Leaders Encouraging Collaborations with Diverse Communities

Last Friday, ECOP hosted a third in a series of Learning for Leaders conversations with a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion theme. Katie Hartmann, who recently completed her PhD in Education, Equity, and Transformation at Colorado State University, identified what excellence looks like to collaborate with diverse communities. The structures include but are not limited to a Relations Liaison, Inside Collaborator, and a community-specific sense of timing. What can be implemented in the short and long term?

To review Leaders Encouraging Collaborations with Diverse Communities, from March 5:

     -- View recording at https://youtu.be/KR2kUsUJgjM

     -- Click here to view/download slides

Extension Directors and Administrators are invited to closely follow the DEI series and complete this survey by Friday, March 12. Check out archives of the following here.

     -- Improving Inclusivity in Our Institutions and ECOP, February 5
     -- Inclusive and Equitable Organizations – An Evidence Based Model, January 8

SAVE THE DATE - The next Learning for Leaders is set for Friday, May 7, 3-4 p.m. ET. Topic/title are yet to be determined.  

eXtension is Now the Extension Foundation - eXtension’s mission has evolved over the past several years, from being an organization focused on creating technology solutions for the Cooperative Extension System, to a focus on helping Cooperative Extension faculty and staff find new and innovative ways to deliver their projects and programs, and helping Cooperative Extension make a greater impact in communities. Realizing that continuing the eXtension name might be a source of confusion for many, as it is reminiscent of the organization’s past, the Board of Directors announces that eXtension is now the Extension Foundation. Over the coming weeks, digital presence changes will be made to better reflect the mission and vision of the Extension Foundation and its role in Cooperative Extension. For more information, visit extension.org.

Net Inclusion 2021 Webinar Series - The Net Inclusion Conference has been a staple in the Digital Inclusion community since 2016, bringing hundreds of practitioners, advocates, academics, internet service providers, and policymakers together to share their knowledge. With social distancing still in place, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance will once again hold an online version of Net Inclusion to substitute the in-person conference. This Series will include eight one-hour webinars, every Wednesday from April 7 - May 26, 2021, at 1 PM ET. All webinars include an additional 30-minute wrap-up for conversation and Q&A with panelists and fellow participants. Find the topics, schedule, and register here.



HealthCare.gov Special Enrollment Period 2021 Now Open - Last week Health Extension Director, Roger Rennekamp, shared the following update with the Extension Institutional Contacts for Health and Well-Being.

The Department of Health and Human Services requests assistance in getting the word out about a special enrollment period for those in need of health insurance. This special enrollment period is now open through HealthCare.Gov, where there is information about programs and tools to help existing and new Health Insurance Marketplace participants. The deadline for enrollment is May 15, 2021. For more information, go to HealthCare.Gov.