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Fresh from the
Field is a weekly album showcasing transformative impacts made by
grantees supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Editor: Falita Liles
March 1, 2018
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NIFA’s 2017 Annual Report
Highlights Significant Achievements by its Partners
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is pleased
to present its 2017 Annual Report: User Inspired Science Transforming
Lives. This year’s annual report highlights the transformative and
exciting work by NIFA-funded partners in the areas of research, education, and
extension. Read NIFA’s 2017 Annual
Report to
learn more about how the agency’s investments are moving it closer to its
vision of catalyzing transformative discoveries, education, and engagement to
address agricultural challenges.
Success Stories
Iowa 4-H:
From Inclusion to Belonging
One-in-five school age
(K-12) youth in Iowa is of color, and 4-H membership should mirror this trend.
Thus, in 2014, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach 4-H Youth
Development began to move from the concept of inclusion of diverse youth to
belonging. Iowa 4-H has created four Culturally-based Youth
Leadership Accelerators (CYLAs) that
mobilize cultural strengths and culturally based narratives to introduce and
strengthen the relationship between youth and 4-H. The CYLAs also connect
underrepresented youth, whose families may be unfamiliar with post-secondary
education, to the college experience.
Each CYLA includes a day
at the Iowa State University campus, an overnight experience, and a day of
culturally-based workshops with embedded 4-H program priorities: Healthy
Living, STEM, Citizenship and Leadership, and Communication and the Arts. Much
of the curriculum is entrenched in ethnic or cultural literature and research.
In only two years, CYLAs have brought more than 500 young leaders of color into
Iowa 4-H. In some cases, the youth have joined existing 4-H clubs and learning
communities. Many more have worked with volunteers to develop new culturally-based
clubs. CYLA graduates also have helped lead statewide programming.
Contact: John-Paul
Chaisson-Cárdenas, State 4-H Youth Development Program Leader, Iowa
State University Extension and Outreach, 515-294-6772, jcardena@iastate.edu. Photo
credit: John-Paul Chaisson-Cárdenas.
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News Coverage
Helping
Standing Rock Youth Succeed
Sue Isbell delivers 4-H
and youth development programming in Sioux County, North Dakota, which serves
members of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The people of the Standing Rock
are affected by severe poverty, high levels of diabetes and obesity, and low
graduation rates. Only 10 percent of ninth grade students graduate in one
district, with 80 percent dropping out before the end of their senior year.
Isbell’s work to establish
an embroidery and silkscreen business at a local high school has built business
skills among students, and improved the economy of the county. Her work to
establish community gardens has improved access to fresh fruits and vegetables
in hopes of reducing rates of food-related diseases.
Sue Isbell’s work has
brought greater awareness of Native American issues to her colleagues in the
North Dakota State University Extension Service, as well as real-world examples of how to design and
implement successful Extension programs for tribal audiences. Her programs
for tribal audiences build trust with tribal members as well as knowledge of
tribal history and culture.
Contact: Sue Isbell, Extension
Agent/Sioux County, sue.isbell@ndsu.edu. Photo credit: Sue Isbell.
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The Library
Together We
Can
Unidos Se Puede, formerly
Juntos, is a culturally-appropriate prevention program being delivered to 300
Latino immigrant families in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Designed to increase
academic performance and reduce substance use and other common negative
behaviors, Unidos promotes family engagement, success coaching, and positive
peer affiliations through year-round activities.
Participating families
have shown significant increases in positive parenting behaviors and decreases
in youth alcohol and drug use. Students also increased their GPAs by 29
percent, and decreased tardiness and absences by 23 percent and 33 percent,
respectively.
Unidos is widely accepted
by both the families and the school systems where implemented, and is poised to
become a model for helping communities across the United States address the
needs of their growing Latino immigrant populations.
Dr. Ronald Cox, Oklahoma
State University researcher and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
specialist, launched Unidos in response to a general lack of programs designed
to meet the unique needs of shifting Latino migration patterns where new
settlement communities are poorly equipped to support immigrant populations.
NIFA supports this project
through the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk program.
Contact: Leilana McKindra,
Communications Specialist, Agricultural Communications Services, Oklahoma
State University; 405.744.6792; leilana.mckindra@okstate.edu. Photo credit: Todd
Johnson-OSU Communications.
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Texas 4-H Mission Possible Camp
Mission Possible is a
co-educational, inclusive program that provides a residential summer camp
experience for youth of differing abilities, bringing youth together to improve
their abilities and to learn from each other. The three primary objectives are
to include youth with medically-diagnosed disabilities in a traditional summer
camp environment, educate 4-H members about disabilities, and prepare 4-H
members to advocate for the disabled community.
The program began in 2004
with funding from National 4-H Council’s Building Community Inclusion
initiative aimed at providing an inclusive 4-H experience. In total, 538 youth
have participated in the 13 camps; 238 youth with medically diagnosed
disabilities and 300 4-H members serving as mentors.
Mission Possible wins on
two levels: campers have fun, just like any other youth, and 4-H youth who
serve as mentors gain valuable interpersonal skills. “These experiences have
taught me to be a different kind of leader. I also learned that though people
with special needs are often viewed as ‘disabled,’ their only real disability
is a lack of acceptance.” – 4-H mentor.
Contact: B. Darlene Locke, Texas
A&M AgriLife Extension, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist 1470
William D Fitch Pkwy, College Station, TX 77843-2473 dlocke@ag.tamu.edu,
(979) 845-6535
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Tweet of the Week
#NIFAIMPACTS
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NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and extension that solve societal challenges. NIFA’s investments in transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global preeminence of U.S. agriculture. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural sciences, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/Impacts, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA, #NIFAImpacts.
USDA is an equal opportunity lender, provider, and employer.
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