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Family and Consumer Sciences

Ohio State University Extension

CFAES

Breakout Session Descriptions

Breakout Descriptions:

Breakout Session #1

Working with LGBTQ+ Youth and Families in Extension, Kayla Oberstadt

In this workshop, Extension educators will participate in activities and group discussions to enhance their knowledge about delivering programs to LGBTQ+ audiences. Participants can expect to learn terminology, build awareness of best practices to support youth and adults in Extension programming, and recognize OSU's legal obligations in producing inclusive content. All participants will leave with steps to create an inclusive environment for their diverse audiences by providing positive education! 

Competence, Relevance, and Intelligence: Strategies to Better Engage with Learners from Diverse Backgrounds, Joseph Maiorano

Presentation [PPT]

I will begin my workshop with activities to help participants develop a better understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion; cultures and identities; as well as bias and other less positive ways that some people respond to persons from diverse backgrounds. Next, I will facilitate a dialogue about why equity, inclusion, and access might be good business strategies for OSU Extension, in general, and FCS, in particular. I will conclude this workshop by introducing participants to three effective strategies for improving their engagement with learners from diverse backgrounds: cultural competence, cultural relevance, and cultural intelligence.

Blending eLearning and Traditional Learning for the Ohio EFNEP Pregnancy Training, Amy Habig, Kristen Matlack, Yvette Graham, and Amy Hollar

Ohio has an infant mortality rate of 7.4 per 1,000 births, which is significantly higher than the national average of 6.1 per 1,000. Some of the risk factors for infant mortality are not within our control, but many are preventable through improving maternal health, including maternal nutrition. To help improve maternal health, Ohio EFNEP grew outside their comfort zone by: 1) reaching out to pregnant women via a pregnancy curriculum, and 2) adopting a new training model for staff.

For the pregnancy curriculum, Ohio EFNEP incorporated pregnancy and infant-feeding information (along with corresponding learning activities and resources) into their existing 9-lesson curriculum, which is offered at community sites across Ohio. The pregnancy curriculum allows EFNEP to enhance the ability to connect with new audiences, strengthen collaborations with partners, and participate in efforts to reduce infant mortality.  

In summer 2019, Ohio EFNEP developed and launched a training to prepare staff to teach the EFNEP pregnancy curriculum and increase their understanding of important pregnancy and maternal health topics. The training combines online and in-person training methods, including a pre- and post-quiz, online modules, facilitated discussions, in-person curriculum demonstrations, and optional teach back sessions. The current format aims to stretch staff beyond comfort zones by engaging in online training formats a new method for Ohio EFNEP. Advantages of this format included decreased travel for staff; convenience of a self-paced course whereby staff can incorporate it into their schedules without cancelling programming; ability to use the training materials for multiple years; ability for new staff to start the training at any time; and use of multiple learning strategies. 

This presentation will cover aspects of the pregnancy curriculum, process of developing the training, and process and outcome evaluation results. Audience members will sample activities from the pregnancy curriculum and aspects of the online course. 

Strategies for Stigma Reduction on Substance Misuse and Mental Illness in Your Community, Karima Samadi, Jami Dellifield, Amanda Raines, Michael Schweinsberg, Tammy Jones, Lorrissa Dunfee, Lesley Workman, and Amanda Bohlen

Substance Misuse, addiction, and mental illness are challenging public health issues that are affecting families in our counties throughout the state of Ohio. Extension Personnel can help to reduce stigma and support recovery by sharing the stories, facts, and strategies with others in their community, and change the way these issues are talked about in your community. Join us for an interactive and intensive learning experience that will prepare the tools you can use to go back to your community and to make a difference.

Topics covered include:

-Exploring stigma and how it affects individuals and communities
-Myths vs. facts related to addiction and mental illness
-Ways that Extension educators can combat stigma (participants will get copy of PPT slides to use for local presentations)
-Mental health in children and adolescents and how you should talk about it with them and with parents
-What Extension educators can do in their communities to support recovery
-Ideas and tools for developing a community awareness-building campaign to reduce stigma in your community
-Activities to engage your community team, drug coalition, or healthy communities taskforce to promote mental health awareness.

Screentime & Digital Disorders, Cheryl Mahoney

An interactive workshop on internet connected electronic screens (ICES) and their potential effects on physical, emotional, mental, and behavioral health.


After completion, participants will be able to:
-identify the roles and impact of electronic screens and the internet in their own lives as well as the children they work with,
-describe biochemical responses to popular screen activities,
-identify common industry practices used to manipulate consumers,
-explain how FREE games like Fortnite can bring in $300 million a month,
-decrease potential harms from the use of electronic screens and the internet,
-utilize resources to educate self and others on healthier screen use,
-make a positive difference in their own lives and the lives of those they care about.

 

Breakout Session #2

Finding Resources for Audiences with Special Needs, Suzanne Saggese

The breakout session will identify various resources to assist in the delivery of programming to adult audiences with various special needs. As all Extension professionals are aware, OSU Extension is committed to providing the programming and knowledge of the University to diverse audiences across the state. However, there may be some hesitation in seeking out audiences who require special adaptations or resources due to a lack of knowledge of available resources.
During this session, participants will learn about resources provided by federal agencies, the University, as well as supporting agencies across the state. Resources for populations including visually and hearing impaired, developmental disabilities, and limited English proficiency or low literacy are included.
During the session, participants will be asked to look at scenarios for providing programming for populations with unique needs. They will be encouraged to develop solutions and discuss resources available within their own communities to assist in addressing those needs. Participants are intended to compete the session with new tools and resources that will enable them to reduce the barriers to providing programming to adult audiences with special needs.

"Sodium Shakedown": New Youth-Focused Sodium Reduction Teaching Activities, Carol Smathers and Theresa Ferrari

We all need to consume a small amount of sodium for our bodies to function, but most Americans consume more than the recommended limit of 2,300 mg (about 1 teaspoon of salt) per day (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015). High sodium intake leads to high blood pressure, and thus to heart disease and stroke, the first and fifth leading causes of death in our country. The strong dose-dependent relationship between consuming too much salt and raised levels of blood pressure means that reducing sodium intake can make a real difference. Reducing sodium intake lowers blood pressure, with greater effects among people with hypertension (CDC, 2017).   
 
There are few resources available for teaching about sodium intake reduction to youth. Materials aimed at youth should include knowledge (e.g., harmful effects of salt on health, sodium recommendations, ways to reduce salt intake), attitudes, and skills (e.g., label reading). To address this need, we created the Sodium Shakedown kit. The activities in the kit are designed for teen health leaders to use to teach others. The activities would also be suitable for adult audiences. The kit contains a lesson plan for activities; background information; worksheets, and food cards with nutrition information, including those picturing foods commonly eaten by youth. We pilot tested the activities at Adventure Central in the summer of 2019. Participants found the activities easy to use and they increased their knowledge of recommended sodium intake, types of foods high in sodium, and associated health risks. 

Voices for Food Ambassador Training, Dan Remley

As part of the Voices for Food Project, the Voices for Food Ambassadors Training is intended for food pantry personnel, clients, and other community members, and provides instruction on nutrition, food safety and cultural competency. Participants in the training learn how to effectively promote nutrition and be proactive about their food concerns, preferences, and needs. Once trained, Voices for Food Ambassadors become champions for nutrition in their homes, food pantries and communities.

Cultural competency is a key skill for Voices for Food Ambassadors. Cultural competency is essential for fostering positive interactions and also creating nonjudgmental, inclusive environments. A culturally competent person seeks to understand cultures different from his or her own, but also is in tune with his or her own culture and inherent biases. An awareness of biases is the first step to building knowledge and skills that enable one to find common ground with different cultures. Biases can also negatively influence nonverbal communication and these unchallenged biases could be detrimental to the overall choice- pantry atmosphere and experience.

Attendees at this interactive workshop will learn about the overall goals of the Voices for Food Ambassador training and take part in two Voices for Food Ambassador activities that promote cultural competency. The Beneath the Iceberg activity helps people become aware of the hidden traits and talents of others, and how not to judge people based on their outward appearances. The Golden Ticket activity explores how one's inherited privileges influence their worldview and interaction with others.

Cultivating Change through Relationships, Aaron Fowler and Trevor Corboy

Successful partner relationships are built on trust, commitment, and communication.  For a collaborative effort to be successful, this requires us to venture out of our comfort zones to find champions and get over our barriers.  The Fairborn Digital Academy Garden project's success depended on all collaborators stepping out of their comfort zones to achieve a school garden and accredited gardening program for its students.  In the first few attempts at implementing the project, there were many failures and missed opportunities.  Some of these failures and missed opportunities were that: we did not include students in the planning process, multiple transitions in county ANR educators made collaboration difficult, and there was no structure to the gardening side of the program.  Over the last year and a half, we restructured and created a program that benefits the school, community, and, most of all, the students.  We acquired champions that helped revitalize the vision of a young SNAP-Ed program assistant and a determined principal.  In this facilitated discussion, members of the Greene County Extension team will present our program and discuss our experiences in developing a successful collaboration between SNAP-Ed and ANR.  We will discuss the barriers and shortcomings that we have faced and how we have ventured out of our comfort zones to find solutions.  Finally, we will discuss how this interactive method of teaching can be utilized in other counties.

Junior Farmers Market: Creating Excitement About Fruits and Vegetables Among Youth, Marcus McCartney and Amanda Bohlen

This presentation will instruct educators on how to successfully implement a Junior Farmers Market program in their county.  From obtaining funds to working with schools, this presentation will deliver the step-by-step process needed to execute this impactful and popular program for local students. 
 
Today, many kids do not get enough exercise or consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables and as a result, childhood obesity is at an all-time high.  Nationally, Ohio ranks 6th in child obesity among 10 to 17 year olds (18.6%) and 11th in adult obesity (33.8%).  Also according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 40% of Ohio adolescents report consuming fruits and vegetables less than one time a day.

In general, Farmers Markets are a fun and exciting social event that differs greatly from the grocery store experience.  The goal of the Junior Farmers Market is to give students an opportunity to experience this excitement and associate it with fruits and vegetables to establish long-term healthy future consumers and having these consumers buy their produce locally.

The Junior Farmers Market is a mobile market which can be setup anywhere; schools, daycares, etc.  Each student receives $5 to buy fresh locally grown produce from local farms and provides the opportunity for students to directly interact with the farmers.  Besides the mobile farmers market booth, four additional educational stations are implemented to simulate an actual farmers' market experience which includes, FCS's Rethink Your Drink booth, SNAP-Ed's taste testing and healthy recipe booth, 4H's kids' yoga and healthy living station, and Soil and Water Conservation's Healthy Soil Equals Healthy People booth.  As well as receiving $5, each student also receives a reusable farmers market bag, an educational apron, and take-home handouts for parents.

 

Breakout Session #3

How to Effectively Market and Promote Educations Programming in Family and Cosumer Sciences: An Interactive Workshop, Beth Hustead

Programming in the Family and Consumer Sciences branch of OSU Cooperative Extension depends on effectively reaching audiences that will benefit most from the services we offer. Healthy people, finances, and relationships classes all have one thing in common: the need to effectively recruit specific community members with little to no marketing budget. Because our primary focus is on the content we teach, it's easy to overlook marketing and recruitment and the important role it plays in the success of our programs, which can result in poor attendance and high levels of attrition. Studies have shown that Extension programming promoted via advertising and marketing strategies using communication theory have higher enrollment and retention rates than those who rely solely on word of mouth (Varea-Hammond, 2004; Verma & Burns, 1995; Telg et al., 2007). 

In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about the importance of marketing their programming at the community level, and how to do so effectively. Specifically, this workshop will cover:
-Why marketing is an effective recruitment tool for Family and Consumer Sciences programming
-Basic communication theory that makes local/community event advertising effective
-Tailoring marketing materials to a specific target audience
-Designing effective, low-budget advertising materials (flyers, social media posts, etc.) using both Microsoft Word and Power Point
-Seeking out low-cost advertising opportunities in the community
-How to evaluate whether your marketing materials were effective

Collaborating for Success, Jessica Lowe and Michelle Treber

Working with others to create new programming can sometimes be challenging and not what we are used to doing. However, by reaching outside of our comfort zones to collaborate with partners, both within and outside of Extension, we can strengthen FCS efforts in the communities we work. 

Through collaboration with community agencies in Pickaway County, we have found a way to address local needs as well as meet our program goals. By working with a local church, we secured transportation for low-income participants, funding for programs, as well as additional support. The church recognized our program efforts and continued to provide financial support for a series of programs for high-risk youth held outside of their own agency. 

Last year, FCS and SNAP-Ed combined efforts to create a Kids Cooking Camp. This three-part series consisted of a SNAP-Ed lesson with additional FCS activities. In addition, we were able to enlist the help of two 4-H Health Heroes. 

A geographic location provided a unique opportunity for partnering with a neighboring county FCS program.  By working with another county, we were able to offer Cooking Matters in an area that did not have any FCS programming. 

In this breakout presentation, we will share stories, strategies, and lesson learned when reaching outside of our comfort zones to work with others. The audience will have an opportunity to look at their own counties to determine ways they too could work together to strengthen FCS programming in their local communities. 

Community Engagement in an Era of Complexity, Whitney Gherman

In the modern era it is becoming increasingly important for land universities to offer learning opportunities that integrate the whole community. Too often education resembles an assembly line, a meaningless process of passing information from educator to class participants. In this mechanical model the community is regulated to an object of service, dependent on our institution for their well-being.

This workshop will help educators (1) identify principles for equitable and inclusive civic engagement; (2) develop strategies to tackle community problems by partnering with residents, and (3) realize the role of race and equity in shaping community programs. More than ever, we need spaces where diverse perspectives can unite, participate in productive dialogue, and collectively act to solve local problems. This presentation will draw from a Marion County pilot program that explores how land grant universities can play a critical role in empowering ordinary residents for collective impact.

Extension knows that there is no silver bullet. Authentic community engagement requires several strategies that support collaboration and reach diverse audiences. Our county project involved photovoice methods, pop up civic events, oral history recordings, and grassroots leadership development based on research and curriculum from the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute, 1890 field test institutions, and Stanford University's Collective Impact study. The fundamental questions we sought to answer was how do educators co-produce with residents and what are we doing in our programs when we use the language of diversity? A special emphasis will be placed on equity and inclusion in rural settings.

The "Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch": Opportunities for Teaching, Outreach and to Help Beat Michigan!, Carol Smathers

Did you know that over 50 varieties of apples are grown in Ohio? And that Ohio is one of the top ten apple producing states? The Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch inspires healthy eating and draws attention to local apples and to schools' local food initiatives throughout 5 Midwestern states by encouraging classrooms and other groups to crunch local apples together during National Farm to School Month in October. In 2018, schools and other organizations collectively registered over 1.5 million individuals, including about 200,000 from Ohio. 
Farm to school refers to a broad range of activities involved in schools' efforts to purchase, serve, and teach about local foods. Research suggests that students at schools and early childhood education sites that engage in Farm to school activities, particularly school gardens, eat more fruits and vegetables, are more willing to try new foods at school and home, understand seasonality better, and may experience improved academic achievement in science, math, language arts, and writing. 
Whether you host an impromptu crunch in your office, take apples to a county commissioners meeting, or teach lessons about apples at local schools, you'll bring fun and awareness to your community while fostering Farm to School activities through the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch. You'll also help Ohio beat Michigan in the friendly competition to register the most crunchers! 

Objectives 
-Learn more about the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch! Session participants will: 
-Test their knowledge of and learn 3 new facts about Ohio apples  
-Recognize positives impacts related to past apple crunch events and Farm to School activities
   - Identify groups could benefit from the Apple Crunch 
-Explore teaching activities and resources from the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch Guide
-Describe 3 Apple Crunch activities to share in their county
-Taste and identify a range of Ohio-grown apples

IGNITE Session

- Are You Being Served?, Chris Kendle, Emily Marrison, Kate Schumaker, Courtney Woelfl, and Samantha Schott

Virtual Toolkit for Enhancing Aging Programming, Jim Bates

- Cooking with Kids - A Camp to Inspire Confidence in the Kitchen, Alisha Barton and Amanda Bennett

- What to Do When You Can't Control the Weather; Complete Wellness for the Extension Professional, Alisha Barton, Lorrissa Dunfee, Amanda Bohlen

- Unpacking Tax Reform: Implications for Ohioans, Lauren Jones