Extension’s century-old approach to “listening first” is as relevant today as ever.
At least that is my take-home message from remarks made by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack during his recent visit to The Ohio State University. Vilsack was here to announce targeted assistance to 11 rural Ohio counties through the USDA StrikeForce Initiative. StrikeForce is a collaborative effort among government agencies to work in partnership with local communities to address local issues arising from chronic poverty. The Ohio counties targeted by the initiative are Adams, Athens, Fayette, Guernsey, Jackson, Lucas, Meigs, Morgan, Pike, Scioto, and Vinton.
During his remarks, Vilsack drove home the importance of an approach utilized by the Cooperative Extension System over a hundred years. Rather than having well-meaning outsiders prescribe what a community needs to achieve prosperity, a more effective strategy involves engaging with people in a community to learn about their dreams, wishes, and desires and helping them obtain the resources they need to realize their goals. In particular, Extension specializes in mobilizing the resources of the land-grant university system and bringing them to bear on issues of local communities. In this model, Extension serves as a two-way expressway between universities and communities that produces a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge.
I also believe that Extension is uniquely positioned to hear what communities are saying. Because many Extension educators live in the counties they are charged to serve, they have first-hand knowledge of the issues affecting the residents of those counties. Our educators live there with the goal of not only making a living, but a life. Furthermore, Extension doesn’t close up shop when grant funds run out or an article is published using data gathered from the community. We are there for the duration.
Vilsack’s remarks also made me wonder how OSU Extension can best support the USDA’s StrikeForce initiative in these counties. How can we leverage our positional advantage and positive reputation in communities to play a meaningful role in sustainable community change?
I would agree. Great points.
It’s unfortunate that County Extension Directors in these counties were not made aware of this designation; I presume other agencies in the counties are engaged in planning through the USDA StrikeForce Initiative. With whom do we make contact? How do we become involved?
We are working on finding out who the StrikeForce coordinator is in each of the targeted counties. Thanks for asking!
Can I quote you on this? What an excellent description of the nature of Extension! “Extension specializes in mobilizing the resources of the land-grant university system and bringing them to bear on issues of local communities. In this model, Extension serves as a two-way expressway between universities and communities that produces a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge.”
Also, is there a way to subscribe to this blog?
Thanks!
As of now, our plan is to send out a notice every time I post a new item to the blog. We will let you know if we move toward a subscription model. Feel free to user the quote!
Glad to know about the USDA StrikeForce Initiative. As a new PA, I am looking forward to contributing here in Lucas!
Great Extension quote!
Great blog Roger! I look forward to more and would like to subscribe too.
– Chris Geith, CEO eXtension Foundation
I’m an Extension Natural Resources Specialist with a focus on forestry and natural resources issues in Appalachian Ohio. Nine of the 11 StrikeForce counties are in this region of Ohio, which contains about 2/3 our forested lands. I truly believe that trees, forests and wood products can be a major part of the solution to the economic woes down here.
Ever since I heard about the StrikeForce initiative I’ve also been wondering how OSUE can support this effort. We have strong ties with organizations, agencies, communities and the people in the region. We are well positioned to play a major role in this effort, but we need a seat (many seats) at the table(s).
Thanks for taking the time to keep us in the loop!
So glad for the historical perspective to guide future thinking. This “listening” approach parallels our “Conversations on the future”… as well as the Extension histories Scott Peters (Cornell) has written. I quoted a bit of those (and asked the pivotal question, “Educators or Facilitators” regarding Extension’s approach) in a JOE article a few years back: http://www.joe.org/joe/2010june/comm1.php
I’m definitely looking forward to the next 10 years!
Thanks, Brian. My post today will hopefully stimulate thinking about the educator and facilitator roles.
Roger,
Great post!
Please consider that two of the 11 counties mentioned do NOT have an A/NR Educator – (Vinton & Jackson) Meigs County has a .5 position and Adams Co. a .33 A/NR Educator.
If we are to have significant impact we need to be fully staffed.