From Making a Living to Making a Difference

“From Making a Living to Making a Difference” Transformational Education and Leadership in the NDSU Extension System

Thank you to Margaret Bethel, Director of Michigan State University Extension Service, for her insights, resources and expertise on transformational education.

The NDSU Extension Service purpose is to create learning partnerships that help adults and youth enhance their lives and communities.

Lynette’s take on the mission… The NDSU Extension Service purpose is to create learning partnerships that help adults and youth enhance transform their lives and communities.

“Outreach education relies on the existence of a body of knowledge which is not only transferred to an individual, but is instrumental in transforming the individual. In other words, the individual has to actively receive the knowledge and know how to use it. ” Building Capacity: From Transferring to Transforming, University of Wisconsin Extension

With the dramatic changes in the ways people live and use information, NDSU Extension must be ready to transform the way it delivers educational programs to its clientele.

How can we help engage individuals and communities in change and transformation through our work?

We must begin by understanding a community’s response to change – this is tied to its ability to manage its CAPITAL.

Thriving places have strong capital. • Human • Financial • Natural • Social • Political • Built • Cultural

What does human capital look like? Healthy communities start with strong families.

What does financial capital look like? Viable business and a thriving economy.

What does natural capital look like? Nothing is sustainable without a healthy environment.

What does social capital look like? The trust, connections and engagement needed in a community

What does political capital look like? Includes organizations, connections, voice and power.

What does built capital look like? Supporting foundation that facilitates human activity

What does cultural capital look like? Understanding of cultural and community heritage

Transformation is about… • • • Affecting change Creating more leaders Giving people simple tools they can apply with success to make a difference • Developing business and social entrepreneurs • Providing “new recipes” not just “more cooking” David Bornstein, Author, How to Change the World – Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas

What is transformational learning? The continuous process of knowledge discovery, integration, application and reflection. The goal is not to accumulate more knowledge but to expand the capacity to produce the desired results by applying knowledge. Margaret Bethel, 2003. Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Director

Educational Processes PROCESS high low Facilitation Transformational Education Information Content Transmission CONTENT Scholarship of Discovery Integration Application RELATIONSHIP high

Creating more leaders as your legacy is great. Give people simple tools that they can apply with success to make a difference!! TRANSFORMATIONAL

Activity 1 - How have you been spending your programming time? • Generate a quick list of programs & activities – major and minor for the past 6 months. What educational programs and focused block of information have you been involved with or delivering? • List the big headings in your plan of work or what you have committed to focus on.

Why is it up to Extension to do this work?

Think about the context in your communities • This is our niche • We are part of those community capitals and have access to people and resources • We are part of the experience and part of the solution • We will be affected by the outcome communities receive

Extension is the Lighthouse! “Universities have an important obligation to people far beyond the borders of our campuses. We are stewards of knowledge that can serve as an important beacon, but only if that knowledge is dispersed and shared freely with everyone who seeks it. ” Kevin Reilly, 2003. Chancellor, UW-Extension at the Outreach Scholarship Conference

Look familiar?

Activity 2 Re-write one of your “activities” so it becomes transformational. Work with a partner to develop a simple plan for this change.

Questions to ask about your programs – are they transformational? • Is this information helping people solve problems? • Is this information a catalyst for individual/community change?

Activity 3 Action Sandwich As a group, we will make a single sandwich with the best ingredients. Decide upon a single program area that could re-worked to the transformational level.

Making the Sandwich… • Card 1 – Hope – What is your “hope” for the program you want to change? • Card 2 – Fear- What is your worst fear? • Card 3 – Passion – What moves you deeply about the situation? • Card 4 – Role – How do you see yourself here? • Card 5 – Time – How long will this take? • Card 6 –Money – Do you need this and how much? • Card 7 – Fact – One thing that is true about the situation • Card 8 – Reality – What is your version of a realistic goal statement?

Transformational Educators “Transformational education in the community is about building leaders for that community around issue content. Mastering content knowledge and building group leadership capacity occur simultaneously. ” Margaret Bethel, 2003. Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service Director

Activity 5: What do you need from the NDSU Extension organization to help you do your work at the transformational level?

Suggestions • Program development assistance • Evaluation/Tenure • Additional professional development opportunities • Diversity Education • Educational technologies • Bigger budgets • Communication and marketing assistance • Reporting and evaluation assistance • Other

“Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry. ” Bill Drayton, CEO and Founder Ashoka Foundation

Transforming Others • • • See the ordinary as extraordinary Be creative Find the right lens Find the right focus Put things in perspective Dewitt Jones, National Geographic