Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Through the life of this grant we had 4,251 community members attend an event. Specifically, in terms of ethnicity that number breaks down in the following ways: we had 51 African American participants, 1,554 Alaskan Native participants, 21 American Indian participants, 284 Asian participants, 763 Caucasian participants, 44 Pacific Islander participants, 43 who identified multiple ethic categories, 119 who identified as Other, and 1231 who chose not to disclose their ethnicity, or were at events where we did not ask about ethnicity. Workshops have been designed to target five age related demographic groups – preschool children (ages 0-4), children (ages 5-12), teenagers (12-17), adults, and families. Consequently, 221 total workshops were offered of which 10 workshops targeting preschool children were offered, 24 workshops targeting children were offered, 43 workshops targeting teens were offered, 131 workshops targeting adults were offered and, 26 workshops targeting families were offered, some workshops target more than one age range. Ethnicity Number African American 51 Alaska Native 1,554 American Indian 21 Asian 284 Caucasian 763 Hispanic 141 Multiple 43 Not identified/ not asked 1,231 Other 119 Pacific Islander 44 Grand Total 4,251 Changes/Problems: The cost of travel to outlying villages was a greater barrier to offering local programming than was first anticipated. This delayed the growth of village programming during the Pilot Course Delivery phase, and resulted in the skewed distribution of programming discussed above in the ‘Villages Receive Access to Extension Classes in the format that they choose´ goal. Consequently, going forward into the next grant cycle the major goal is to increase the proportion of workshop delivery conducted in the outlying villages. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? A report from the Cooperative Extension office was included in Ilisagvik College's annual institutional report, and annual report. An additional report regarding the office's volunteerism efforts was submitted to the North Slope Borough Leadership Team. Moreover photographs and handouts from Cooperative Extension workshops' are displayed around the college, and are available to the public on the college website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact Statement: This project was designed to meet the gap in Ilisagvik’s programming by establishing a locally controlled, relevant and credible Extension program that fostered community education efforts for constituents on the North Slope. In keeping with Ilisavos mission to perpetuate and strengthen Iñupiat culture, language, values and traditions, the Cooperative Extension program was intended to encourage an environment of life-long learning in the communities of the North Slope through a variety of non-classroom, hands-on workshops. The Cooperative Extension program aimed to foster a sustainable, successful, and effective outreach program for this constituency that will outlive the seed money provided by the grant. The grant project was divided up into three stages: Development, Pre-Launch, and Pilot Course Delivery. During the Development and Pre-Launch phases a Cooperative Extension Coordinator was hired. She then conducted research into the Cooperative Extension programs at other Tribal Colleges, and interviewed local stakeholders to determine what programming would best suit the local communities. During the Pilot Course Delivery phase trial workshops were offered to test community interests and determine the programming priorities. In the three years of funding the Cooperative Extension program grew faster than we ever could have imagined. The local North Slope communities responded very positively to the creation of a Cooperative Extension office. The sense of joint ownership that the original proposal attempted to instill has been realized, and has resulted in a program with a strong community foundation. We held a grand total of 221 workshops, and the total for community attendance was 4251. This project has resulted in a shift in the community dynamics surrounding ongoing education. With the advent of the Extension Office has come increased community participation in public events. The first year of the grant had a total attendance of 225; the second year had a total participation of 1,781; while the third year had a total attendance of 2,215. Each year was characterized by an increase in community participation. This dramatic increase demonstrates not only the broadness of programming (with varied activates that appeal to all ages and both sexes) but also that we are going in the right direction for fostering a culture of community education and lifelong learning. Goals: Recruit Project Coordinator: Full time staff hired with appropriate credentials and work experience. Diana Solenberger was hired as the Cooperative Extension Coordinator in September 2012 and has been managing the program since then. She has a Master’s Degree in Research and came to Cooperative Extension with experience in working and living on the North Slope.Additionally, a Cooking and Nutrition specialist is maintained on staff to facilitate our nutrition programming. The Extension program is also supported through adjunct instructors who teach workshops on their specific fields of expertise. The key outcome of maintaining Cooperative Extension is that we have a fully functioning program which delivers knowledge to community participants – specifically in the areas of nutrition and healthy life choices – and encourages participation in physical activities. Develop Extension Curriculum: Proposed curriculum and course offerings approved by Dean of Instruction New extension course offerings approved by Academic Council (if required) During the Planning and Pre-Launch phase of the project It was determined that Cooperative Extension workshops should not be offered for either academic credit or CEUs. Instead they were to focus on introducing the joy of learning and celebrating the ideal of life-long learning. Consequently, when Extension curriculum is developed it does not need to be approved by either the Dean of Instruction or the Academic Council. Instead curriculum is developed by extension staff: the Cooking and Nutrition Specialist, Adjunct Instructors, and volunteer instructors, and is reviewed and approved by the Cooperative Extension Coordinator. Since 2011 eight workshop curricula were approved by the Dean of Instruction; following the determination that workshops would be for non-credit, 68 different workshop curricula were approved by the Cooperative Extension Coordinator. Quality assurance has been maintained and workshops have been developed which closely respond to community needs and opportunities brought to the North Slope by visiting instructors and partnerships with outside institutions. Village Consultation on Curriculum Development and Course Offerings: All villages have at least one consultation workshop held in their community prior to pilot course offerings in the village During the Planning phase of the project, 45 surveys and 70 responses from emails and phone inquiries were collected from all eight communities. These responses were from stakeholders including, but not limited to: village liaisons, Ilisagvik trustees and elders. During the pre-launch and Pilot Course Delivery phase either the Cooperative Extension Coordinator, or other Ilisagvik employees travelling to outlying villages would hold in-person meetings and informal interviews with community stakeholders. These consultation sessions were used to guide the course offerings, and to ensure that programming was in line with what the local constituency wanted. Villages Receive Access to Extension Classes in the format that they choose: All villages have students participating in at least one extension course offered to them during the calendar year. A total of 221 workshops were held, and the (duplicated) total for community attendance was 4251. While the majority of programs took place in Barrow, all of the seven outlying villages served by Ilisagvik College also received programming. The goals of this grant project were fully realized. The Cooperative Extension office has helped Ilisagvik College position itself as a center for community education efforts surrounding healthy living and TCEP priority four: ‘Reduction of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity’. In particular, the partnership with the Arctic Slope Native Association’s Diabetes Prevention Program, which gives the program access to skilled instructors and supplemental funds, has allowed the Extension Office to focus on physical health and nutrition as a priority of the program. As a consequence, the Extension Office is perfectly positioned to address the long term goal of increased community health and decreased child and adolescent obesity going into the future.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: As of August 1st we have had 1,804 community members attend an event. Specifically, in terms of ethnicity that number breaks down in the following ways: we had 38 African American participants, 714 Alaskan Native participants, 10 American Indian participants, 159 Asian participants, 326 Caucasian participants, 20 Pacific Islander participants, 25 who identified multiple ethic categories, 67 who identified as Other, and 395 who chose not to disclose their ethnicity. During this second year of the grant Ilisagvik College’s Cooperative Extension expanded the program to include more child friendly workshops in our offering. Consequently, the target audience now includes people from ages 5 and up. Workshops have been designed to target 4 age related demographic groups – children (ages 5-12), teenagers (12-17), adults, and families. Consequently, 86 total workshops were offered of which 20 workshops targeting children were offered, 30 workshops targeting teens were offered, 42 workshops targeting adults were offered and, 17 workshops targeting families were offered. Ethnicity Number African American 38 Alaska Native 714 American Indian 10 Asian 159 Caucasian 326 Hispanic 50 Multiple 25 Not identified 395 Other 67 Pacific Islander 20 Grand Total 1,804 Changes/Problems: While the program has been extremely successful in cultivating volunteers within Barrow, this culture of volunteering was less successfully fostered in the seven outlying villages. Within those villages, while a few volunteers were located to assist with workshops, the actual workshop instructors continue to remain paid adjunct Instructors, rather than volunteer community members. This is because the project coordinator resides in Barrow, and consequently is not physically present to support long term volunteering efforts in the remaining seven villages. Additionally, the program has not been able to expand instruction, and course pilot testing to the seven outlying villages as quickly as first thought. In the grant year 2012-2013 instruction was successfully undertaken in five of the seven North Slope villages. The financial constraints involved in air travel to and from village communities, in addition to the expenditure associated with employing village instructors have made the original goal of offering workshops in all seven remote villages cost prohibitive this last year. Consequently, as mentioned above, going into the new grant year the priority will be on intensifying course pilot testing and instruction within the villages in order to create a program that the communities feel joint ownership for and a solid foundation for a successful extension office serving the villages as well as Barrow in the future. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? A report from the Cooperative Extension office was included in Ilisagvik College’s annual institutional report. An additional report regarding the office’s volunteerism efforts was submitted to the North Slope Borough Leadership Team. Moreover photographs and handouts from Cooperative Extension workshops’ are displayed around the college, and are available to the public on the college website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Continuing into 2013-2014, activities will be undertaken to further develop the extension office, gather data, and create curricula that foster a sustainable, successful and effective extension program for this constituency. The program plans to continue offering a wide selection of workshops and educational opportunities. Participants will continue to provide feedback regarding courses and the appropriateness of the level of workshops to ensure that offerings are relevant to local interests. Outreach to village leadership will intensify and be accomplished through Cooperative Extension personal contact, and contact through other individuals traveling to villages such as teacher and health care providers to ensure non-duplications and compatibility of offerings. Additional resources for all areas of the project will be identified such as trainers, recruiters, and village leaders who can implement the offerings. Finally, we will seek to continue fostering a community of volunteering, specifically within the outlying villages.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A new Coordinator was hired for the Project. Three adjunct instructors and one student worker were also hired as subject experts, with unique skills, cultural expertise and knowledge. We are now in phase III (pilot Couse/Field testing) of the project. A wide variety of sample courses have been offered to gauge community interests, and to determine the most successful streams of programming. The Events mentioned previously on the ‘Other Products’ page, are a sampling of the successful pilot courses offered in the latest reporting period for this special emphasis grant. In total 86 workshops were planned, coordinated, and delivered in five of the seven villages of the North Slope which primarily focused on health, home and wellbeing. Ideas were solicited for offerings from community members through personal contact, and participant surveys. One of the major accomplishments in this reporting period was the creation of a partnership with ASNA’s (Arctic Slope Native Association) Diabetes Prevention Program. Together our programs worked to educate the community in basic cooking, and nutrition skills. Consequently, we have realized the goal of creating a sense of joint ownership regarding the Cooperative Extension with the Barrow community. The pilot courses we have offered have been very well attended. We have received a lot of positive feedback from community members. This suggests that the program is successfully fulfilling a need in the community for constructive recreational activities which teach ongoing life skills. Specifically, the activities for children have been particularly well received.Furthermore, the program was expanded to include the efforts of volunteers, and has successfully begun to foster a community of volunteering within the North Slope. This year 47 people volunteered their time and expertise to make workshops and learning opportunities possible.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Hired Coordinator for the project. Hired 24 expert instructors primarily Elders and community members with unique skills, cultural expertise and knowlege .Planed, coordinated and delivered classes in each willage focused on health, home, and family development.Solicited ideas for offerings from community members by personal contact, written surveys and phone. PARTICIPANTS: A summary of the enrollment for all three semesters is as follows: Participation of 174 students and 24 instructors, 129 females and 45 males participated. 78 Alaska Natives, 55 Caucasian, 9 Asian, 5 Hispanic, 5 other, 3 American Indian, 2 African American Students. Most offerings were available to participants age 16 and older, but families including elementary student age children participated in the Karate and Nutrition program as well as the Families Speaking Inupiaq offerings. The average age of the participants was 37 with the median group aged 21 to 30 and mode or most often served groups were age 41 to 60. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Program offerings consisted of three main categories: One time offerings with guest speakers; weekly two hour continuing courses throughout the semester; and partnership with the local school district. Fall 2011 three chasses were offered in Barrow: Introductory Beading; Bias Qupak Designs; and Native American Food and Nutrition. Spring 2012 thirteen classed were offered: Introductory Beading (Barrow and Atqasuk);Bias Qupak Design, Shotokan Karate and Nutrition, and Sewing Snowshirts (Barrow);Families Speaking Inupiaq (Barrow, Kaktovik, Point Hope); Growing Food in Barrow; Art in Our Community Tour; Cooking and Nutrition for People with Diabetes; Tanning and Crimping for Hard Soles; Caribou Tufting and Advanced Beading (All in Barrow). Summer 2012 three classes in Barrow: Advanced Beading; Shotokan Karate and Nutrition; and Growing Food in Barrow.
Publications
- Email through North Slope Borough 2011; Radio -KBRW 2011-2012, Internet-www.ilisagvik,edu 2011, Flyers and Sounder newspaper 2011-2012.
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