Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

Does Extension Have the Brains, Heart

and Courage to Thrive in the Future

Current Extension Situation

4-H numbers continually dropping

Other agencies cutting into our niche

Digital generation learns differently

Less funds with more expectations

Original focus is not as pertinent

Agents may not be the “expert”

Counties are looking for ways to lighten their

load and demand more ROI

What is your Toto?

What Would Dorothy Do? Run!

Dorothy was being micro managed by her Aunt

Em(administration)

Her foundation and pride, Toto (program), was

being vilified and taken away

Her protectors – parents (proponents) – couldn’t

help her

The landscape was cold and colorless (burnout)

She ran to find a new life, only to return and face

the tornado

Does this sound like your Extension Journey?

We’re not in Kansas or Iowa or

Colorado…Anymore!

“Some people without brains do an

awful lot of talking don’t you think?”

Our Brains are Changing

Youth are not remembering information but know

where to find it

The social community is where people connect

and learn

We’re on information overload…paralysis

We need tools to help us change efficiently and to

be resilient

Not looking for leaders but leadership teams

Wisely ask for research we need to solve issues

Move across disciplines and across the nation

“A heart is not judged by how much you love,

but by how much you are loved by others.”

What’s Heart Got to do With It?

Where do we find our passion?

How can we reconfigure Extension to

reduce stress and overload?

What does stress do to our body

What neurology is teaching us about stress

Can you really multitask successfully?

Working from home, flex schedule,

computer recognition, transcend and include

“True courage is in facing danger when you are

afraid…and that kind of courage, you have in plenty.”

Courage to do what?

Take risks and innovate.

Create an innovation team to try new programs

and models.

Exploit technology to our benefit

Use our resources to brand Extension both in

adult and youth programs

To step off the “Yellow Brick Road” of how

we’ve always done things and take the path

less traveled…

Become Proactive and

Anticipate Change

Five-year agent model is more adaptive

Independent Contractor model

More diverse employment cadre to meet the

diversity tsunami

Embrace our world model and use current

educators to meet those needs – Global Agents

Consolidate redundancy in the USDA

Redefine niches and create an era of innovation

Entrepreneurial, disruptive innovators

Virtual Extension Agents

Lions and Tigers and …4-H, Oh My!

Create feeder programs

Provide short-term, well-defined options for

youth and leaders

Use technology to enhance learning while

minimizing the “work” component

Multi language formats that encourage diversity.

Rename 4-H to be more inclusive or create new

branding to promote 4-H in a different light.

Identify areas where youth can train the parents

Develop methods to keep first-year 4-Hers

“Pay no attention to the man behind the

curtain, I’m the great and powerful Oz.”

How do we Unveil the Wizard?

We must challenge the Wizard

Doing things the way we’ve always done them

The doing more with less mentality

Review the dependence on, and from, the

County

Become more entrepreneurial and capitalize on

our relationship assets.

Become more collaborative instead of

competitive with other agencies.

There’s No Place Like Home

“Home is knowing. Knowing your

mind, heart, and courage.”

Coming home doesn’t mean we have to lose

what we have.

We can hold on to the best of our traditions

and use our wisdom to rewrite our future.

We can recognize our relationships and

purpose in new and fulfilling ways.

We can envision, and imagine the future

somewhere over the rainbow.

Will You Join Me

Beyond the Yellow Brick

Road?