As interest in local food development and urban agriculture increases, the Cooperative Extension Service is challenged to serve local and urban food communities in Arkansas. Urban farmers in Arkansas have differing motivations for operation than those in production agriculture, so understanding agricultural county agents' perceptions of urban…

The 4-H Professional Research, Knowledge and Competencies (PRKC) is a professional development framework that can be used to identify competency gaps and training needs of 4-H professionals. The PRKC consists of 6 competency domains, 1 being access, equity, and opportunity (AEO). A tailored design method was used to gather data and sort the…

Determining strategies for success within the urban environment is necessary for Cooperative Extension to accomplish its mission, particularly given the large percentage of Americans who now reside in or near cities. Three levels of needs exist within a system such as Extension: primary user, service provider, and system resources. A needs…

In urban areas, the communities are as diverse as the issues, and different educational and engagement strategies must be deployed to support urban Extension clientele. Urban communities must connect with and feel a sense of "belonging" with Extension--this connection can strengthen Extension's presence and value proposition to urban…

Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) has been a widely utilized framework for educational practice and research (Ladson-Billings, 2014). It is built on the ethics of care, first established in consideration of education among Black youth (Ladson-Billings, 1995). However, applications of CRP to youth physical activity (PA) programs are largely…

Urbanization is causing a major shift in Extension's programming throughout the United States. We present results of a nontraditional urban program (the Parent-Child Reading Enhancement Program) that is being implemented by Alabama Cooperative Extension System's Urban Affairs and New Nontraditional Programs unit. Findings suggest that this…

Using social media is an inexpensive, innovative approach to supplementing direct education provided by the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Focus group research was conducted with EFNEP paraprofessionals (n = 33) and participants (n = 39) to inform the development of a social media presence for the program. Although…

In 2005, The National Council for Agricultural Education (NCAE) unveiled The Long Range Goal for Agricultural Education also known as 10 x 15. According to NCAE, the primary goal of 10 x 15 was to create 10,000 new agricultural education programs by 2015 that focused on an integrated model of classroom and laboratory instruction, experiential…

Urban agriculture initiatives are on the rise, providing healthy food while teaching a land ethic to youth. In parallel, increasing numbers of university graduates are obtaining Extension work requiring the effective communication of science in a diverse, urban, low-income setting. This study evaluates a pilot service-learning program, the…

Even before the Great Recession prompted policymakers to take a closer look at public programs designed to help unemployed Americans re-enter the workforce it had long been clear that federal, state and local government workforce development programs have not always effectively prepared low-income individuals to obtain decent-paying jobs. Job…

A study was conducted to determine what competencies Extension employees working in urban areas of Ohio perceived as most necessary. Information on the demographic characteristics of urban Extension employees in the state was also gathered. Data were obtained via a two-part questionnaire mailed to the 46 Extension employees working in the urban…

The paper reviews Bowling Green State University's participation in community service activities particularly as it applies to the speech communications departments. Emphasis is placed on the traditional view of community service, the objective of community service, the Bowling Green State University Chicano Program, speech education for community…

The regional conferences were sponsored by the Office of Urban Affairs of the American Council of Education. The major purpose of the conferences was to encourage and assist college and university administrators and faculty members to give systematic thought to the dimensions of their involvement in urban affairs during the 1970's, with emphasis…

Recognizing the persistence of the cultural underlay permeating West Virginians' life styles today, this study determined: (1) which cultural values identified with Appalachian culture are endorsed by West Virginia Extension Agents and reflected in their work; (2) which of these cultural values reflect a distinctive Appalachian subculture; and (3)…

This study investigates an experiment undertaken by the Cooperative Extension Service of The Pennsylvania State University and the Christian Street Urban 4H Center in Philadelphia to transform the "provider" orientation of a youth service. The "provider' orientation addresses needs as they are perceived and defined by the providers…