Leading in a Time of Social, Economic and Political Disruption - 2020 NEDA

SAVE THE DATE! Virtual NEDA Meeting: The 2020 National Extension Director and Administrator Meeting (NEDA) will occur September 23-24 (ECOP Meeting on September 22). The theme for this NEDA meeting will be Leading in a Time of Social, Economic and Political Disruption. The meeting will be conducted on a virtual platform for All 76 members of the Cooperative Extension Section and System partners, who are encouraged to save the dates and watch for registration to be open within the next few weeks. Stay tuned for the invitation and other details with registration! 

NIFA Funding Opportunity - 1862, 1890, 1994 Land-Grant Institutions, and others. are eligible to apply for a new program area priority, FY 2020 Rapid Response to Novel Coronavirus (SARS-COV-2): Innovating Formal and Non-Formal Educational Experiences in Food and Agricultural Sciences During the Time of Social Distancing, to address the need to develop and deploy rapid, reliable, and readily-adoptable strategies in workforce preparation through formal K-14 education, as well as in youth development through non-formal education to cultivate interest and competencies in STEM and agriculture during this challenging time. Funded projects are expected to develop tools, techniques, and other practices that can be rapidly adopted at home or by educators and Extension specialists to ensure the effective formal and non-formal education of K-14 students and other youth development opportunities. A web version of this announcement can be found at: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDANIFA/bulletins/2963fd7. The application deadline is Aug. 20, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Interested applicants are invited to attend an informational webinar on July 28, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Click here for more information and to register. 

ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee Resolution and Commitment to the Deconstruction of Systemic Racism within the 4-H Program - In light of recent events across the nation and the reaffirmation of the core values of the 4-H Youth Development Program, the ECOP 4-H Leadership Committee statement on the deconstruction of systemic racism within the 4-H Program can be found here. The document was affirmed by the ECOP Executive Committee last week. 

2021 National Extension Conference on Volunteerism - The National Extension Conference on Volunteerism Planning Committee and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, have declared April 26-29, 2021, the dates 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. For more information, visit this website. 

Data and Policy: Responding to Human Services Needs - The Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research has released the next white paper in their Leading Edge Dialogue series: Data and Policy: Responding to Human Services Needs. Data is needed for decision-making, particularly around human services and community development, which are complex and intersectional issues. Skill in leveraging and presenting data will position research at the forefront of social policy conversations and decisions; however, retaining current silos of data and research could lead to suboptimal policy decisions and erosion of support for public universities. In fact, in the government human services sector there is a thirst for better data to legitimize and support social policy decisions; this creates a potential for partnerships and interface between Extension and government agencies. Emerging opportunities for collaboration from a panel of experts and participants at the 2019 National Urban Extension Conference during the 90-minute interactive Leading-Edge Dialogue are available here.