Community Education Specialist (CES) from across the state of California came together on January 24-25, 2018 at the UC Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville, CA. There are 9 Research and Extension Centers (REC) throughout the state, all under the University of California division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. These annual meetings have been an opportunity to strengthen the CES network within the RECs and surrounding county programs and broaden our platform in which we bring extension activities to our individual RECs; creating awareness and providing education to youth and adults. In addition to sharing our personal experience and ideas, we strive to bring in guest speakers to enhance the experience.
This years' meeting featured topics such as:
- Developing a funding strategy
- Maximizing funding success
- Connecting with our community
- Reaching underserved communities
This successful CES workshop was made possible through funding from the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), UCANR Contracts and Grants staff, UCANR Development Services staff, UCCE Riverside 4-H Advisor, Claudia Diaz, and the wonderful community panel comprised of the friends of Farm Smart, including USDA Resource Center director Rosa Singh, IV Food Bank Nutrition Education Program Manager Mireya Diaz, UC CalFresh Program Manager Paul Tabarez, McCabe School teacher Bonnie Jones, Girl Scouts volunteer Kay Hodges, and USDA internship participant Malei Tipton.
