Family Matters

By Evalyn Carbrey, Regional Coordinator — SNAP-Ed

On Friday, February 10, the Metro Extension Health and Nutrition staff hosted a partner “meet and greet” event at the Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach Center (UROC) in Minneapolis.


The purpose of the event was to provide an opportunity to say thank you to our current partner agencies and programs, feature some of the great work of our Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) staff, and to foster new connections with current and future partners. Over 35 partners attended, included individuals from community organizations, public housing, local public health, and many others.

By Mary Jo Katras, Program Leader — Family Resiliency

Throughout 2016, the opportunity to take risks bubbled up more than once in my personal and profession lives. For example, I had the opportunity to try aerial fitness, which stretched both my coordination and athletic ability to the max. An opportunity to take risks at work came up when I was I was challenged to develop new ways to deliver online programming that allowed for greater accessibility for our audiences.

As I think about taking risks, I am reminded of my youngest daughter Josie learning to ride her bike. She first began to learn to ride her bike in a baseball field. In her mind, falling on gravel was much less scary than falling on a concrete sidewalk. After she had built up her confidence on the baseball field, she began to practice in the empty school parking lot on weekends. Then she moved to riding on the sidewalks in our neighborhood.

By Noelle Harden, Extension Educator — Health and Nutrition

Are you thinking like a network?

You may have read the blog post my fellow network nerd Jamie Bain wrote about thinking like a network. You may have also read that cold weather didn’t keep people away from the summit hosted by the Central Regional Food Access Network. As Extension and Minnesota become more “net-centric,” we in Family Development are developing new resources to meet the needs of our Health and Nutrition staff, partners, and the communities we serve. Case in point, our new web page: Food Networks in Minnesota.

This web page hosts an ArcGIS map and a sortable directory of food networks in Minnesota.


This web page also has information about how to join the new Minnesota Food Networks email list and upcoming quarterly meetings. We created these resources to promote more learning, connecting, and engagement between food network leaders and others working on food systems change in Minnesota communities and across …

By Hannah Jastram Aaberg, Communications Associate

On March 30, University of Minnesota Extension staff, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education, will begin training future facilitators of Education: Our Best Legacy (EOBL). This program was developed by Center for Family Development (FD) staff to help middle school students get the most out of school. EOBL is one of several parent education programs offered under FD’s Partnering for School Success project.


Despite overall strong marks in academic achievement, Minnesota experiences one of the highest levels of educational disparities in the country. FD staff in family resiliency created the EOBL program to close these opportunity gaps in education.

By Hannah Jastram Aaberg, Communications Associate

“New Places to Grow” is the theme of the 2017 Schoolyard Gardens Conference, set for Friday, March 3, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, MN. Held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., sessions include the following:
Ten Plants that Changed MinnesotaMaking Year-Round School Gardens WorkSpecial Needs and GardeningSustaining a School Garden through Collaboration and Student “Ownership”The Perfect Prairie Partnership The conference will also feature a keynote address by Rick Sherman, Farm to School and School Garden Coordinator, Oregon Department of Education. Rick will share how Oregon became a leader in the farm to school and school garden movement, detailing how the state’s school gardens united into a mega-force.

Whether you are a beginner or schoolyard garden veteran, join educators, school administrators, gardeners, and community members to learn innovative strategies to sustain and engage diverse learners in thriving schoo…

By Marlene Stum, Professor and Extension Specialist — Family Social Science

Your help is needed to identify potential participants to understand family experiences when elderly people are victims of financial exploitation by someone in their own family. We have half of our participants but need another recruitment push to reach our goal of having all interviews completed by March 2017.

Elder family financial exploitation is widely agreed to be the most prevalent and growing type of elder abuse in Minnesota as well as across the U.S. It is also commonly recognized that “families are never the same after experiencing financial exploitation.” However, the voices and perspectives of affected family members are largely absent from what’s known about elder financial exploitation.

By Karen Shirer, Associate Dean

On January 24 and 26, I attended two sessions of the 2017 Lessons from the Field series. This year’s series of workshops focuses on the needs of transgender youth and is led by CYFC's Scholar in Residence, Jennifer McGuire, Ph.D. Jennifer and her co-presenters — Nathan Hesse, SNAP Ed educator, and Cari Michaels, CYFC Extension educator — thoughtfully highlighted the challenges faced by transgender youth in our society.


These transgender workshops reminded me of one of my earliest programming opportunities related to diversity and inclusion. In 1995, while working at Iowa State as an assistant state Extension leader, I was tasked with planning and implementing a statewide, three-day immersive training session on reaching Hispanic audiences through Extension family programming. Today, these lessons learned from planning and participating in this experience remain with me.

By Emily Becher, Research Associate

Throughout my brief career as a student, academic, researcher and evaluator, one theme has emerged: I’m not as smart as I thought I was!

When I was younger, I thought that intelligence or smarts was measured by my ability to grasp complex ideas and thoughts. If I wasn’t able to grasp an idea quickly and easily, it meant that I wasn’t gifted in that particular area and I should move along to something else. A quote my dad my often shared with me would bubble up at the back of my mind: “Genius manifests itself.” I took this to mean that if I was good at something, it would be obvious from the beginning.

However, over the years, I’ve learned that this just isn’t true — at least for me.

Check out these videos from Extension staff and partners:

Gisell Gonzalez at the St. Paul Women's March (4:21) — Listen to this young Latina's speech about her feelings regarding the mischaracterization of women and Latinos roles in the workforce.

Live Better Live Longer (5:48) — CHI St. Gabriel's Health — Learn about this Morrison County program and keep your eye out for Regional Coordinator Stephanie Hakes,  and SNAP-Ed Educators Carmen Genske and Elizabeth Quillo.

Following in Faith (2:33) — Zumbro Lutheran Church — Check out this an example of what can be achieved when different institutions decide to work together for a common goal in the community (hint: it involves burritos).

Here’s your monthly roundup of regional media coverage on the work of Family Development staff and partners.

Community food project proposed for Wadena families
Wadena Pioneer Journal, Dec. 19, 2016

The Wadena Growers Association is looking to increase healthy food access and is working with Tri-County Health Care Foundation and Extension to offer CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables to families.


University study: Minnesota childcare providers are fostering healthier environments
U of M Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Jan. 3, 2017

A University of Minnesota research team found that early childhood care and education providers are making significant strides in ensuring kids eat healthy food and are physically active, although barriers remain. U of M Extension noticed that providers surveyed in 2010 were willing to serve more whole grains and took action.


Local policy council continues work addressing barriers to healthy food in Ste…