Progress 09/15/06 to 09/14/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The LCO Extension Department continued our valued community outreach and educational opportunities during the 2009-2010 operational year. 2009 was a year of turnover and leadership change within the Department as our Extension Director position was filled as an Interim appointment by Leslie Ramczyk in April 2009. Leslie worked to complete commitments made by her predecessor and worked as Interim until October 2009. In October 2009 Mike DeMarr became the Extension Director. The final months of 2009 were used to get the department in order and prepare for workshop and outreach activities for the coming year of 2010. In January 2010 we held 2 beadwork workshops. These were both 3 hour workshops and we had 15 people attend between the two. In February, 2010 a Photography Workshop for Tribal Professionals was held. This 4 hour short course provided participants with ways to broaden their skills in relation to capturing imagery for their professional careers. The course covered the basics of creating imagery by discussing and learning about: Developing a Vision, Composition, Lighting, and Direction. 15 people attended the one day photography workshop. On March 26th 2010, LCO Extension and the regional Bureau of Indian Affairs office partnered for a GIS/GPS Workshop. The one day workshop concerned the use of Garmin GPS, fGIS and USAPhotomap. Participants learned the fundamentals of using a Garmin GPS device, collecting and transferring data, and using laptop computers with mapping software to generate simple maps. We had 18 regional Tribal professionals attend the training. April 9th, 16th and 23rd we held a Writing workshop for Tribal professionals. The workshop covered The Writing Process: Editing and Proofreading, E-Mail, Memos, Business Letters, Reports and Presentations. There were 15 professionals in attendance for the three 8 hour workshops. For the 3rd year LCO Extension participated in an Adolescent & Family Conference in cooperation with UW Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Wisconsin CESA, and the LCO Tribe was held on April 22 & 23, 2010 roughly 80 people attended the 2 day event. Traditional Ojibwe wigwam construction was the setting for a summer language and culture workshop series focused on the development of specific Ojibwe leadership skills needed to gather, process, and prepare materials for a traditional Ojibwe dwelling. June 18th, 22nd Wigwam Gathering Workshop, June 28th- 30th Ojibwe Lang Workshop Wigwam focus, July 12th - 14th Ojibwe Language Workshop Wigwam. These workshops culminated in a published book, as listed in the publications section. Red Cliff & Bad River Language and Culture Camp July 22nd - 24th. This event was conducted in conjunction with our outreach sites at Bad River and Red Cliff. We had roughly 50 people attend at various times during the three day series of workshops. From July through August we held several local canoe trips on rivers used historically by our Tribe. Finally, on Sept 9th and 10th we held a wildrice harvest workshop and a wildrice processing workshop. These workshops had roughly 20 participants between the two. PARTICIPANTS: LCOOCC Extension Director: Responsible for organizing and coordinating all Extension activities and events. The director provides: experience and guidance for the organization of experiential educational activities, instructional support as required, work at maintaining existing partnerships and will work to establish new partnerships as the opportunities arise. LCOOCC Extension Programs Assistant: provides the Extension Director with administrative support for this grant. Assists with requisitions, payments, collect student information for issuing Continuing Education Units (CEU's), issuing certificates of completion for program workshop activities. Arlene will assist the Extension Director with the coordination of activities for the various workshops as outlined within the grant narrative (i.e. facility use, supplies, transportation arrangements, etc). Arlene will assist with physically transporting the participants by van to the various workshop locations. LCOOCC Intern Program: The Internship & Transportation Program Coordinator will provide assistance in the area of hiring and training student interns, and also will work to provide internship opportunities from other funding sources as the need for increased student help arises. Student Interns: These positions involve working out of the LCOOCC Extension Department office for both the academic year and the summer session. The students assist with various Ojibwe language and culture workshops focused on the development of specific Ojibwe life skills needed to gather, process, and prepare materials for a traditional Ojibwe lifestyle (hunting, fishing and gathering). Work includes but is not limited to, assisting with gathering and prepping materials, and assisting workshop participants as needed. LCOOCC Native American Studies Faculty: The faculty with the Native American Studies Department will provide assistance and guidance for the workshops addressing Ojibwe culture and language. Tribal Historic Preservation Office: The Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) will provide assistance and service for a variety of culturally related activities as outlined within the time table below. The THPO is an LCO Tribal community elder with a great knowledge of the Tribe, its language and culture. We have worked with: Purdue University, University of Wisconsin, Madison, LCO Tribal Government, BIA Regional Office, Indian Health Service, and many other Governmental and Non-governmental organizations. TARGET AUDIENCES: LCOOCC Extension presently serves the Lac Courte Oreilles band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Tribal enrollment totals nearly 7,000 members, of which 60% live on the LCO reservation in 23 different community villages. The tribe occupies approximately 74,000 acres located near the Chequamegon National Forest. The reservation is located roughly 11 miles southeast of the town of Hayward in Sawyer County. In addition to the LCO Reservation we provide service at our Outreach Sites operating on nearby Ojibwe reservations: Bad River, Lac du Flambeau, Red Cliff and St. Croix. Our service in these communities is somewhat limited by funding and we work to provide many services and opportunities as partnerships will allow. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Under this grant program our Extension services worked to develop and enrich leadership skills through experiential Extension Education. We worked to cultivate and engage community members in volunteer developments while also expanding the 1994 Extension program internally to provide more opportunities for our community members. We provided many leadership and Tribal professional career improvement learning oportunities during the implementation of this final year of our four year effort. While we can say that during the application portion of each workshop a change in knowledge was demonstrated, we cannot say whether that change was a permanent one. We do no long term tracking of workshop participants and cannot determine if there ever was a lifestyle change made a result of our workshop endeavors. It can be noted that many participants have returned to future events or workshops and some participants who were not enrolled at the college have since become students. We have not tracked that information and the mention of returns and student enrollment is purely anecdotal.
Publications
- Ezhichigeyang : Ojibwe word list. Nancy Jones; Gordon Jourdain; Rose Tainter; Anton Treuer; Keller Paap. 2011. Book 241 pp. Wisconsin: Waadookodaading, Ojibwe Immersion Charter School; ISBN: 9781257043927 1257043927
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Progress 09/15/08 to 09/14/09
Outputs
Report Period-9/2008 to 9/2009-The LCO Extension continues to be a vital part of the community. During this funding period there were several opportunities for students, community members, and professional staff to participate in a variety of programs. In collaboration with other LCO tribal entities, the extension department helped host the 2nd Annual Wellness Fair. Parenting workshops continue to important. Seven(7) parenting workshops were scheduled during this reporting period. An Adolescent & Family Confeence was held on April 23 & 24, 2009, with forty-four(44) attending. Niigaaniziwin, a tribal leadershipinitiative workshop was a collaborative effort between LCO Extension, University of Wisconsin-Superior, and UW-Extension. There were six scheduled sessions with an average of fourteen(14) attending. Some of the topics discussed during these sessions were tools of leadership, strategies for success, and networking and its importance. LCO Extension offered an OSHA Scaffolding Training workshop and there were twenty-four(24) participants. This provided an excellent opportunity for our LCO Housing employees and LCO Development/Construction company employees to receive training the definitely contributes to there knowledge and safety. A grant writing workshop was held February 9 & 10, 2009 and writer's workshop scheduled in March, 2009. In addition to these conferences and seminars there were several other workshops ranging from culturally relevant projects such as arrow making, beading, shawl & moccasin making to more western traditional topics such as financial empowerment, alternative energy, natual resource research projects and computer literacy within the elder community. These project/workshops/seminars provide opportunities to the community and produce Community Education Units(CEUs)that contribute to the colleges Indian Student Count(ISC). A total of 12 CEUs calculates to an approximate amount of $60,000 that the LCO Extension program has generated this reporting period. LCO Extension again sponsored a VITA site for community members to file there taxes. There were one hundre and thirty-six(136) individuals taking advantage of this service. At an average of $80-$200 filing fee, this service saved community members, in total, between $10,880 to $27,200 this tax season. Assisting community members with the filing of their taxes is needed, however, the tribal credit union may be a more appropriate location to provide this service. LCO Extension also provides supervisory support to the GED & Adult Literacy program, which operates under a separate fund. The Youth and Community Development(Y & CD) program is yet another area where LCO Extension provides supervisory assistance. The Y & CD program and LCO Extension collaborate on many things since both provide community opportunities. PRODUCTS: Brochures were created for the Adolescent & Families Conference and the Niigaaniziwin workshop. Some registration fees were funded through this program. OUTCOMES: This is a progress report only. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Collaborated with the LCO Equity program to sponsor an informational poster presentation at the annual FALCON conference that occurred in December of 2008. The information presented was on hair identification of mammals, primarily prey of the Pine Marten. FUTURE INITIATIVES: This is a progress report only.
Impacts
Although the LCO Extension sponsored a tax preparing service to community members, the extension program will seek to encourage the tribal credit union to take on this role. This service is needed and would benefit the community by becoming an established service and increase participation.
Publications
- No publications reported during this period 2008-2009
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Progress 09/15/07 to 09/14/08
Outputs
Extension ended the 2007-08 year with great successes. There were abundant opportunities for students and Community members at Lac Courte Oreilles, Bad River, St. Croix and Red Cliff to participate in a broad spectrum of activities. Workshop topics ranged from financial education, leadership and diversity training to Spiritual and Physical well-being. The workshops generally provided each participant with an empowering experience for growth toward holistic health and well-being, all of which heavily impacts the overall success of the LCO community. All workshops had a direct impact on leadership and local community members' professional development. These workshops included diversity training, community wellness and prevention, electrical safety and economical use, and Ojibwe language. Each workshop was attended by an average of 20 community members. During the spring term twenty-five workshops were held and five of these workshops were multi-day events. The VITA site supported by the Extension initiative during the 2007 tax season can only be categorized as an extraordinary success. We prepared and submitted 368 returns. The IRS estimates the average cost for this service in our area to be $200. Based on that figure, we have saved the community an estimated $73,600. As of April 4, we filed $310,979 in Federal refunds for the community. The success of the site for this year provides evidence that a formalized financial education program would be of benefit to the community. This goal, however, is only in the planning stage and funds have yet to be identified to support this project. Inspired by the preliminary results of the Native Assets Research conducted over the Summer of 2007, a civic engagement and community leadership project emerged. With the collaboration of UW-Cooperative Extension, UW-Superior Continuing Education, Bad River Tribal Government, Red Cliff Tribal Council and LCO Conservation, a leadership seminar series has been developed. Although the scope of the project exceeded the financial capabilities of the Extension grant, each agency provided insight and assistance for additional funding. This funding has been provided to the UW-Cooperative Northern Region from a UW-Innovation grant award. The seminar series is scheduled to start in early 2009. LCO Extension department has also partnered with other tribal entities to develop and host the third annual Health and Wellness Fair. We were involved in extensive planning meetings, curriculum development and were sponsors of four guest speakers. The guest speakers addressed issues of family violence, substance abuse and production dangers, internet predator safety, and diabetes care and prevention. The event was held on October 15th and through development stages during the summer months was support in part by the Extension 2007-08 funds. Extension will also support the 2008, third annual wellness fair which is scheduled for September 30th, 2008. Community participant numbers soared near 350 people; and the data and evaluations after review indicated growing community interest in developing healthy life styles. PRODUCTS: Completed and submitted the Native Assets research report, from the joint research project with Washington University. Findings indicate that to fully address how wealth-building strategies might work best in an American Indian cultural context, any initiatives must include, culture, family and youth. The targeted aspect of this grant was critical to the research design and data collection phase of this research project; however, the community-based participatory model used to conduct this research required more community engagement than the sixteen-month time period provided. Extension made a valuable contribution to the college in the way of student hours. This year extension provided 8.72 in the fall and 9.46 in the spring of 2008. This is an important contribution to the overall operational functions of the college, but is demonstrative of the Extension department engaging the community on a level that exceeds the successes of the past. OUTCOMES: Asset Research and Native Nations The primary purposes of this study were to explore how a Native community defines assets, to learn more about asset holdings in a Native community, and to understand how wealth-building strategies might work best in an American Indian cultural context. The full report is accessible from the Ford Foundation Website and may result in additional publications in peer-reviewed journals in the following year. This project supported five student interns where each learned about social qualitative research methods and then they conducted the research interviews. This research was carried out in collaboration with Washington University of St. Louis. The four students were supervised by Jessica Hale, Extension Director and academically supervised by Shawn Ambrose, Faculty Instructor. Roughly, 60 community members participated in the research project. VITA Site We Prepared 368 returns. The IRS estimates the average cost for this service in our area to be 200. Based on that figure, we have saved the community an estimated 73,600. As of April 4, we filed 310,979 in Federal refunds for the community. GED Support We increased instructional support by funding an additional 10 hours per week and assisted GED students by covering their many test fees. These activities although funded by the FLIP grant, the time required to analyze the impact and take the steps to organize a special emphasis grant application was supported by Extension as well. This resulted in a record number of community members completing their GED for a total of 20, with an additional 13 students continuing their work toward completion. Master Gardener Program There were a total 15 participants in this 36 hour program, of which 12 are dedicated to volunteering their time to the LCO Community gardens. Participants were given the option to offset the 100 program fee through their donation of time over the course of the summer - this gave many community members the ability to participate but also feel empowered to make a difference by giving back to their respective communities through the production and sharing of food. The program was support in part by the 4-H youth grant as well, the cost was shared to support the 8 instructor honorariums, 4 of which included LCO faculty and staff. Building Communities of Respect Session 1 October 6, 2007: Sherman Alexie Community Presentation - 400 attendees which included roughly 50 LCO community members, 15 Bad River Community Members and 15 LDF community members. Session 2-3: Hosted Robert Jensen author of "The heart of whiteness: Confronting race, racism and white privilege" and show cased the LCO Extension curriculum "Living by the Seasons". Session 4: Keynote speaker Sherie Hinton-Henry Associate Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. Sessions 2-4 averaged 20 participants, 5 of which were directly supported by the Extension grant for professional development of students and staff members in the area of diversity. The seminar series was funded in part by a UW-Innovation grant as well as contributions by partnering agencies. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Each workshop has had flyers developed which were posted as well as distributed throughout the community. Numerous interviews were conducted with WOJB production staff to disseminate information about current activities and opportunities to the community. In addition, recently an interview was conducted with the larger Hayward radio station WRLS as a means to educate the broader regional public on the opportunities and purpose of the LCOOCC extension department. Extension has also sponsored cultural interviews though News from Indian Country, an independent Native news organization on the LCO Reservation. These interviews began in August 2008 and will continue through the next funding year. The interviews have included community members involved in daily economic advancements, contemporary political issues and cultural revitalization movements such as the importance of language and identity. The VITA site was announced during the tax season as an available service over the local radio station, WOJB. Flyers, community calendar postings and updates as well as WOJB interviews have been the primary tools utilized to encourage and engage community members. Additionally, the extension department web site has been updated and redesigned to assist community members in providing feedback as well as obtain current department activities. Extension has also worked with the LCO Development office to create and publish flyers about Extension services. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Extension is teaching and hosting weekly professional skill workshops, available to community, staff and students. The workshops focus on computer literacy and professional soft skills such as business communication and resume writing. After our initial 4 workshops, participation has been steady with roughly 9 - 15 participants per session. Continued cultural workshops are being hosted on a monthly basis. Local community leaders in the area of traditional arts are given the opportunity to teach others about the importance of arts and to provide instruction on how to teach them. Each workshop so far has been well attended with nearly 20 people in each session. Research and initial planning have begun between LCOOCC Extension, Sawyer County Extension and UW-Superior for introducing and piloting a leadership and community development program specifically designed for rural tribal communities. UW-Superior had prior involvement in this project and currently has an entire program curriculum developed but has not had any program funds to carry the project to the next level. Additional funding has been secured from a UW-Innovation grant and currently the program is set to begin in the early months of 2009. Three large conferences are planned for early 2009, each addressing serious socio-economic, political and cultural diversity issues found within the northern Wisconsin region. The conferences are collaborative efforts and are demonstrative of the ongoing working partnership between LCO Extension and the UW-Cooperative Extension agencies.
Impacts
Extension continues to be committed to community professional and leadership development. We reach a broad population over 5 reservations in northern Wisconsin. Current evaluation data indicates participant satisfaction, which is further substantiated by continued high attendance at our events. New collaborative relationships have been created also enhancing program options available to community members. Numerous 1994/1860 relationships have been established to address on going regional and local community issues.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/15/06 to 09/14/07
Outputs
Currently we have held two cultural regalia workshops. Each of these workshops have provided community members, students and staff the opportunity to learn traditional regalia making from a respected community elder. Not only did the participants enjoy their learning experience, but our instructor gained valuable experiences with community leadership, teaching and utilizing her traditional skills to assist others in the community. The cultural workshops will be continuing through out the summer months as well as a few being held at our outreach sites in Bad River, St. Croix, Red Cliff and Lac du Flambeau. LCO Extension has also collaborated with other Northern District Extension Departments to develop a year long symposium to address the negative consequences of discrimination. This conference will be held at various locations throughout the Northern District and will be an experiential workshop as well as providing keynote nationally recognized persons that have
specialized in overcoming barriers between peoples. The symposium is part of expanding our 1994 land grant status and diving into research and community programming at a greater level. We will be delivering our curriculum Living by the Seasons through the UW-Continuing education department for UW system college credit, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This curriculum works to enhance community educator's knowledge and understanding of the Ojibwe culture and traditional practices such as wild rice collection and sugar bush. The curriculum focuses on the seasonal agricultural traditions of the Ojibwe as well as providing a forum for discussion about how to more effectively communicate with Ojibwe children and foster as well as promote their traditional lifestyles. This will be the first time it has been offered for college and continuing education credit. Extension is also collaborating in hosting an annual community health fair. The information provided at the health fair
focuses on historical physical as well as mental health issues. Some topics include nutrition and diabetes prevention and care, depression, substance abuse treatment, family violence issues and others. In the years prior there was significant community participation that exceeded 250 individuals. This year, our hopes are to at least meet or exceed that level of participation. We are currently underway on a collaborative research project with Washington University, in St. Louis Missouri. The research projects has hired 4 student interns offering them the opportunity to learn and participating in research techniques as well as develop their leadership and professional skills. Extension has also hired two additional summer interns. These student interns will be working closely with extension staff to assist in developing marketing strategies, participate in organizing community focus groups among other activities. Our VITA site was beyond a great success this year. We assisted in 240 tax
returns which totaled $283,371 returned dollars for community members. Finally, Extension has been able to provide the college with Continuing education credits, for additional revenue for the college.
PRODUCTS: This summer three student internship positions have been directly funded by this project. An additional 4 student internships are being supported by the department. College credit course, Living by the Seasons a curriculum developed by LCO extension, is being delivered in collaboration with UW-Continuing Education in Superior, WI. The "Living By the Seasons" curriculum is also being updated prior to the delivery of the course in August. The VITA tax site provided tax return service for a total of $283,371.00 dollars in tax return funds to community members. Over the spring semester 15 LCO college staff and faculty members participated in a lunch workshop learning the Ojibwe language, of which can be utilized more frequently in the classroom or daily interactions. The number of Continuing Education credits that have been offered by extension, thus supporting revenue for the college, has not been officially tabulated however it is expected to reach over 100 credit hours.
OUTCOMES: 30 community members participated in the two cultural workshops offered thus far, and additional 4 are being developed to accommodate 15 participants in each workshop. 240 community members were provided tax return services, for a total of $283,371 dollars returned to the community. Three internships are being provided over the summer months. These interns will develop leadership and professional skills under the mentorship of the Extension staff and have the opportunity to apply their educational classroom experience to real-world daily interactions.
DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Each cultural workshop has had a flyer developed and had been posted in community areas as well as around the college. The VITA site was announced during tax season as an available service over the local radio station, WOJB. Flyers are currently being distributed around the Northern District region to announce that registration is open for the college credit course, Living by the Seasons, a public broad cast announcement will also be made for WOJB. LCO extension department has also worked to develop the T-Shits of which will be distributed at the Community Health Fair, and displays the department logo, as well as provide an informational booth the help educate the community on the role and services that Extension provides.
FUTURE INITIATIVES: Extension will be continuing the work on the collaborative project, Building a Community of Respect, developing the conference series and curriculum. Community Ojibwe language camps will commence this summer at two outreach locations, Bad River and Lac Du Flambeau, each camp expecting participation to exceed 30 community members. We plan to continue the Cultural regalia workshops and expand participation to the outreach sites as well over the next year. In additional we anticipate having a year long student internship, which will offer a student the opportunity to have a professional mentor within this department. Over the course of the next year, a community advisory board will be developed, recruiting 6 community members and having quarterly meetings to assist extension in their continuing efforts to address community needs.
Impacts
Over the course of the next few years we hope to establish a year long on going mentorship program supported by the department staff to assist our students in developing professional skills and leadership abilities. Over the course of the grant we anticipate an increasing awareness in the community of Extension and the various services provided. Included in this increase, it should be exemplified by an increase in VITA utilization, increase in participation for cultural and language workshops, an increase in the number of community members directly contacting the department requesting information or the provision of services. We also anticipate an increase in the number of collaborative projects, both research orientated as well as community program development, both resulting in additional publications.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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