Enhancing Global Awareness of Delaware’s Cooperative Extension A Professional Development Opportunity Delaware State University Cooperative Extension Program US Washington Center 1200 North DuPont Highway Dover, Delaware 19901

STATEMENT OF NEEDS

OBJECTIVES The overall objective of this mini-grant was to enhance the ability of extension employees and other information providers to address global concerns/initiatives.  New immigrant population needs  International awareness and related activities

IMPLEMENTATION Workshop I Demographic shifts and their subsequent impact. The role of international experience in extension programming. Extension outside the US Workshop II How to identify new immigrants’ needs. Building cross-cultural competencies.

RESULTS

Should Extension use state and federal resources to serve new immigrants? Extension Non Extension Government (state/local) Public (non-government) Students YesNo Not sure

What is the likelihood that you will participate in an activity that is classified as internationalizing extension ? Extension Non extension/university Government (state/local) Public (non-government) Students On a scale of 1 – 6, 6 being most likely, 1 being not in my lifetime.

Would you accept an international assignment? Extension Non extension/university Government (state/local) Public (non-government) Students Less than 2 wks More than 2 wks Not sure

What factors influence your decision to accept or refuse an international extension assignment? Extension Non extension/university Government (state/local) Public (non-government) Students Security The unknown Money

THE FUTURE To sustain the gains made toward international awareness and to improve extension’s role in the global community, the activities conducted under this grant must be reaffirmed with other learning opportunities with internationalization components. Extension personnel must be allowed to engage in short-term travel to an international venue and become immersed in the foreign culture. The office of International Affairs at DSU will serve to propel the global awareness of our extension faculty.

LESSONS LEARNED Extension’s involvement in international programs requires the buy-in of key community leaders to be successful. The misconception exists that internationalization detracts from addressing state needs. Internationalizing extension is more acceptable to tax payers when the problems of new immigrants and their countries of origin are the focus of the initiative. The vacation image of internationalizing extension needs to be dispelled early and often; instead, the benefit to the state should become the focus. There is significant skepticism among the elected officials as a result of past failures.