The purpose of the Weekly Bulletin is to provide you with WCC grant specific information as well as some useful tools and resources that might be helpful to your work.
- WCC Grant Information – grant specific information such as reporting deadlines, important calls, etc. will continue to be top of the bulletin.
- Action Required – anytime there is an action required related to an item in the bulletin, we will indicate that in the heading.
- News, Research, and Resources from the Field – This section includes links to relevant articles, tools, resources, as well as funding opportunities. It is meant to provide information that might be useful to your work in your communities. If there are any grant expectations related to an included resource, those will be clearly communicated to you through a webinar, training, PI Call, etc.
The following bulletin includes information regarding the Well Connected Communities initiative for the week of February 8, 2021:
In this Edition
- WCC Core Team Changes
- Quarterly PI Call Friday, February 19, 2021
- Year 2 Q1 Reporting Due March 15, 2021
- Youth Voice and Leadership
- Professional Development
- National Health Outreach Conference
- WCC Communications Toolkit
- News, Research, and Resources from the Field
Attention WCC Core Team Changes
- We regret to inform you that Shay McNeil is no longer an Associate of National 4-H Council. Until a new Account Manager is assigned please forward any questions you would have sent to Shay to Nanya, at nchiejine@fourhcouncil.edu. Thank you for your continued leadership.
Quarterly PI Call Friday, February 19, 2021
- Quarterly PI Calls are an opportunity to disseminate information and updates related to the WCC grant. The next Quarterly PI Call will be Friday, February 19, 2021 from 1:30 – 3:00 PM ET. We will be meeting via Zoom. PIs should refer to the Outlook Calendar invite from Shay McNeil for the link and password to connect to the meeting. An agenda for the meeting will be provided closer to the next call.
Quarterly PI Call Schedule:
- February 19, 2021
- May 21, 2021
- August 20, 2021
Year 2 Q1 Reporting Due March 15, 2021
- Action Required The Q4 report will be due March 15, 2021. The reporting period is December 1, 2021 – February 28, 2021.
- 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 bmckay@fourhcouncil.edu
- one Tobacco Separation Protocol validation letter – emailed to bmckay@fourhcouncil.edu
Youth Voice and Leadership
- Action Required National 4-H Summit for Health Living, February 12 – 15, 2021
Here are the latest updates on the virtual National 4-H Summit for Healthy Living, February 12-15, 2021. The working schedule is here https://4-h.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/National-Youth-Summit-on-Healthy-Living-2021-Tentative-Agenda.pdf. Reminder: attendance at the Summit is a deliverable for WCC Communities (attending either the past 2020 or upcoming 2021 Summit). Keynote speaker is Kazi Mannan, a remarkable immigrant restaurateur whose give back to the hungry in Washington DC is an inspiring story. Youth in Action winners will lead off the afternoon openings on Saturday and Sunday, and there will be a career panel kick-off speaker on Monday. The final agenda will detail all speakers.
TRACK INFORMATION: There are six tracks available plus an adult professional development track: food insecurity, nutrition, substance abuse, physical activity, mental health and health equity. Everyone in a state/community group does not have to stay in the same track but once a track has been designated for each individual, they must stay in that track for the workshops and career panel. Please look at the workshops planned for your probable track and read the descriptions in the Google drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xfplGi9-vRO4Dcv2uOqXsEwQbsjSd9fi?usp=sharing.
- Youth in Action Applications
The 4‑H Youth in Action Program recognizes four confident young leaders with diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives in our core pillar areas: agriculture, civic engagement, healthy living and STEM. Each year, Pillar Winners will experience an exciting year of telling their 4‑H story and celebrating their leadership. Winners receive:
- $5,000 higher education scholarship
- Promotional video showcasing their 4‑H impact story
- All-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. for National 4‑H Council’s Legacy Awards
- Networking opportunities with 4‑H celebrities and other prominent alumni
- Recognition as the official 4‑H youth spokesperson for their pillar
Apply Applications should be submitted no later than 11:59 PM PT on Monday, March 29, 2021.
Professional Development
- Peer Perspectives: Creating PSE Change
February 25, 2021, 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
Policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change are powerful tools for expanding impact, fostering culture change, and sustaining progress. PSE change takes time and can look different in every community. Communities across the country have helped light the way, creating practices and patterns that help make PSE change more doable than ever. Join us to hear how WCC peers are scaling impact through PSE and participate in small group discussion for how your states/communities take action. Learn more:
WCC Blog: Understanding Policy, Systems and Environmental Change
- 2021 National Extension Conference on Volunteerism, April 26-29, 2021
The National Extension Conference on Volunteerism Planning Committee and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, encourages those who are interested to save April 26-29, 2021, for the National Extension Conference on Volunteerism “NECV” 2021! Plans are underway for an exciting Extension professional conference with a focus on volunteerism at the Hard Rock Hotel and Conference Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This conference is ideal for volunteer-focused professionals who are serving within all areas of Extension programs (4-H, ANR, FCS). For information about calls for proposals and registration opening:
Join the NECV 2021 interest list-serv at: http://eepurl.com/gY8Pzz.
Follow developments on Facebook at www.facebook.com/1NECV/
National Health Outreach Conference
- 2021 National Health Outreach Conference, May 3-7, 2021
The conference will be held virtually May 3-7, 2021. With the theme of “The Grand Challenge: Building a Healthy Future for All,” there will be sessions related to health equity, effective behavior change messaging, policy system and environmental change, health behavior, and pandemic response programming. Keynote speakers, concurrent and posters sessions will be relevant for professionals who address health, nutrition, youth development, workforce development, and human development. See https://cvent.me/Ygg1N0 for additional details about the conference.
Purpose: To showcase research, best practices and dissemination strategies that will create positive impact on the health of all Americans.
Goals:
- Educate attendees about best practices for translating current research and health-related recommendations to target audiences, especially youth, minority and workforce audiences.
- Prepare attendees to translate research using communication practices and approaches to address health issues for target audience.
- Explore how to develop successful collaborations of multi-disciplinary partners to effect system, community and individual behavior changes to build population health.
- National Health Outreach Conference Scholarship
Deadline: February 12, 2021
Scholarship Application: https://missouri.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eVifxq5H7yrr3O6
The NHOC will provide 10 scholarships covering the full registration cost to assist those interested in attending the 2021 Virtual NHOC. Scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $250 each to cover the early-bird registration fee, deadline is February 12, 2021. Recipients will be provided a secure code to enter upon registering for the conference.
- CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Proposals are now being accepted for the 2021 National Health Outreach Conference (NHOC). At this time the NHOC planning team is particularly interested in presentations that focus on COVID-19; particularly adaptations of learning environments, use of technology to disseminate and distribute education, and engaging learners. Limited number of proposals will be accepted as these will be added to the sessions that were chosen for the May 2020 NHOC that was cancelled.
Deadline: February 12, 2021
Interested individuals and teams are invited to submit proposals for plenary, breakout and poster sessions that address the conference’s theme in the following topic/theme areas:
- Effective Messaging to Targeted Audiences
- Health Behavior Change
- Health Equity
- Interagency Partnerships & Collaborations
- Evaluation of Health/PSE Interventions
- Social & Economic Impact on Health
All proposals will be peer-reviewed. Submit proposals HERE.
Review submission guidelines HERE.
WCC Communications
- Updates to the WCC Communications Toolkit
Take a moment to peruse the updated communications toolkit on the WCC Portal: https://portal.wellconnectedcommunities.org/communications-toolkit/
Some items of interest are an updated PPT template, virtual backgrounds for all your online meeting needs, and a full ZIP file of WCC logos for every use. Also included in the update are the current Brand, Logo and Positioning Guidelines. The new positioning–or a brief statement of the what, why and how of the initiative–has been updated on all the templates and materials available in the toolkit, as well.
News, Research, and Resources from the Field:
This section includes links to relevant articles, tools, resources, as well as funding opportunities. It is meant to provide information that might be useful to your work in your communities.
- From eXtension
- Introducing SEED: An Evidence-Based Method for Engaging Communities. February 10th, 2 PM – 3 PM ET. The SEED Method is a multi-stakeholder approach to engaging communities in research, problem solving, and action planning. Developed at Virginia Commonwealth University, SEED provides a framework for collaborative research and action planning that can be scaled up or down depending on project resources and goals. Typically, projects are led by stakeholders in partnership with researchers and implemented by diverse community stakeholders. The SEED Method has been used to develop research agendas on specific health topics and to develop community action plans addressing community-identified health priorities. This webinar will introduce participants to the SEED Method. Learning outcomes include: understanding the roles of community members and stakeholders, reviewing the processes and outcomes of the SEED Method, and becoming familiar with SEED Method steps and tools. Learn More & Register Here.
- Impact Collaborative Innovation Facilitator Training
March 9th & 11th, 2021
Are you someone who is always looking for new ways to improve? Do you like adopting innovative ideas and helping others along the way? Would you like to be a leader that helps teams design cutting edge programs/projects that make real impact? If so, please consider joining our Innovation Facilitator team!
Our Innovation Facilitator training provides you with a new way of looking at innovation. Once trained, you are an invaluable asset in helping teams develop projects or programs more quickly, and connect them with national resources. You will use our innovation incubator process to bring fresh ideas aligned with institutional goals to every team you work with. Learn More
- Episode 16: Navigating the Grocery Store Aisle: Understanding Food Marketing Labels
In this episode, we connect with Stacey Stearns from the University of Connecticut Extension on a project she is working on as part of eXtension’s New Technologies for Ag Extension Program. Her team is working on an interactive game to help consumers better understand food marketing labels.
From The Daily Yonder
By Olivia Weeks
For rural families, there is a 35% gap between childcare supply and potential need, compared to a 29% gap in urban areas.
Read more
From RWJF
Throughout 2020, Culture of Health Prize winning communities used collaboration data-informed strategies to tackle the coronavirus and America’s reckoning with racial justice. Different communities, states apart, but they share the same story: A focus on health equity is more important than ever to ensure everyone in America has a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being.
Read more about what we’re learning >
- Webinar Upcoming Webinar on Federal Resources for Creative Community Development
On Tuesday, February 9 at 4 p.m. ET, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations, and Metris Arts Consulting are offering a free web seminar on Federal Resources for Creative Community Development. This seminar is designed to help gain access to federal funds and harness the power of arts and culture for community development. The seminar will feature the new Creative Placemaking Public Resources Guide and will discuss a curated selection of federal funding sources that can be used to advance equitable community development, examples of initiatives that have transformed community development through create partnerships, and practical tips on accessing federal grant programs. To view the complete session details and register, click here.
- From Roger Rennekamp, National Extension Health Director, ECOP
- COVID-19 Vaccine Education Toolkits for Cooperative Extension
Overcoming hesitancy to receive the new COVID-19 vaccines is a growing issue across the U.S. despite more 400,000 deaths resulting from virus to date. According to a recent report published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, rural residents are among the most vaccine hesitant groups with seven in ten rural residents expressing at least some reluctance to receive the vaccine. But as trusted members of the communities they serve, Cooperative Extension…Learn More - APLU President Endorses Extension’s Involvement in Vaccination Education
On January 19, Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson sent a letter to land grant university presidents outlining how the Cooperative Extension System can help build confidence in the new COVID-19 vaccines and increase their uptake. According the McPherson, “the vaccines can only be effective, however, if the public understands their efficacy and gets the vaccinations. As institutions rooted in knowledge…Learn More
- COVID Vaccinations for Food & Agriculture Essential Workers – Webinar
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will offer a webinar on the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines for food and agriculture workers including information about vaccine safety and confidence and recommendations for vaccine prioritization. Preregistration is required. Panelists include: Dr. Janell Routh —Medical Officer, COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, CDC Dr. Michelle Colby…Learn More
- Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural America
A recent report published by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) provides information gathered in surveys and focus groups concerning public opinion about COVID-19 vaccination in rural areas. “With the pandemic’s toll hitting rural communities hard, the findings from are a cause for concern. Rural residents are among the most vaccine hesitant groups, along with…Learn More
- Consider Hosting a Public Health Associate – Apply by February 16
Managed by CDC’s Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support , the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) is a training program for early-career public health professionals who have a recent college degree and an interest in public service and public health. Throughout the two-year program, associates complete a comprehensive training curriculum and work at a host organization to gain hands-on experience…Learn More
From the Urban Institute
By Alanna McCargo, Jung Hyun Choi, and Edward Golding May 2019
Homeownership is an important wealth-building source and a foundation for economic stability. Owning a home can provide a stable place to live and remove significant economic uncertainty in the form of fixed housing costs. These benefits are well documented, yet there is persistent inequality in access and attainment of homeownership across racial lines and less wealth accumulation for black households through homeownership. The continually depressed black homeownership rate and overall wealth gap have reached alarming levels. The black homeownership rate has persistently lagged behind that of white families, a gap that has widened since the Great Recession.
- Funding Opportunity Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program
The Food and Agriculture Service Learning program increases knowledge of agricultural sciences and improves the nutritional health of children. The program focuses on increasing the capacity for food, garden, and nutrition education within host organizations, such as school cafeterias and classrooms, while fostering community engagement between farms and school systems. This initiative is part of a broader effort to increase access to school meals for low-income children and greatly improve meal quality. For more information, read the Food and Agriculture Service Learning funding opportunity.
- Funding Opportunity Children, Youth, and Families at Risk Sustainable Community Projects
The Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) program improves the quality and quantity of comprehensive community-based programs for at-risk children, youth, and families supported by the Cooperative Extension System. The CYFAR program mission is to marshal resources of the Land-Grant and Cooperative Extension Systems to develop and deliver educational programs that equip limited-resource families and youth, who are at-risk for not meeting basic human needs, with the skills they need to lead positive, productive, contributing lives. For more information, read the CYFAR funding opportunity.
From RWJF
Nearly 40 million people in the United States are at risk of losing their homes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
No one should have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table and protecting the health of themselves, their families, and their communities.
A new RWJF policy brief makes evidence-based recommendations for the Biden-Harris Administration and 117th Congress to ensure people do not lose their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond and build transformational change that guarantees housing as a human right and public good that advances racial and economic equity.
Read the recommendations to promote stable housing >
- Important Resource PLACES: Local Data for Better Health
As the nation faces an unprecedented health crisis, it is more important than ever to have health information at the local level. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 500 Cities is expanding to PLACES, a first-of-its-kind effort to release health information covering the entire United States down to the city, county, and census tract level, including rural areas, small and midsize cities.
The PLACES project includes 27 different health measures, including mental and physical health, access to health insurance and preventive screenings, for every county, city, and census tract in the U.S. The chronic disease measures focus on health outcomes, unhealthy behaviors, and prevention practices that have a substantial impact on how well and long people live. Created by the CDC in 2016 to provide city and census tract-level health data for the 500 largest cities, the 500 Cities project expanded to PLACES, providing data for the entire country with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.