The eXtension Foundation’s Impact Collaborative Summit, held October 16-18 in Indianapolis, Indiana, united design thinkers from the Cooperative Extension System and partners from organizations confronting the most pressing challenges of our time to shape positive futures for communities. Three days of co-creating, hands-on learning, and collaborative conversations sparked innovation and creative implementation planning in over 30 projects designed for local community impacts. Summit teams, which included Extension professionals and partners, along with diverse partners from regional and national organizations and businesses explored the processes and practices that enable co-creative approaches to the challenges and opportunities in our communities.
Recognizing the Impact Collaborative Summit is just the beginning, the eXtension Foundation will provide ongoing learning and support to the teams in a variety of ways. All teams and projects will have the support of the eXtension Foundation’s Virtual Bridge, a timely digital-based platform for interactive workshops, co-creation and networking spaces, and avenues for building synergy by sharing resources, ideas, and successes.
The teams attending the Summit participated in a “PitchFest” on the final day where they each presented the advancements on their projects and the important next steps and investments needed to move forward. The PitchFest was judged by external partners/investors, Extension leaders, and peer co-creators. The following projects were recognized and are tapped to move forward with supports tailored to their immediate needs.
These projects include:
TOP SCORE
Award: Recognition and a trip to the 2019 Impact Collaborative Summit
Tuskegee University, Public Dialogue Team
This project focuses on racial equity in the food system through amplifying the voices of those most affected.
MOST INNOVATIVE – EXTERNAL
Award: Recognition and a trip to the 2019 Impact Collaborative Summit
Oregon State University, Virtual Park Ranger
This project reconnects people with nature through an augmented reality app that stimulates improvements in personal wellness and environmental stewardship.
MOST INNOVATIVE – INTERNAL
Award: Recognition and a trip to the 2019 Impact Collaborative Summit.
Purdue University, DEI Indy
This project increases diversity, equity and inclusion practices within Purdue Extension CityLAB- a synergistic hub for the 16 Tech Neighborhood that features innovative experiential learning enabling the development of practical skills to enhance the lives and livelihoods of residents.
MOST FUNDABLE
Award: Recognition and strategic support from eXtension Partner Development Team to advance their project and design funding strategies over the next three months.
University of Florida & Florida A&M, CIVIC
This project fosters civil and inclusive dialogue to cultivate a climate of sustained community conversation around complex and pressing local issues through technical resources and professional development training to enable CES agents to effectively serve as conveners, moderators, and coordinator.
Prairie View A&M, A New D.E.I.
This project encourages financial and personal stability through a tool box and open conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion for individuals and families with limited resources.
Purdue University, Indiana Community Together
Coming Together for Racial Understanding addresses a community need to engage in dialogue and action around issues of race and racism. This research-based, deliberative, and action-focused project explores, through guided facilitated discussions and activities, the impact of race and racism in a community to improve the quality of life for those involved and impacted.
National NPSEC Team, Collaboration Teams
This project establishes the structure and operation of Collaboration Teams which will focus on specific pesticide safety related issues and development of supporting materials to meet the needs of Pesticide Safety Education Programs based at land-grant universities and the thousands of stakeholders they serve.
Tuskegee Coming Together/Public Dialogue Team
This project focuses on racial equity in thefood system through amplifying the voices of those most affected.
CROWDFUNDING
Award: Recognition and through a generous contribution of LikeMinded.org, strategy and support from its founder, Lynn Luckow, to position their project for crowdfunding using the digital platform in the coming months.
Oregon State University, Virtual Park Ranger
This project reconnects people with nature through an augmented reality app that stimulates improvements in personal wellness and environmental stewardship.
Purdue University, Healthy Boiler
This project supports behavioral health across Indiana and beyond through the development of a toolkit designed for educators to use with preteens that focuses on positive psychology techniques to help youth build their skills related to mental health and fortitude.
University of Nebraska, Nebraska Regional Foods
This project creates a collaborative resource portal for all local food system (production, distribution, and consumption) participants to reduce duplicity of projects and increase synergy addressing regional food system challenges.
University of Nebraska, Nebraska New Learning Experience for 4H
To increase the vitality of Nebraska’s rural communities, this project reimagines 4-H club experiences through leveraging technology to bridge geographic gaps by providing a virtual 4-H club experience utilizing existing 4-H curriculum and experiences.
Utah State University, Mental Health
To grow resilience, hope, and connection for health and well-being in Utah communities, this project provides a plan for collaborative and comprehensive Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings across the state.
URGENT COMMUNITY NEED- EXTERNAL
Award: Recognition and a trip to the 2019 Impact Collaborative Summit
University of Florida, National Sustainability Summit
With the first joint National Sustainability and Extension Energy Summits as an anchor (being held in April 2019), this project aims to expand and improve the efficiency, inclusiveness, and effectiveness of this event and establish an intentional community of practice for sharing resources and engaging local, state, and national partners around sustainability and energy issues.
Kentucky State University, Nutrition & Agricultural Literacy after-school program
This program promotes a shift in culture within CES and its programs to embrace and operationalize a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive atmosphere, recognizing multiple dimensions of identity and experience.
URGENT COMMUNITY NEED- INTERNAL
Award: Recognition and a trip to the 2019 Impact Collaborative Summit
University of Vermont, Vermont DEI
This program promotes a shift in culture within CES and its programs to embrace and operationalize a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive atmosphere, recognizing multiple dimensions of identity and experience.