exchange 2020 tackled pressing concerns of racial equity, the global pandemic, and the most severe recession in the United States since the Great Depression. We identified systemic solutions that can emerge from these challenges to create transformational change. Below are video highlights from the 2020 Exchange conference.
SELECT VIDEOS FROM THE EXCHANGE 2020
The Brookings Institution
By: Anthony F. Pipa and Natalie Geismar Thursday, November 19, 2020
- NEW NIFA Funds Tribal Programs to Support Learning, Health, and Opportunity
NIFA funds programs that promote learning, opportunities and health in Tribal communities. The total amount NIFA invested in all Tribal programs in FY 2020 was approximately $28 million. Tribal land-grant colleges and universities infuse components of Native American culture in their teaching curriculum. For example, an environmental biology class may be combined with studies of Navajo names of plant species. Through Tribal research grants, tribal colleges partner with other land-grant universities to address issues of interest to local Native American communities, such as preserving tribal forests or protecting water quality on reservations. Tribal college extension services reach out to Native American ranchers and farmers to improve farm profitability. They also provide vital health, safety and economic development information to tribal communities. The Tribal Colleges also receive an endowment that supports facilities and other critical needs at these schools. For more information, read the NIFA blog.
- NEW From eXtension
- Getting Ready To Tell Consumers About MyPlate & the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines. December 2nd, 2 PM. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be released soon, and anticipation is building around this important roadmap for healthy eating. As a Cooperative Extension nutrition communicator, you play an important role in helping us disseminate key Dietary Guidelines consumer messages to your unique audiences in your local communities throughout the country. While the content of the latest Dietary Guidelines is being finalized, during the webinar we will share key consumer messaging with you and offer suggestions for getting promotional materials ready. Learn More & Register Here.
Connect Extension Virtual Chat: Video Production in Cooperative Extension – Crowdsourcing Training Resources & Ideas. December 3rd, 1 PM ET. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Cooperative Extension professionals are branching out to add simple video production to their skillset. If you’re already using your laptop, iPhone, or iPad to create and edit videos – or if you’d like to learn more – this virtual chat is for you. We’ll be crowdsourcing information from across Cooperative Extension about training resources and ideas for video production. Learn More & RSVP Here.
Connect Extension Virtual Chat: Using Data to Understand the Community You Serve. December 10th, 1 PM – 2 PM ET. The purpose of this chat is to gather information for creating an eFieldBook targeted at Extension professionals about using data in their work. This virtual chat will provide an opportunity to have a conversation about whether participants are – or would like to be – using data in their work to understand and improve their communities. We’ll also explore what data possibilities participants are aware of, and what data-related topics they would like to learn more about. Learn More & RSVP Here
The report analyzes the legacy of federal leadership for rural development, which has resulted in a fragmented and confusing landscape that is in urgent need of updating and modernizing to help rural areas successfully respond to the current moment. Federal programs must change significantly to better reflect the diversity, entrepreneurialism, and unique opportunities in rural communities.
KEY FINDINGS:
- Over 400 federal programs are open to rural areas for community and economic development, spanning 13 departments, 10 agencies, and over 50 offices and sub-agencies. A total of 14 legislative committees have jurisdiction over their authorizing legislation.
- A subset of 93 programs exclusively targeted to rural areas made $2.58 billion available in non-loan assistance in fiscal year 2019 (just 0.2 percent of federal discretionary spending).
- The ratio of loan authority to grant spending for rural development in FY2019 was nearly 15:1, underscoring the lack of flexible grant funding available to rural communities.
- Even when they are eligible for community and economic development assistance, rural communities are often locked out by spending formulas, eligibility requirements, and performance measures that implicitly privilege large, densely populated metros.
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Launch a new development corporation, to invest in local vision and leadership through long-term block grants and innovative financing tools that give communities a fighting chance to strengthen and renew their local economies.
- Create a national rural strategy, elevate White House and interagency leadership, and undertake a set of specific and targeted reforms that will greatly enhance federal coherence and effectiveness.
- Appoint a bipartisan congressional commission to undertake a top-to-bottom review and build political momentum to transform federal rural policy.
The “widening rural-urban divide” is squarely in the headlines again—despite the fact that 2020 has caused us to reexamine everything and to challenge longstanding inequities. It’s time to build a more comprehensive equity analysis. Take a minute to read this new thought piece: https://ampr.gs/3pJaNQ6
What’s good for rural communities and for communities of color is good for the nation as a whole. It’s time to build a more comprehensive equity analysis that accounts for economic, racial, health, as well as geographic inequities. Take a minute to read this new thought piece:https://ampr.gs/3pJaNQ6
by Jennifer Grizzard Ekzarkhov · November 19, 2020
The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health sets aside the third Thursday of every November to celebrate National Rural Health Day. National Rural Health Day is an opportunity to “Celebrate the Power of Rural” by honoring the selfless, community-minded, “can do” spirit that prevails in rural America, gives us a chance to bring to light the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face, and showcase the efforts of rural healthcare providers, State Offices of Rural Health and other rural stakeholders to address those challenges. (Learn more at www.powerofrural.org)
Please let us know if you have any questions about anything found in this week’s bulletin.