Building Extension Understanding and Leadership in an Environment of Systemic Racism

The ECOP Monday Minute will be on hiatus on July 6^th and will return on July 13^th. Have a safe and pleasant Fourth of July.

Last Friday, Administrator and Director colleagues and their Associates from approximately 45 Extension Institutions, the Board on Humans Sciences, and Tribal Colleges, from Florida to Guam and many locations in between participated in the dialogue, Building Extension Understanding and Leadership in an Environment of Systemic Racism. Participants listened to one another in small groups answering 2 probing questions: How does racism impact you and the ones you love day to day?  If you woke up tomorrow and your hopes for racial equity had been realized within your system, what is the first thing you might notice yourself doing, thinking, seeing or feeling? They learned how Coming Together for Racial Understanding (CTRU) is unfolding and what is needed to support for this effort further. ECOP Chair Mark Latimore (Fort Valley State University) presented potential actions for fellow leaders and ECOP to consider. Stay tuned for more details. 



ECOP/eXtension to Host Extension Futures National Action Dialogues, July 13^th or 14^th, 1 PM - 3 PM ET - The purpose of the Action Dialogue is to imagine near-future possibilities for how Extension can better serve individuals and communities in the face of evolving needs and capabilities. The outcome of this dialogue will support transitional aspects of more digital engagement and community platforms, and inform the need for funding of infrastructure/equipment needed for the envisioned futures. Focus topics include National Community Learning Networks, Digital Cooperatives, Professional/Continuing Ed/Workforce Development, Infrastructure (access/capability to use it), and Living Ecosystem of Professionals. All Cooperative Extension professionals, including Directors/Administrators, Agents, & Educators are invited. Registration available here, Please choose only one day to participate.



A Time Like No Other: 4-H Youth Development and COVID-19 - In this Journal of Extension thought leader commentary is a review of the potential devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people, including trauma, impacts on mental health, socioemotional distress, and changes in academic learning. Stating that 4-H is uniquely positioned to mitigate these effects through intentional positive youth development efforts, there is a call to action for 4-H Educators and Extension Administrators as the nation moves from initial reaction to recovery and beyond. This commentary recommends four research-based strategies to ensure that youths not only survive but thrive in this time like no other. Go to: https://joe.org/joe/2020june/comm1.php 



A Request from USDA APHIS to Extension Colleagues - Earlier this month, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) declared eradication of Ralstonia solanacearum race 3 biovar 2 from U.S. greenhouses. APHIS is asking Extension Administrators and Directors and the agents in their coverage areas to help share information about this pathogen with nursery and greenhouse operators, landscape managers, homeowners and gardeners. A fact sheet that describes R. solanacearum symptoms, transmission, and management is on the APHIS web site. For more information about R. solanacearum, please contact Lynn Evans-Goldner, National Policy Manager by phone at (301) 851-2286 or by email at Lynn.Evans-Goldner@usda.gov.



Urban Agriculture Stakeholder Input Gathered for USDA NIFA - In response to a recent call from NIFA for stakeholder input to help inform and set priorities for $40 million of grant funding for research, education and extension around urban, indoor and emerging agriculture, the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research, the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) and a number of local Farm Bureau chapters located in urban counties from across the country, partnered to host four online, interactive listening sessions and an online survey. The listening sessions had 153 participants and the survey had 68 respondents from 38 U.S. states, territories and districts. The summary report provided to NIFA on June 22 is available here.