Performing Department
Extension
Non Technical Summary
The Pine Ridge FRTEP grant aims to implement and evaluate the Extension model to assess the efficacy of strategies in community and youth engagement, improved agricultural practices and and improvement in health parameters among Native Americans. Based on the Socio-Ecological Model, this program recognizes the interwoven relationship that exists between the individual and their environment. This program will capitalize upon a strong collaborative multidisciplinary team approach, with a relevant project management and evaluation plan, and will produce a sustainable extension initiative. The Program Assistant in Youth will provide educational programming at the individual and interpersonal levels to help youth and families institute and maintain lifestyle changes necessary to reduce risk and improve health. The FRTEP Educator will identify organizational, community, and public policy efforts that currently are barriers to improved health and economic development and bring all areas together as a whole. The Pine Ridge office continues to offer major programming efforts from previous years in other Extension programs, to ensure continuity with this new grant program. On-going youth efforts will continue to emphasize agency collaboration, volunteer development (extension board, advocates, 4-H leaders), and capacity building among individuals and agencies. Horticulture programs will concentrate on capacity building among local producers. The Pine Ridge Extension office will continue the highly successful collaborative approach through SDSU Extension to bring regional programs and specialists to Reservation communities. Research opportunities will continue to be explored with SDSU, the Pine Ridge Sioux Tribe, and the other regional and 1994 institutions of higher learning, as well with community partners. Ultimately, the programming offered through our FRTEP offices and partner organizations should provide a basis for demonstrated improvement in such areas as community engagement, youth involvement in agriculture, natural resources and the sciences, and as noted above, improved locally produced foods access and utilization.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
1. Improve access to and utilization of locally-produced food. This includes agricultural production programs for both established and beginning farmers, ranchers and gardeners (for youth and adults), support for development of local markets, nutrition education for youth and adults, and environmental stewardship. 2. Revitalized (rural) reservation communities This goal includes financial literacy, with other employment and life skills for youth and adults, business management, organizational capacity building, entrepreneurship and leadership development and mentorship training. 3. Capacity building in Science, Engineering and Technology This includes 4-H/Youth/ SET programming (robots, photography, science-based programs, programming in the use of technology for program access and delivery (videography, social media, etc.), and environmental education programs. Programming is provided in a culturally relevant model that incorporates Native science with Western principles and as much as possible, utilizes youth experience as the teaching platform.
Project Methods
Not all of these activities will take place on an annual basis within the context of this reservation'sprogramming, but these are the types of activities and anticipated outputs that contribute to the intended outcomes stated in the previous section. In terms of evaluation, we use session evaluations for all formal training, and as often as posslble follow up with participants to evaluate their adoption fo techniques and materials. We also use informal evaluation, based on observation of changed behavior or changed processes. The long term outcomes are measurable changes in systemic conditions, whether in access to local foods production or demonstrated engagement of youth in leadership roles, or sustainable management of partner organizations trained through our programs. Activities Outputs Rangeland monitoring workshops and field days (producers and agency reps) Change in knowledge of monitoring techniques and evaluating range condition Beef production workshops and consultation; training in new apps and web tools for tracking and production strategy. Trained producers Vegetable gardener education; production Trained producers; land owners, consumers, youth Tree planting/maintenance workshops, school cooperative programs, radio and on-line content. Trained participants, increased trees in orchards, shelter belts. Environmental and Natural Resources collaborative meetings and training Trained participants, improved collaboration among groups. Agronomic test plots As available in cooperation with local producers; Storage/Processing training Trained participants Record Keeping workshops and curricula Trained operators, agency representatives, local tribal college staff Pesticide applicator training, private and commercial Trained producers and commercial applicators; also some public and agency reps Nutrition, adult and youth programs in health benefits, cooking/processing local produce Workshops and classroom enrichment, trained youth, teachers, agency reps, public, gardens started and maintained Marketing training for new entrepreneurs Trained participants, marketing plans Financial Literacy education Workshops, trained youth, teachers, agency reps, public Entrepreneurship training for youth Workshops, trained youth, teachers, agency reps, public Goal setting and project management with existing community orgs Meetings, established goals Lakota Leadership and character programming Trained youth; Technology programming with youth and adult mentors; computers, robotics, photography, graphic arts. Trained Youth, mentoring Environmental education; native science for youth--classroom, afterschool, overnight camps, clubs Trained youth and youth educators and staff Lakota horsemanship activities Horsemanship clinics, tack making clinics, horse science and history activities; rides and contests Shooting Sports Trained youth and adults Traditional arts, including performance Workshops; 4-H project enrollment