Increasing the Impact of Extension Services’
Programs Through Collaborations at the National,
State and Local Levels
M. Cassandra Wiggins, Ed.D
North Carolina State University, USA
MM
Collaboration
Children’s Environmental Health
is a process which:
1)
people, groups and organizations work
together to achieve desired results
2) identify common issues, problems, strategies to
achieve desired results
3) recognize differences – more powerful than working
separately
Key Factors
influencing the collaborative process:
Children’s Environmental Health
• Leadership
• Communication
• Community
Development
• Sustainability
• Participation by
citizens
• Unity
• Informal organization
• Successful
accomplishments
Extension Professionals
Children’s Environmental Health
must understand the
collaboration process in order to:
Seek and secure
resources
expertise
new perspective
To effectively
address complex problems
improve program outcomes
increase impact of Extension Services’ Programs
achieve program sustainability
The Children’s Environmental Health CollaborationAn Integrated Model
Is a collective approach involving partners and various
disciplines planning and implementing one or more change
strategies to impact the individual and their immediate
environment and community organizations, systems,
policies, rules including cultural and economy that are
associated with one or more identified issues.
Children’s Environmental Health
North Carolina
Integrated Program Model
Children’s Environmental Health
County
Issues
Community
Development
Social,
Economic, and
Environmental
Issues
NCAT
USDA
NCCES-CEH
Collaboration
EPA Region
4 CEH
Collaboration
NC State
Agencies
13 Land-Grant
Universities
NCSU
USDA – United States Department of Agriculture
NCAT – North Carolina A &T State University
NCSU – North Carolina State University
NCCES – North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
CEH - Children’s Environmental Health
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Region 4
County
Issues
North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Children’s Environmental Health
Collaborators
Community
National
Regional
State
County
USDA
(United States Dept.
SERA-IEG-19 Health
(universities and health
Various State Agencies
Health Departments
of Agriculture)
professionals)
Healthcare
Providers
NC Asthma Alliance
(50 agencies, universities,
Hospitals
Childcare Facilities
Duke University
Schools
PTAs
University -Schools of
Public Health
Community Colleges
Churches
University Teaching &
Research Faculty (i.e.,
Toxicology,
Entomology, etc.)
Water & Waste
Management
Civic
Organizations
Universities
Community
Centers
Contractors,
Building Inspectors
Youth
Organizations
Realtors
Volunteers
EPA
(Environmental
EPA Region 4
drug companies, etc.)
Protection Agency)
CDC(Center for
Disease Control)
HUD
(Housing & Urban
Development)
PESHU (Pediatric
Environmental Specialty
Health Unit)
The success of the North Carolina Cooperative
Extension Children’s Environmental Health
Collaboration can be attributed to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Shared leadership
Focused on identifying shared goals to be accomplished.
Achievement of essential trust between partners
Establishment of well defined roles and responsibilities
Respect for individual team members contributions, values and
opinions
Active participation from Extension and external partners
Team approach to secure resources for project sustainability
Multidisciplinary team expertise
Children’s Environmental Health
Implications for Future
Extension Collaborative Efforts
Children’s Environmental Health

Continue to expand Extension educational outreach efforts on the
local, state, national and international levels

Virtual Universities - Extension Virtual University

Seek funding from Corporations and other funding agencies that
are located in several countries – support multi-countries projects

International organizations, conferences: opportunity to expand
or generate collaborative efforts
What is Children’s
Environmental Health (CEH)?
Children’s Environmental Health
The world’s children
are
The world’s future