Advancing Digital Access-Registration Now Open

Digital access is vital to community wellbeing. Yet many communities struggle with the divide. In partnership with Extension Foundation, Southern Rural Development Center, USDA NIFA, the National Digital Extension Education Team (NDEET)/ECOP Broadband Program Action Team is offering a three-day in-person train-the-trainer workshop October 16-18, 2023, for teams of Extension professionals interested in helping close the digital divide in their state. Extension can play two key roles including: (1) community organizing and planning, and (2) educating on digital skills needed to access available broadband. This workshop will equip participants with both training and tools to guide efforts to close these critical gaps. Tools include a step-by-step planning process and the new national Digital Volunteer Initiative. Learn more: https://srdc.msstate.edu/ecommerce/advancing-digital-access-2023.html




ACTION BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS AUGUST 4: Answers to Institutional Trends and Salary Questions - In June, Members of the Cooperative Extension Section were invited to contribute to an ECOP salary questionnaire to assess overall funding trends for Extension at the institutional level and to collect salary data from local agents/educators. In true system fashion, the 1994 Extension Directors are being consulted to collect similar data in the near future. The data will be aggregated for "external” messaging. Current, reliable, defensible numbers to answer straightforward will help to answer questions posed several times each year by federal agencies and other interested parties. Some of the Extension Directors and Administrators who have already completed the questionnaire are reporting that the exercise was valuable to them. Contributing institutions will have access to the resulting report. The last of the submissions by 1890 and 1862 institutions is expected to wrap-up by the end of this week.

New Extension Community of Practice on Mental Health - A new subgroup of Connect Extension focused on Mental Health and Well-Being is now open to receive members! To join, visit https://connect.extension.org/...ealth-and-well-being and click “Join.” If you are not already a member of Connect Extension, you’ll be prompted to create a free account. If you are already a member and logged in, you can simply add this subgroup to the list of subgroups to which you belong.

The purpose of this subgroup is to highlight non-clinical, prevention-based work being done in the allied areas of mental health and well-being, facilitate the sharing of resources, inform members of upcoming events, and explore ways that Extension professionals can collaborate more effectively. For the purposes of this group mental mental health and well-being includes such topics as loneliness, chronic anxiety, depression, mindfulness, suicide, dementia, substance use disorders, recovery, and youth mental health. For more information, contact Roger Rennekamp, Extension Health Director at rogerrennekamp@extension.org.