21 pages., Online via UI e-subscription, "This essay makes the argument for the centrality of communication in studying and developing community." Following discussion of general theoretical arguments affirming and advancing this case, the author examined a specific type of community-oriented communicative event - civic communion. "Civic communions are episodes of community interaction that function as rhetorical and performative civic sacraments bonding citizenry around the social and political structures of a specific locale."
6 pages, In this article, I review Donaldson's (2020) Community Engagement for Extension Professionals: 21st Century Program Planning, Evaluation, and Professionalism. This guidebook is relevant to several audiences including undergraduate and graduate students, Extension professionals, and faculty who work with students and advisees on program planning research and practice. This article highlights the primary contributions of the guidebook, with special emphasis on proactive and reactive Extension programming models.
25 pages, Decreasing the consumption of meat and dairy has been identified as an effective strategy for protecting the health of humans and the planet. More specifically, transitioning to diets that are lower in animal-source foods and higher in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains offers a promising opportunity to better align consumer behaviors with contemporary nutritional and ecological goals. However, given the limited understanding of how these changes in dietary behaviors can be best promoted, there is a need to explore the merits of community-based approaches to meat reduction and their capacity to advance more sustainable practices of eating at the individual, household, and community levels. To address this gap in the literature, we surveyed more than 100 American households participating in a communitywide, 12-week-long Meatless Monday challenge and tracked the changes in their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and food choices over a nine-month period. The case study provided herein highlights a number of key findings from our evaluation. Most notably, our results demonstrate the value of community-based efforts in initiating and maintaining dietary behavior change and provide preliminary insights into the unique roles of multilevel interventions and diverse stakeholder engagement in promoting healthier, more sustainable diets.
Via online magazine. 9 pages., An old 1,300-acre oil refining site in South Philadelphia is being converted into a vast e-commerce distribution center. "But the developers of these brownfields must confront a legacy of toxic pollution and neglect of surrounding communities of color." A Philadelphia council member reports, "We have a long way to go as relates to community engagement, as well as paying attention to the environmental remediation process."
5 pages, Mitigating complex problems is increasingly essential to sustaining life on Earth. Empowering current and future generations to address these problems requires rethinking traditional education approaches. This article serves as a primer for land-based learning—defined as a pedagogical approach in which learners collaborate with community members to implement place-based interventions within agricultural systems to increase the sustainability of their community. As an introduction to land-based learning, the article (a) describes critical checkpoints within land-based learning, (b) illuminates the role of Extension educators in facilitating land-based learning, and (c) introduces a case study of land-based learning in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Singletary, Loretta (author), Smutko, L.Steven (author), Hill, George C. (author), Smith, Marilyn (author), Daniels, Steven E. (author), Ayres, Janet S. (author), and Haaland, Kay (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2008
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 140 Document Number: D11525
19 pages., Online via UI Catalog, Researchers used survey methodology to invite Cooperative Extension professionals to identify their training needs for engaging communities in collaborative processes. Findings identified 35 skills needed to conduct programs to help citizens manage natural resource conflict.
