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. We’ve also added a News, Research, Resource, or Funding Opportunity designation to assist you in quickly finding the information that is most relevant to you.
The following bulletin includes information regarding the Well Connected Communities initiative for the week of January 25, 2021:
In this Edition
- Quarterly PI Call Friday, February 19, 2021
- Youth Voice and Leadership
- Professional Development
- National Health Outreach Conference
- WCC Communications Toolkit
- News, Research, and Resources from the Field
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
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.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN ONE MORE WEEK
Register
It is a three-step process as explained here:
- STEP ONE – PURCHASE TICKETS
- Each delegate (youth and adult) will need a “ticket” to participate in the Summit experiences. This step confirms your ticket(s) purchase.
- Purchase tickets by Friday, January 29, 2021.
- Purchasing tickets via Group Option:
- Group Lead purchases the quantity of tickets they need.
- Purchasing tickets via Individual Option requires submitting complete delegate registration information at the time of purchase.
- If you have not yet registered, please make sure to include WCC in the Group/Team/Community Title box so we can easily find your team among the registrations.
- STEP TWO – DELEGATE REGISTRATION
- Selecting the Group Option when purchasing tickets will result in the Group Lead Contact receiving an automatic email. This email will contain information on how to submit delegate registration information (name, DOB, email, shipping address).
- If the Individual Option is used, registration information will be requested at the time of ticket purchase.
- Delegation registration information must be submitted in order to select track sessions (step 3). Accurate emails are essential for track selection communication.
Note: A Summit Activity Box will be shipped to each delegate using their provided address. Please check for complete & accurate addresses.
- STEP THREE – TRACK SELECTIONS
- Summit workshops and career panels will be grouped into tracks. Delegates will pre-select their track of interest.
- Each registered delegate will be emailed information to select their track preferences. This email can be expected within five business days of registration.
- All track preferences must be submitted by February 5, 2021.
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
- Cooperative Extension and its Role in Public Health
January 28, 2021, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
Speaker: Roger Rennekamp, PhD
Roger Rennekamp, National Director for Extension will lead the conversation on our collective effort to foster systems change while implementing policies, systems and environment (PSE) change across our Well Connected Communities. This interactive session will focus on:
- Cooperative Extension System and its role in public health and health equity.
- Driving PSE and systems change through cross-unit collaboration at university and community levels.
- Strengthening equity work across communities, urban, tribal and rural.
- Creating and disseminating tools and stories for peer-to-peer learning and evaluation.
- What to expect in 2021 for professional development sessions, youth-adult partnerships and Master Volunteer Programs.
Register
- 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
Register
- 2021 National Extension Conference on Volunteerism – 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
- 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.
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.
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.
Coming Soon! A WCC overview PPT, WCC overview factsheet, WCC Q&As, and more.
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.
- NEW 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
- The Role of Critical Health Literacy in Addressing Social Determinants of Health
Roger Rennekamp, National Extension Health Director, ECOPThe Roundtable on Health Literacy of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine is sponsoring a workshop on the Role of Critical Health Literacy in Addressing Social Determinants of Health on Wednesday, January 27 from 3:00 – 4:30 PM. The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the systems that shape the conditions of daily life…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.
- NEW 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.
- NEW 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.
- NEW Webinar Whole Child Town Hall: Visioning a Healthy, Equitable Future
Thursday, January 28 | 1 p.m. ET
Featuring youth leaders from across the country
To bring inspiration to the New Year, Healthier Generation is hosting a 45-minute panel that will highlight the role youth must play in visioning a healthy, equitable future.
Attendees will:
- Learn why youth engagement is essential to support whole child health and to inform public health campaign efforts, including anti-vaping and COVID-19.
- Identify at least 3 strategies to lift youth voice and position youth as health advocates.
Reserve your seat to attend live and receive a link to the session recording.
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 >
- NEW Webinar Mastering Live Demonstrations
From Pennsylvania State University
Participants will learn about capabilities within a Zoom webinar conference to engage the audience and enhance educational delivery. Specifically, participants will learn how to: set up and use multiple cameras for live demonstrations, optimize Zoom settings for the best participant viewing experience, manage the chat and Q&A pod, set up an automatic survey link, direct participants to a specific website following the webinar, and other best practice tips.
- You must register to receive the zoom link.
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.
On Thursday, January 28 at 1:00 PM ET the CDC, RWJF, and CDC Foundation will host a webinar with a live demo of the new PLACES site and its interactive capabilities. We’ll also have a few leaders (including Cara James!) who will speak to the ways in which communities can use this powerful new data resource to improve health in their communities. And plenty of time mapped out for Q&A. Registration details are here.
From American Economic Review: Insights
by: C. Kirabo Jackson, Shanette C. Porter, John Q. Easton, Alyssa Blanchard, and Sebastián Kiguel, vol. 2, no. 4, December 2020
Using value-added models on data from Chicago Public Schools, we find that high schools impact students’ self-reported socioemotional development (SED) by enhancing social well-being and promoting hard work. Conditional on their test score impacts, schools that improve SED in ninth grade reduce school-based arrests and increase high school completion and college going. For most longer-run outcomes, using both SED and test score value added more than doubles the variance of the explained school effect relative to using test score value added alone. Results suggest that high school impacts on SED can be captured using self-report surveys and SED can be fostered by schools to improve longer-run outcomes.
From RWJF
New findings from a national, ongoing poll from RAND Corporation show that many people—even those who may have been hit hardest by COVID-19—do not recognize racism as a barrier to good health. And despite the toll the pandemic has taken on so many lives, perceptions have not changed over the past months.
The poll looks at how COVID-19 is affecting health, optimism for the future, and the views, values, and experiences of those who are most affected by this crisis.
Read the complete survey findings >
From the American Communities Project
by Ari Pinkus November 23, 2020
Covid-19 is widely thought to have triggered the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, surpassing the Great Recession that caused significant hardship just over 10 years ago — the problem of hunger vividly displayed by food lines across America these past eight months.
