Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience included the citizens of Darrington, WA. This community has a population of !,343; 10% of the population are Native American.. The main focus audience was members of community groups, tribal groups, school district personnel, and youth/families in the area. Changes/Problems:The Co-PI on this grant left the program in January, 2016 due to extended medical leave. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Teachers and community resource employees have received training in the areas of positive youth development, portable challenge and group initiative facilitation, development of day camp programs, and science/investigation strategies. Volunteers working in the Glacier Peak program were trained on curriculum building towards objectives, child protection, and creating community support. Interns engaged in three summers were facilitating through on-the-job learning in areas related to their subject matter. Community groups received mentoring in areas of meeting facilitation, managing conflict, and data management. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A white paper and journal article is in production at this point. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Prior to the Hwy. 530 Mudslide, the town of Darrington experienced citizen participation of 10 (>1%) individuals for routine community decisions. Although there were three existing groups concentrating on the wellbeing of the community, the same individuals participated in at least two, if not all three, of these groups. Shortly following the mudslide WSU Extension was invited to participate in the recovery effort for these communities. Three additional groups were formed that combined the communities of Arlington and Darrington in planning for moving forward. Economic development efforts were centralized on mobilizing the community towards greater engagement. An initial gathering was held in October 2014 that drew 69 individuals from 36 different organizations. The community asset inventory was constructed using community meetings and SWOT analyses. Using the completed community asset inventory, workgroups were formed to target areas identified as needing improvement. The major organization in Darrington, Darrington Area Business Association (DABA) agreed to lead the efforts and include ongoing agenda items during their meetings for monitoring progress. At some point, DABA changed their organizational name to Darrington Strong. WSU conduct needs assessments for jobs/business within the community and assisted town officials in gathering information targeting road improvements, airport improvements, and analysis of timber alternatives. The Darrington Area Resource Advocates (DARA) focused their efforts toward attracting more people to their town to increase income for local businesses. WSU Extension contributed to the work of DARA through organizing community and work meetings, as well as providing research targeting outdoor recreation and accessibility. WSU conducted three focus groups to indentify needed improvements at the Darrington Airport; improvements have been made to their access, runway, and flight path to assist current industry and attract future industry to the general area. WSU engaged in many activities focused on the main natural resource of the area: timber. Darrington is surrounded by public and private forests; their economy has seen drastic reductions over the years due to resistance and regulation regarding timber harvests. Backed with data and connections from WSU personnel, the Darrington area now enjoys a timber collaborative that negotiates the cutting of timber among all stakeholders. An additional timber collaborative is currently being planned. At this time, over 40 individuals (an increaseto 3% of the community population) are actively involved in continued planning regarding economic sustainability and growth. Youth and family recovery included an increase in outdoor programs, social programs, and workforce preparation activities. A youth outdoor education/recreation program was developed in 2004 for the Darrington community. TFunding, however, dried up in 2006 and plans were put on the shelf. Following this disaster, a K-13 STEM program is now an active partner in the arena of slide recovery. Youth in the schools are engaged in outdoor learning activities that target STEM skills. WSU Extension contributed curricular assistance and program expertise to assist in the development of STEM activities. The Darrington Family Task Force was formed directly following the mudslide. Representatives from several agencies and organizations began to meet bi-weekly to discuss strategies for assisting families and youth through disaster recovery. WSU Extension was the only organization to propose programs in the Darrington area rather than bus youth and families to other locations. WSU Extension provided infrastructure equipment and staff training to local staff. The WSU Youth Forestry Institute was re-kindled and over 30 youth have been engaged in natural resource based education, the acquisition of job skills, and the development of financial management strategies. Youth in this program enjoyed the mentorship of several natural resource professionals and had the opportunity to learn more about government processes to determine natural resource policy. Interns provided by WSU engaged in the delivery of experiential activities with youth participating in local day camps. WSU faculty and staff led their expertise to mentor interns. Interns participating in the summer programs were led through Ripple Effect Mapping to determine their reach during their program. Several of the interns indicated they learned a great deal from their mentors and felt the mentee-mentor connection assisting them in reaching outcomes with their efforts. More than 60 youth were engaged in direct WSU programming and over 300 in indirect programs. Evaluation data indicated youth increased their abilities in teamwork, communication, decision making, and critical thinking. Anecdotal data included comments regarding "kept my mind away from thinking about my lost home", "gave me a place to go so I didn't have to be alone", and "was fun to see my friends even when school as out." Increased community ability to reduce the risk of, and response to, natural disasters. Information regarding risk reduction strategies was distributed throughout several public meetings. Feedback from landowners was solicted through the community email system and during various community meetings. To date, no feedback has been received. Increased attachment to community As stated earlier, an increase to 3%of the community population in community involvement was realized throughout the grant period. In addition, Glacier Peak Initiative now operates with a board of directors that was not previously engaged with the community. Younger professionals have formed their own group to determine how they can, collectively, contribute to the success of their hometown. North Counties' Family Resources has realized the acquisition of new buildings to conduct youth and family activities. They, too, have new members serving on their board. There have been, several efforts that have discontinued as funding derived from this disaster has been exhausted. Drastic economic developments have not been realized and the town hasn't increased their revenues greatly. Glacier Peak Institute continues to seek funds for its continued operation. However, there remains a group of individuals that are committed to seeing their community thrive. Equipment infrastructure and training has equipped the community with low cost activities to engage youth and community groups for the future. The work groups continue functioning towards sustainability. Social activities targeting the community have not increased over time. However, expertise was given to community festivals such as Darrington Days, 4th of July Parade, etc. Directly following the disaster funding was made available to bring in new activities and vendors for these events that resulted in more citizens participating. At this point, event organizers are working towards finding resources to continue realizing increased vendors to their activities and bringing back those larger crowds. Increased workforce preparation skills Thirty-seven youthinvolved in the forestry institute realized an attendance record of 99%, increased communication skills, increased knowledge on various natural resource topics, and four of the youth have begun jobs in related fields. Youth finished the institute with a full dossier including resumes, letters of applications, and references. Additionally, the number of partner agencies involved in the Forestry Institute has increased from three in 2004 to fourteen agencies agreeing to work with the institute in 2017. The Darrington School District has access to high-quality, university developed curriculum for their students in the area of outdoor education and STEM. Employers in the Snohomish County area have indicated STEM skills are the most highly sought skills for workers.
Publications
|