“UMass Extension is taking an important step towards being an engaged,
What are the most important criteria for a program like ¡Salir Adelante! to be successful? One of the biggest ones is understanding and being responsive to your audience. In our early days, youth and families told us how we could engage them even more ef- fectively. We listened to what they said and developed ¡Salir Adelante! as a result. We created sessions that built on the knowledge and experiences of families, incorporated phrases and activities that were culturally fa- miliar, and actively engaged them in learn- ing, reflecting, and applying. During each session, families gather in the beginning, then divide into youth and parent groups, and then come back together as families. It’s critical to have strong partnerships with local school systems so that you are clear about the schools’ expectations and can help participants be clear on them, too. It is also really important to identify complemen- tary goals with local Latino organizations and ways to work together to complement each other’s efforts. In Iowa, volunteers and staff from local Latino organizations are commonly trained to facilitate ¡Salir Ad- elante! in collaboration with Extension staff. And communities need to see the value and support ¡Salir Adelante! locally—in Iowa, 19 community teams have been trained so far. Our Extension administration has been very supportive of ¡Salir Adelante! and has helped provide funding for the development of the curriculum and for initial training of Extension staff and their community partners. Our statewide work team has received grants to help support training additional Extension staff and their local partners to im- plement the program and has offered mini grants that require a local cash match. ■
leadership expert, focusing on how to better communicate as a team and integrate diverse perspectives. The Extension Founda- tion’s Catalysts also have helped us improve how we articulate our value proposition and talk about our outcomes in broader, economic terms. Over these last few years, we’ve also learned to be more intentional about collaborating with other educators in our Extension organization. We can’t assume that it’s obvious to everyone how we can complement each other. Just because it makes sense to us doesn’t mean it won’t take time and effort for other educators to see how our programs can align with theirs. One of the outcomes of being more intentional is that we have built a stronger relationship with our 4-H program. Because we had intentional conversations and iden- tified common goals across human sciences and 4-H, we have a 4-H specialist on our statewide ¡Salir Adelante! work team, who works with human sciences to train Exten- sion staff and their community partners to implement ¡Salir Adelante! Furthermore, 4-H and Human Sciences Extension and Outreach r ecently were awarded a five-year USDA NIFA CYFAR grant to grow and build sustainability in ¡Salir Adelante! in two Iowa communities . Local county extension directors and 4-H program staff have partnered with Human Sciences Extension and Outreach to incorporate ¡Salir Adelante! into their county-level career and college readiness programs.
IN BRIEF
relevant, and an impactful resource for all people in Springfield and across Massachusetts.” —Rick Klemme, NTAE Catalyst
Coordination, Capacity Building & Community Engagement University of Massachusetts
“Salir Adelante is fun. It helped my family grow closer and learn ways we can afford college.” —Youth “¡Salir Adelante! is helping us better un- derstand how to be in the lives of our children in a way that we can help them get ahead and have a career.” —Parent “Salir Adelante helped us connect with families we haven’t been able to connect with.” —School Principal
WITH NTAE GRANT SUPPORT
This team trained and will continue to train staff to deliver pro- grams to culturally diverse, underserved, and urban audiences. UMass Extension is collaborating with organizations in Spring- field and Boston in program development efforts that involve urban agriculture and 4-H youth development. In summer 2023, staff toured exemplary and promising urban Extension programs operated by Cornell Extension in New York City, Rutgers Extension in Essex, Passaic, and Hudson counties, and by the University of the District of Columbia to establish collab- orative networks and generate program ideas.
THE IMPETUS
University of Massachusetts (UMass) Extension is commit- ted to allocating resources more justly and more equitably to serve communities in ways that accurately reflect the evolving social, racial, and demographic composition of Massachusetts residents.
THE WORK
The goal is to train up to 10 UMass Extension educators to engage more effectively with underserved and urban audiences in a wider range of communities in Spring- field, Massachusetts, and across the state. The team also will partner with a variety of community organizations to develop resources and programs that use and build on the strengths of this broader priority audience. As part of this project, the team will study and incorporate best practices from successful urban Extension initiatives in other states.
THE VISION
Springfield residents—and eventually urban communities across the state—will see UMass Extension as a trusted re- source for information and as a potential partner in such areas as nutrition, 4-H youth development, agriculture and food sys- tems, maternal and child health, water resources management, renewable energy, and community development.
Expanding Urban Extension in Western Mass
See the Salir Adelante team members on page 81.
See the Coordination, Capacity Building team member names on page 83.
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EXTENSION FOUNDATION/NTAE | 2022-2023 YEARBOOK
2022-2023 YEARBOOK | EXTENSION FOUNDATION/NTAE
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