For Immediate Release
June 12th, 2019
Contact: Aaron Weibe, aaronweibe@eXtension.org
26 Project and Program teams across Cooperative Extension representing 36 institutions attended the April 2019 Impact Collaborative Summit in Atlanta for a unique opportunity to create impactful results at the local level by increasing Cooperative Extension’s organizational readiness and capacity for innovation and change. Teams were connected with skills, tools, resources, and partners that helped expand and deepen their impact. The Summit evaluation report is available at eXtension.org/reports, including the full report and a glance sheet version.
Partners representing organizations external to Cooperative Extension were invited to attend the Impact Collaborative Summit and participated in our first national Partner Forum, with a guided discussion by leaders from the Institute for the Future. This forum was designed to connect private and public sector organizations focused on community impact, including leaders from Cooperative Extension, and look for future opportunities to engage collectively. After the forum, partners had the opportunity to spend time talking with teams and learning more about the work they are doing to make an impact in their states, locales, and across the nation.
After three days of hard work, teams participated in a LaunchFest where they presented their project or program to a panel of partners and Cooperative Extension leaders. As a result of their work, teams deemed most ready to launch within their region have a pre-approved application for a $5000 grant that brings new capacity to their project. All teams have an opportunity to apply for a $5000 grant to bring new capacity to their project and attend the October 2019 Impact Collaborative Summit.
eXtension will continue its support of all project and program teams through Engage & Empower Online, our new resource that offers Impact Collaborative teams and Innovation Facilitators unique professional development opportunities including webinars and learning circles, exclusive access to publications and presentations, access to a new online version of the Impact Collaborative Innovation Skill-Building Experience tool, and a place where the Impact Collaborative can continue to connect teams with the resources they may need to continue project or program growth towards increasing innovation and local impact.
The next Impact Collaborative Summit will be from October 15th – 17th, 2019 in Atlanta, GA. Registration will be available soon at eXtension.org/summit.
All reports from Impact Collaborative events, including this Summit report, are available at eXtension.org/reports.
About the eXtension Foundation
The eXtension Foundation is a membership-based non-profit designed to be the engine fueling U.S. Cooperative Extension’s advancement in making a more visible and measurable impact in support of education outreach from land-grant universities/colleges located in every state and territory. eXtension provides an array of opportunities for Extension professionals that foster innovation creation, the adoption of innovations at member institutions, and increased impact of Extension programs.