Ideas at Work

Building Strong Communities Through Mediation

Janet Kiser Lambarth
County Extension Agent/Chair
Washington State University Cooperative Extension
Internet Address: lambarth@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu

In the field of alternative dispute resolution, the buzzword of the mid 1980s in the state of Washington was "mediation." The state legislature had identified a need among its constituents for a process of resolving disputes that was less costly and complex than the usual formal court-based adversarial proceedings. Legislators wanted a system that encouraged voluntary participation and that would become a model to be adopted by any community looking for an alternative to the courts for resolving certain disputes. Mediation for dispute resolution became the process, and the establishment of dispute resolution centers became the vehicle for accomplishing the legislature's goals.

Washington State University Cooperative Extension entered the picture in the early 1990s, when several Extension agents were trained and certified as professional mediator practitioners through the established Dispute Resolution Centers. This opened the door for Extension to develop trainings in mediation and conflict resolution as part of Extension's community development programming. The main audience was centered in northeast Washington, in the greater Spokane area. The work was organized, carried out, and evaluated by the Pend Oreille County Extension agent whose office is located in the rural county north of Spokane and who became a professional mediator in 1994.

This article highlights a unique and very successful community development effort that can be replicated and adapted in other communities. It elaborates upon the reasons for focussing on Spokane and surrounding counties, explains the actions taken by the Extension agent to create a positive reception for mediation efforts, and discusses the impacts of a formal mediation structure on community and personal life.

Why Mediation

Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution process that helps individuals or groups reach a settlement of issues in a peaceful, respectful manner. The process incorporates advanced communication, listening, and negotiation skills to facilitate problem solving by disputants. It not only addresses solutions for the obvious issues that lead to the conflict, but also recognizes needs of individuals that underlie and fuel conflict. The benefits of mediation over other forms of dispute resolution are durability of settlement, mending relationships, personal skill-building, and increased community safety—all building blocks for a healthier community.

Conflict (or the discrepancy between the way things are and how someone wants them to be) is the basis for needing mediation. Conflict can be as simple as an ordinary argument among family members over cooking dinner, to neighbors with two different lifestyles and views of the fence line, to a former husband and wife trying to out-compete each other for their children's loyalties. Mediation is an excellent choice for people who expect to have continuing relationships with each other and reputations to protect. Thus, it is particularly amenable to community disputes that involve contractors and homeowners, neighbors, parents and teens, landlords and tenants, merchants and customers, or managers and employees.

Settlement rates for mediation are 87% to 92%, depending on the problems mediated and the individual or organization offering the services. In Washington, compliance rates for settlement agreements between disputants can be 85% and higher. Settlement agreements can be tracked because they are the only non-confidential aspect of mediation. Agreements are signed by disputants and hold up in court.

The Situation in Spokane

In 1994, in eastern Washington, use of the mediation process was still in its infancy. In Spokane, a city of 180,000 people and the largest city in that part of the state, there were perhaps half a dozen certified mediator practitioners. There was no volunteer mediator program. The courts were overloaded with small claims cases, and the process of mediation was known to very few organizations, businesses, or individuals that might have benefited by mediation services.

Training volunteers to mediate is a unique function of a Dispute Resolution Center (DRC). The training program is similar in concept to Extension's Master Gardener training program. A well-trained corps of mediator volunteers provides invaluable assistance in reducing the court dockets of overburdened small claims and civil court judges. It also provides services for community organizations and families that need a neutral, safe atmosphere for discussion and problem solving. Although there was a DRC in Spokane in 1994, there were no volunteer mediators and no programs to train them. District Court judges were asking for help.

The main interest of the Extension agent was to develop mediation services for the rural county in which she worked. However, she judged that mediation would not be easily embraced there. Building awareness and knowledge of its value elsewhere was a step towards bringing it home. The conditions in Spokane, 50 miles away, provided that opportunity.

Actions Taken

To develop community awareness of mediation as an alternative dispute resolution technique, an advisory committee was formed. Members were people who had a stake in promoting mediation in Spokane. The two employees of the Spokane DRC were invited to be part of the committee. The result was formation of the Inland Northwest Mediation Coalition, a small, informal, representative group of mediators in private practice, attorneys, and teaching faculty of the three area universities.

The Coalition developed a basic 40-hour mediator training course patterned after those offered by several highly regarded DRCs in the state. Such curriculum content generally includes conflict theory, conflict management, basic needs theory, the eight-step mediation process, issues and interests, coached practices, negotiations, role plays, communication and listening skills, and de-briefings. Between 1994 and 1999, the course was marketed successfully eight times. One hundred eleven people were trained, including 25 from rural Pend Oreille County.

Another major thrust in creating community awareness was delivering talks or abbreviated classes to area groups. The agent made 32 of these contacts in 2 years, paving the way for the 40-hour trainings.

It was important to develop a pool of competent mediators for Spokane and surrounding counties. The steps the Extension agent took were to:

• Become a Board member of the inactive Spokane DRC and
• Secure affiliation of the DRC with the highly regarded Volunteers of America organization.

By becoming a Board member, she could be instrumental in developing mediator certification standards and offering internship programs that resulted in mediator certification. Affiliating with the Volunteers of America created the needed organizational and financial stability for formalizing mediation resources in the Spokane area.

Impacts of the Mediation Project

Mediation training is one of the more satisfying trainings individuals take, according to class evaluations. At its heart is an eight-step process that is the framework for resolution of disputes. The process recognizes what people think is true and moves them towards identifying the real truth. Following the eight steps creates a safe, humane, respectful environment and the opportunities to achieve substantive, psychological, and procedural satisfaction for disputants. Without these conditions, resolution of conflict becomes more difficult.

Among the people who took the new Spokane trainings were lawyers, law students, school administrators, psychologists, college faculty and administrators, county government employees, sheriff's deputies, ministers, community volunteers, industry managers, and people looking for career changes. Also trained were 30 professionals from the Department of Energy/Hanford Clean-Up project in Richland, Washington.

Fifty percent of all participants answered a follow-up mail survey in 1999, helping to identify the long-range impacts of the training in their professional, personal, and community lives.

Major changes occurred in the Spokane community as a result of the mediation trainings Extension delivered. Perhaps the most significant outcome was establishing the Dispute Resolution Center as a legitimate program of the Volunteers of America. The Volunteers renamed the DRC as the Inland Mediation Center (IMC), giving it a solid financial base and staff trained by the Extension training team. The Inland Mediation Center has been ongoing since 1996; its two Directors have been Extension-trained. In 1997, 28 trainees were listed as volunteer mediators with the IMC. They completed 2,404 volunteer hours of mediating. A minimum hourly charge by professional mediators in Spokane is $60. Thus, the volunteer mediators had donated at least $144,000 in time helping people find resolution.

Other significant Spokane community impacts in 1997 included the following.

• 178 cases were resolved with a settlement rate of 90% of all cases received for mediation.
• The referral of 500 cases to mediation saved small claims and civil court judges 375 hours on their court dockets.
• Judges' caseloads were reduced from 4 days to 1 1/2 days, according to the court clerk.

Because of Extension-educated mediator volunteers, the former Spokane DRC met its legal and professional commitments to the Spokane court system. The court clerk reported "high satisfaction" from judges "who really push mediation" and reported that "mediation has done well on reducing the small claims case load."

Mediator trainees identified changes in their own behavior, actual outcomes, and the educational value to them of the 40-hour basic training they took through Extension. One of the more poignant testimonials was "(The training) increased the quality of mine and my family's lives and helped my grandmother and brother reach peace at her death."

One participant "saved my company $26,000 by using mediation for dispute resolution. In just one instance!" In addition:

• 86% used mediation skills to prevent or deal with conflict at work.
• 22% "saved a relationship of importance to me."
• 32% used mediation skills in business situations.
• 60% used them with close family members.
• Three people started new businesses as professional mediators.
• Five people worked to start a DRC in their communities.
• Class participants referred at least 121 people to professional mediators.
• Class members recommended the class to 214 people.
• They volunteered at least 130 hours as mediators in their communities, for a value of $7,800 in volunteer time.

In the secondary school peer mediation programs that developed for children as a result of Extension's basic training, one rural school reported 98% durability of settlements among students who agreed to mediate to resolve conflicts with each other. In 1998, a principal said, "They must be mediating in the hallways and classrooms. That is the only explanation I have for the reduced number of discipline cases I've had in my office this year."

The Bigger Picture

A philosophical result of this Extension-sponsored educational effort has been the establishment of the transformation style of mediation as the predominant style practiced in eastern Washington. Transformation mediation holds the promise of change in individuals for the betterment of society. Violence in communities has become commonplace, as have intolerance, impatience, and a general lack of civility.

The eight-step process Extension teaches addresses issues of justice, diversity, leadership, environment, decision-making, change, and personal needs. The process encourages individuals and groups to respectfully work together to solve problems. The impact data reported here reflect personal and community change. They reinforce mediation as an alternative dispute resolution process that encourages social cohesion, unearths shared values, upholds fairness and equality, honors individuality, and achieves mutual agreement. The program made a difference!

Evaluating a Diversity Educational Resource in Cooperative Extension

Patreese D. Ingram
Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education
Internet Address:Pdi1@psu.edu

Rama Radhakrishna
Associate Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education
Internet Address: Brr100@psu.edu

The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania

Introduction

The cultural landscape of American society has been changing dramatically in the last 25 years and will continue to change. By mid-century no racial/ethnic group in the U.S. will be in the majority. The African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian American populations in this country are increasing at rates faster than the Caucasian population (Population Reference Bureau, 2001).

The changes in the diversity of our society extend beyond race and culture. The elderly will continue to comprise a larger segment of our population: people 85 years and older are the fastest growing age group in the nation (Brock, 2001). Single-parent families, blended families, and other alternative family structures are becoming commonplace; about 50% of all children born in the U.S. will spend at least part of their childhood with only one parent (Lamb, 1999). Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are choosing to be open in their communities and work places. People with physical and mental disabilities are more actively seeking to be contributing members of society. The fastest growing religion in this country is Islam (Arnett, 1998). And an increasing number of people are speaking languages other than English in public settings.

The result is clear: our social institutions, including the Cooperative Extension System, will need to change in order to effectively serve the diversity of communities and families across this nation. The mission of Cooperative Extension is to provide university-based educational services to communities, organizations and families.

Description of Newsletter

In states across the country, a variety of efforts, large and small, are underway to help build the capacity of Cooperative Extension to more effectively serve our culturally diverse communities. In Pennsylvania, one such effort was the development of Diverse Issues, a quarterly newsletter distributed to Extension professionals across the state. The goal of the newsletter is to increase an awareness of, appreciation for, and valuing of diversity. Each issue includes five "regular topics." They are described as follows.

• Diversity in People has covered such topics as: the Amish, Arabs, bi-racial people, alternative family structures, gays, the obese, characteristics of rural/urban/and suburban communities, and child rearing practices of diverse populations.
  
  
• Diversity in the Workplace focuses on issues related to working with people who are different from oneself.
  
  
• Diversity Activity shares an activity that professionals can use with youth and/or adult groups to help increase awareness of diversity.
  
  
• Diversity Resource provides descriptions and sources for educational materials specifically prepared for diverse audiences, clip art depicting diverse populations, and diversity-related web sites.
  
  
• Diversity Around the State is an opportunity to showcase the diversity activities and efforts of Extension professionals in the counties.

The newsletter is available in both hard copy and on the Internet. Issues may be downloaded and printed from the Web site http://AgExtEd.cas.psu.edu/FCS/pi/newsletters.html. Ten editions of Diverse Issues were published between September, 1998 and October 2000. In an effort to evaluate the usefulness and future direction of this newsletter as an educational resource, feedback was requested from the readers.

Use of Diverse Issues Newsletter

We wanted to know how Diverse Issues has been used by Extension professionals (Figure 1). One hundred and thirty-six (136) responses to this question were received. The most frequent response was that Diverse Issues was used as a source for personal growth and development (33%). Other uses of the newsletter were:

• Inclusion of articles in county newsletters and other media (18%);
• Use of the activities with 4-H clubs, groups, and other Extension meetings (16%);
• Staff development for Extension professionals and volunteers (15%);
• Use in various Extension programming efforts in the community (11%); and
• Use as a reference and resource (9%).

Figure 1.
Use of Diverse Issues

In addition to sharing the newsletter with Extension staff and 4-H youth and leaders, respondents indicated that the newsletter is shared with Extension advisory boards and committees, Expanded Foods and Nutrition Education Advisors, human service agencies and organizations, various community coalitions, schools, and church groups.

An attempt was also made to study how the newsletter has influenced diversity programs at the county level (Figure 2). The majority (57%) of respondents indicated that the number of county programs related to diversity issues had increased over the past 4-5 years. For 43% of the respondents, however, the level of diversity programming had remained the same. Some of the specific topics mentioned for diversity programming at the county level included:

• Cultural understanding and tolerance;
• Accepting differences;
• Diversity of race, values, and socioeconomic status;
• Diversity in foods;
• Raising children from different cultures;
• Relating to others with physical challenges;
• Holiday celebrations from diverse cultures and countries;
• Acceptance of gays in the workplace;
• How we are all alike;
• Similarities among various cultural customs; and
• Requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Figure 2.
Impact of Diverse Issues

Respondents were asked a series of questions designed to reflect the impact of Diverse Issues on Extension professionals and their programming (Figure 3). Responses suggest that with Diverse Issues Extension professions are more likely than without Diverse Issues to:

• Use diversity information in their programming;
• Have a greater level of comfort dealing with diversity issues; and
• Have an increased level of knowledge, awareness, and understanding of diversity issues.

A much smaller percentage, however, reported having increased requests to do diversity programming.

Figure 3.
Impact of Diverse Issues

Outcome/Impact

The study sought to determine the usefulness and impact of a diversity-focused newsletter as an educational resource for Extension professionals. Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions are drawn.

1. Extension professionals consider Diverse Issues as a valued diversity educational resource. They also agree that the content, topics, and frequency of publication and format are appropriate.
2. Extension professionals have shared Diverse Issues with other groups in the communities. A majority of professionals indicated that the number of programs they conduct relative to diversity has increased. The availability of a "ready-made" resource may have been instrumental in increasing the likelihood that Extension professionals would incorporate diversity education into programming with community organizations and clientele.
3. Diverse Issues newsletter has increased the knowledge, awareness, and understanding of diversity-related issues. Extension professionals indicate a greater comfort level in dealing with diversity issues.

The positive feedback from the users of Diverse Issues newsletter suggests the need for up-to-date information on diversity-related issues. This is indeed a significant outcome if one looks at the recent Census data and projections for the future.

References

Arnett, E. C. (1998, January 2). Muslims entering mainstream America. Centre Daily Times, 2, pp. A6.

Brock, J. N. (2001). The evolution of the aging population. The Aging of America Series. Retrieved April 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cba.gsu.edu/magazine/aging.html

Lamb, M. E. (1999). Parental behavior, family processes and child development in nontraditional and traditionally understudies families. In M. E. Lamb (Ed.), Parenting and child development in nontraditional families. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Population Reference Bureau and Social Science Data Analysis Network (2001). The changing American pie, 1999 and 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ameristat.org/

Strategic Planning Task Force on Diversity. (1991). Pathways to diversity: Strategic plan for the Cooperative Extension System's emphasis on diversity. [Working Document] USDA.

Extension Assistance for Integrated Pest Management Programs in K-12 Schools

John C. Stier
Assistant Professor, Environmental Turfgrass Science
Internet Address: jstier@facstaff.wisc.edu

Karen A. Delahaut
IPM Specialist
Internet Address: kadelaha@facstaff.wisc.edu

Philip J. Pellitterri
Entomologist
Internet Address: pellitte@entomology.wisc.edu

R. Chris Williamson
Entomologist
Internet Address: rcwillie@entomology.wisc.edu

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin

Brian P. Becker
IPM Coordinator
Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection
Internet Address: Brian.Becker@datcp.state.wi.us

Introduction

Concern over children's potential exposure to pesticides has led to efforts to ban pesticides at Wisconsin schools K-12. Legislation is pending that would require school personnel to receive certification in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Three states, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Michigan, already require IPM to be used at schools.

The University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP) developed a volunteer IPM training program for school building and grounds managers. The goal is to help schools develop IPM procedures to reduce children's exposure to pesticides.

The Wisconsin program is unique for two reasons. First, equal attention is given to indoor and outdoor pest management. In most states only indoor pesticide use is of concern. Second, while several states have developed training materials or manuals, we provide hands-on training plus Web-based, hard copy, and telephone support.

Program Development

In 1998, a committee of UWEX specialists, WDATCP, professional pest control operators (PCOs), school personnel, toxicologists, and parents developed a three-part program to encourage adoption of IPM:

• Production of a school-specific IPM manual,
• A pilot training program in 1999, and
• A full-scale program in 2000.

The 200-page manual provides practical information for schools to develop IPM programs. The manual is formatted for a three-ring binder to allow pages to be removed for photocopying and so users can add their own information, e.g., pesticide labels, application records, maps of school grounds, etc. Action points are provided for each pest. An appendix contains auxiliary information such as calibration procedures. The main sections of the manual are:

• Essential elements of IPM
• Turf management
• Outdoor insects and diseases
• Outdoor vertebrate pests
• Indoor pests
• Developing pest management plans

The manual describes proven methods to allow cost-effective implementation of IPM such as guidelines for prioritizing needs. For example, schools often apply fertilizer and pesticide treatments equally across the grounds, yet certain areas are used more intensively than others and require different levels of management (athletic fields vs. general turf areas).

School staff often lack the time and knowledge to develop the policies and record-keeping tools needed for an IPM program. The manual contains the following sample policies and forms that can be customized as needed.

• Pest management plan
• Pesticide use policy
• Licensing/training information
• Labels/MSDS
• Pest reporting
• Pesticide use logs
• Building/grounds maps

Pesticide selection, application, and compliance issues can be confusing to persons not trained in pesticides. Approximately 50% of Wisconsin schools hire professional pest control operators (PCOs), but many of them under utilize IPM. The manual contains the following sections to ensure pesticide use is performed in accordance with IPM guidelines.

• Posting and notification guidelines
• How to select a professional pest control operator
• Pesticide selection

The manual has been requested by dozens of schools, parks, and municipalities in the U.S. Parts of the manual were used by a private company in Michigan for production of a CD on school safety training. The IPM Institute of North America has utilized the manual in production of its School IPM certification process. The manual is available on-line at http://ipcm.wisc.edu.

We visited six school districts three times between spring and autumn of 1999. During the first visit we met with staff, administrators, and PCOs. We discussed IPM, the manual, their pest problems, and conducted indoor and outdoor pest assessments. Schools were visited 2 months later to assist in the development of IPM plans and practices. During autumn, schools received a third visit to assess their adoption of IPM. Eighteen other school districts received the manual only because they wished to try IPM without assistance.

We enjoyed enthusiastic cooperation at each school we visited. All of the indoor PCOs we met were already practicing IPM, though the schools didn't realize it. The following examples characterize the impact of the IPM program.

• One school district quit the routine spraying of classrooms for lice, which is an ineffective and unnecessary use of pesticide.
• Indoor insect problems at several schools ceased once food policies were changed to restrict food to the cafeteria.
• Schools that regularly applied herbicides but didn't fertilize turf saved money by fertilizing instead of applying herbicides.
• One school switched to dragging infields with a spiker to remove weeds instead of using herbicides.

All of the schools we visited developed IPM policies and procedures. Of the schools we didn't visit, only five looked at the manual and only one adopted IPM procedures and policies.

The state legislature approved $55,000 to UWEX for the full-scale program in 2000. Four 1-day seminars were held during April in key suburban areas because this is where the majority of public concerns were raised. Parents in rural areas had minimal concern because pesticides are used routinely for farming, while parents in inner city areas had unrelated concerns for their school-age children.

The 250 seminar attendees were from 115 school districts (27%), representing 947 public schools (46%). School IPM manuals were given to each attendee. During summer we provided hands-on training at 13 school districts; personnel from nearby schools/districts were invited to participate. Approximately 200 school personnel, representing 37 districts, attended the training sessions.

Future of Wisconsin School IPM Extension Training

Legislation proposed in 2001 may require IPM certification for school staff. Additional funding is being sought to continue the training program.

Improving Science Education in the 4-H Geology Project

Virginia D. Bourdeau
Assistant Professor and 4-H Specialist
Oregon State University
Salem, Oregon
Internet Address: Virginia.Bourdeau@orst.edu

Introduction

Historically, Oregon's 4-H Geology project materials included a youth record page and a 22-page combined leader/member manual. The manual provided limited project recommendations that relied on non-Extension publications. The project's primary focus was on the collection and display of rocks and minerals at 4-H fairs. In 1998, only 241 youth in 19 of Oregon's 36 counties participated in the 4-H Geology project.

Geologic formations and Earth science processes have a dynamic, and sometimes immediate, influence on the quality of life Oregonians enjoy. The productivity of farm, forest, and range lands is determined by the nature of their soils and their location relative to mountain ranges and oceans that strongly influence rainfall and watershed drainage. The Columbia River watershed drains over 250,000 square miles from the northern Rocky Mountains (a tectonic range) to the Cascades (a volcanic range), providing water for salmon habitat, irrigation, navigation, and hydraulic power.

An understanding of these interrelationships is important when making natural resource management decisions. Extension Agents, teachers, and volunteers working with youth groups needed educational resources to develop an understanding of these geologic interrelationships.

After reviewing this situation, Oregon's 4-H Natural Science Curriculum Committee recommended that the 4-H Natural Science Specialist convene a Task Force to develop new geology education materials. The Curriculum Committee believed:

• Youth need a basic knowledge of geology to understand concepts important in all natural resource projects, and
• Oregon's fascinating geology provides an opportunity to develop a science program that goes beyond the knowledge gained creating rock and mineral collections.

A 16-member inter-agency, interdisciplinary Task Force was convened to serve as the 4-H Earth Science Leader Guide review team. The team included campus-based and county Extension faculty, club leaders, teens, teachers, an after-school science club specialist, and staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey. It was critical that the Task Force members represent a diversity of science expertise. Reducing 365 million years of geologic activity into an accessible format is a daunting task. When interpreting complex concepts to youth, it is important not to make them so simplistic as to be inaccurate.

The Science-Based Leader Guide

The Task Force decided that the Leader Guide would contain lessons on basic geologic concepts for youth in grades 4-8. These lessons would:

• Be based on the experiential learning model,
• Focus on Earth science processes using examples found in Oregon,
• Develop an understanding of the geographic and geologic interrelationships important to natural resource management decisions,
• Be designed for multiple delivery modes including school enrichment, camps and 4-H clubs,
• Be keyed to National Science Standards as adopted by the Oregon Department of Education, and
• Provide opportunities to practice life skills.

The resulting 4-H Earth Science Leader Guide includes nine chapters with 27 experiential lessons. The opening chapter introduces geography and Oregon's nine geologic provinces. In the next eight chapters the background sections present information on Oregon's geologic history beginning in the Mesozoic and continuing over time to recent events.

For example, the Chapter 2 background section focuses on the genesis of the Blue Mountain Geologic Province, one of the oldest in Oregon. To assist adults to interpret this information to youth, three experiential lessons explore the basic science concepts:

• Convection currents,
• Density, and
• Plate tectonics.

The lessons in each succeeding chapter present additional broad Earth science concepts, such as the rock cycle, earthquakes, and volcanism. These basic science lessons can be used anywhere in the United States by tying concepts to a particular region to make them most relevant to local learners.

A Leader Guide Was Not Enough

Once the 4-H Earth Science Leader Guide was completed, the Task Force realized it was imperative to provide training to familiarize staff and volunteers with the new materials. Specialists presented six workshops across the state reaching 84 participants.

When asked if they would use the workshop material learned in the next six months, 93% of participants responded "Yes." This proved to be true. As a result of the state-wide workshops, counties that had not previously had enrollment in the 4-H Geology project now had trained leaders who were actively delivering the program to youth and requesting additional support.

In response to this need, Earth Science Materials Kits were developed. The kits include chemicals, geologic models, videos, and reusable equipment needed to conduct the lessons. In 2001, 29 of Oregon's 36 counties have access to an Earth Science Materials Kit. Of these counties, 10 had no enrollment in the 4-H Geology project during 1999.

Conclusion

Through the development of new geology education materials, the 4-H Natural Science Curriculum Committee learned that a triad approach was needed to successful launch an expanded state-wide program. This triad included:

• A science based Leader Guide,
• A materials kit to support the lessons in the Leader Guide, and
• Workshops presented by specialists to familiarize staff and volunteers with the Leader Guide and materials kits.

In the first year, the number of youth enrolled in school enrichment or club based 4-H Geology projects increased to 479. In addition, Agriculture and 4-H Agents are using the Leader Guide lessons and kit materials to support other youth education efforts. The result is both an increase in youth enrollment in the 4-H Geology project and an increased county staff capacity to support science education programs.

Development of a Dairy Management Information Web Site

A. M. Chapa
Extension Dairy Specialist
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, Mississippi
Internet Address: achapa@ads.msstate.edu

J. W. Smith
Extension Dairy Scientist
Internet Address: jimsmith@arches.uga.edu

L. O. Ely
Extension Dairy Scientist
Internet Address: laneely@arches.uga.edu

W. D. Gilson
Extension Dairy Scientist
Internet Address: wgilson@arches.uga.edu

M. Nakazawa
Graduate Student
Internet Address: nakazawa@ai.uga.edu

University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

Introduction

The Internet has transformed the way people access information and has created opportunities for distribution of general and scientific information in areas such as education, business, government, and health care (Lawrence & Giles, 1999). However, a major disadvantage of an Internet search is the time required to sift through a myriad of unorganized sites returned from a typical search to find pertinent information.

The amount of publicly available information on the Web has increased rapidly (Lawrence & Giles, 1998b). The Web's doubling period was under 3 months the second half of 1993, nearly 5 months in 1995, and under 6 months during 1997 (Gray, 1997). The percent of commercial sites increased in a 4-year period from 1.5% of all sites in 1993 to nearly 63% in 1997 (Grey, 1997). Estimates from February 1999, showed the publicly indexable Web containing approximately 800 million pages, with 83% of the sites containing commercial content and 6% containing scientific content (Lawrence & Giles, 1999). Because of the Web's rapid growth and dynamic nature, search engine coverage relative to size has decreased since December 1997, with no search engine indexing more than approximately 16% (Lawrence & Giles, 1999). For a truly comprehensive index, all pages would have to be indexed simultaneously. Currently, this is not possible. (Lawrence & Giles, 1999).

Two approaches can be used when searching the Web. Subject guides (Yahoo, LookSmart) are commonly used for general topics, while search engines (Alta Vista, Northern Light) are better suited for finding specific information. A common complaint regarding search engines is the return of numerous pages containing irrelevant material. The results of a search are influenced by various factors, including database size, update frequency, search capability and design, and speed. Indexing new or modified pages by a search engine can take months. Lawrence and Giles (1999) found that search engines are more likely to list commercial sites than educational sites and sites that have more links. Therefore, the more "popular" sites are more apt to be listed in search results.

Another disadvantage of an Internet search is lack of quality control. Although there are over 100 peer-reviewed science, technical, and medical journals available online (Taubes, 1996) and many institutions review material before it is placed on a Web site, no formal review process exists for indexing a Web site on the Internet. Therefore, sites can be biased, misrepresent facts, or contain little factual information. Users must not only consider the relevance of the information to their current situation, location, and resources, but also the credibility of the Web site.

Development and Use of the Dairy Management Web Site

Information on the Internet pertaining to the dairy industry comes from a variety of sources, including but not limited to:

• Universities and colleges,
• Private industry,
• Magazines,
• Breed organizations, and
• The federal government.

Not all resources are linked, and deciding where and how to start searching can be a challenge. "The Dairy Manager" Web site was developed in an attempt to simplify finding and delivering reliable dairy management information to dairy producers and county Extension educators (http://www.ads.uga.edu/groups/dairy).

A panel of experts in various fields, including dairy nutrition, reproduction, veterinary medicine, agricultural engineering, and farm management review materials prior to placement on this site. "The Dairy Manager" consists of a compiled list of reviewed, specific, current dairy management reference Web sites. Each reference Web site is listed by title, description of contents, and keywords. Reference Web sites on "The Dairy Manager" are from private industry, government agencies, and public institutions. Most of the information on "The Dairy Manager" comes from university sources such as Extension bulletins, circulars, newsletters, and other publications. The rural market presents challenges in designing an effective Web site. Examples include reliability of telephone service and dated computer hardware and software (Samson, 1998). "The Dairy Manager" is designed to consider the limitations of the rural market. A simple Web-page layout and limited graphics allow for faster loading and access.

The initial "Welcome" page summarizes announcements or changes, allows users to choose the navigation method, and provides links that may be of importance to the dairy producer. Two methods of navigating "The Dairy Manager" are available. The "Search" feature searches lists of keywords in an internal database of reference Web sites for a match. The search engine searches reference Web sites listed within "The Dairy Manager," not the entire Web, with results displayed as a list of relevant Web sites containing the specified keyword(s).

The Directed Browsing feature consists of various topics. Users can look for information regarding "Livestock Management," "Forage Production and Management," "Labor and Business Management," or "Articles in Spanish." In order to narrow the choices, these categories are subdivided into additional topics such as "milking herd," "calves," "forage production," and "labor management." The livestock topics are subdivided into areas covering "nutrition," "health," "housing," and "management." Some sites may relate to numerous topics, therefore, a Web site may be listed under more than one topic and subtopic.

To access the information described in the reference Web site, a link "points" to the specific site. By clicking on the link, the reference Web site is opened onto a new window. "The Dairy Manager" is intended to provide current information and is updated frequently, with out-of-date information removed. "The Dairy Manager" currently contains 300-plus individual reference Web sites. Since its release in April 1999, the site has logged approximately 4,700 hits, averaging 400 hits per month. Counters on the Search page and Directed Browsing page indicate that the Search feature is used twice as much as the Browsing. Although "The Dairy Manager" presently contains information focused on management topics, future expansion is planned.

Conclusion

The "Dairy Manager" Web site is an attempt to simplify the process of finding dairy information for producers and county Extension educators. By incorporating two methods of navigating the site and linking to specific articles, users can use time more efficiently. Although face-to-face meetings, hands-on workshops, and demonstrations remain the mainstays of Extension, new technology and electronic media can provide opportunities to university and county Extension educators for innovative and cost-effective ways of information distribution to producers (Latour & Meunier, 1999).

References

Grey, M. (1997). Measuring the growth of the Web: June 1993 to January 1997 [On-line]. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Available at: http://www.mit.edu/people/mkgray/growth

Latour, M. A., & Meunier, R. A. (1999). Transferring poultry information to the public using the Internet: AvianNet@Purdue University.Journal of Extension [On-line] 37(5) Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1999october/iw1.html

Lawrence, S. & Giles, C. L. (1998). Searching the World Wide Web. Science. 280, 98-100.

Lawrence, S. & Giles, C. L. (1999). Accessibility and distribution of information on the Web. Nature. 400, 107-109.

Lawrence, S. & Giles, C. L. (1999). Searching the Web: General and scientific information access. IEEE Comm. 37, 116-122.

Samson, S. A. (1998). Technological issues of improving access to Internet Web sites for rural users. Journal of Extension [On-line] 36(4). Available at: http://www.joe.org/joe/1998august/tt2.html

Taubes, G. (1996). Science journals go wired. Science. 271, 764-766.

Training and Supporting Volunteer Mentors for Juvenile Offenders in Urban Gardening

Joseph H. Konen
District Specialist, Urban Programs
Ohio State University Extension, Northeast District
Wooster, Ohio
Internet Address: konen.2@osu.edu

Adult volunteers are the head, heart, and hands of a healthy 4-H mentoring project with juvenile offenders. The Green Team Project is a 3-year partnership of Extension's 4-H and Urban Gardening programs and the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court for urban gardening with juvenile offenders.

Volunteer selection, training, and support are important aspects of the program. This article gives an overview of the Green Team Program and then shares the volunteerism lessons gleaned from the 3 years of experience.

1998 was the first year of 4-H volunteer involvement in the Green Team. Following a research design, 30 juvenile offenders were randomly selected from a pool of 60 designated by the court. The 30 Green Team youths were to garden twice a week for 5 months. A team of 40 volunteers was selected and trained to work with the youths in teams of one or two youths with an adult.

In 1999 and 2000, the program was modified from the original research model, and the court referred selected youths for community service with the Green Team, generally for 20 hours each. Gardening was on Tuesday evenings for 2 hours and on Saturday mornings for 3 hours. Again adults were matched with youths in teams of two or three.

Table 1.
Youth and Volunteer Participation in the Green Team Project, 1998 to 2000

Volunteer Recruitment was handled through word of mouth, through a request to the Master Gardeners program, and through newspaper and other media articles and announcements. Many volunteers have returned year after year. As is evident through the statistics, in the second year there were many short-term volunteers. Volunteers come with a variety of backgrounds. Some are Master Gardeners or others with a high interest in gardening. Others have little gardening experience but have a high motivation to serve and help the youth in the Green Team.

Volunteer selection over the 3 years was based on an application process that included a formal application, signing of a volunteer standards of behavior and youth protection policy, a reference check, and an interview with a Green Team staff member. In 2000, a police background check, conducted through the county, was added.

Volunteer training has evolved and will continue to be modified as experience dictates. In 1998, volunteers participated in an 18-hour training process that included 6 hours of garden training and 12 hours of the Training Program for Leadership of Youth Groups designed by a task force of the Association of Social Work with Groups. Youth-serving professionals with social work and educational backgrounds presented the program.

1998 Orientation Schedule

Group Formation Activities—2 hours
Understanding Youth Today
     Developmental and Social Issues of youth Today—2 hours
     Societal Issues Impacting Youth Today—2 hours
Understanding Youth Groups
     Group Process—2 hours
     Group Leadership—2 hours
Adult Leaders of Youth
Standards of Behavior and Liability for Volunteers—2 hours
     Burn-out and Support for Volunteers—2 hours
Garden Training Sessions—4 hours

This ambitious training program was of great benefit to some volunteers and considered overkill by some with social work or education backgrounds. In reducing the orientation to two sessions for the 1999 and 2000 seasons, we yielded to the request of many applicants to enter the program more easily. We supplemented the basic training with more on-the-job training.

Perhaps, in the process, we have sacrificed some up-front team building and understanding of the process of group development. We balanced this by bringing the experiences of the current volunteers into the training as each topic was covered. We have supplemented the group process training by ongoing reflections on the process as each gardening session is debriefed. The orientation and training has evolved to this:

2000 Orientation Schedule

Orientation Session—2 hours
• History of the Green Team effort and 2000 Plans
• Green Team Youth—Who are they and how are they sent by the court
• 2000 Green Team Daily Work Plan: Welcome, Ice- Breakers, Team Formation, Work Assignments, Break, Clean-up, Dismissal, Debriefing
• Structure and Behavior Guidance: What are the rules and how to handle infractions and problems
• Youth Development Reflections from the book The Nurture Assumption by Judith Harris and volunteer stories of positive encounters while gardening
Garden Training—2 hours.

Additional, ongoing training for volunteers has been through the 3-hour video conference Youth Starts with You, which centers on Relationship, Behavior Guidance, Motivating, and Communicating.

Key to the success of the program has been the work of the Green Team coordinator, who has served as a liaison with the juvenile court, as volunteer coordinator for the project, and as the facilitator of activities at the garden site. The position has been held by both Extension program assistants (paid for with grant money) and, in 2000, by a court employee with a strong social work background. The court's willingness to support the Green Team community service project in this way is a positive sign of the value of the program.

A key element of this coordinator's work is to match the youths and volunteers and to facilitate the beginning, break, and closing of the sessions. Fortunately, the strong leadership of the Extension Urban Gardening staff has directed the gardening plans and work. This allows the coordinator to focus on communication with volunteers and youths.

Volunteers bring their own special talents: story-telling, conversation, bringing special foods from their home garden, initiating a game of horse-shoes at a break, or telling about their own career path. Volunteers come with a variety of abilities to relate and form a bond with the youths. Coaching and developing such skills is the responsibility of the Green Team staff. Volunteers are expected to work at strong contact with the youth during gardening activities but are discouraged from contact privately with youth outside garden activities.

The Green Team is youth development at its best: creating positive relationships between adult volunteers and youths in an activity valued in the community.

References

RISE Learning Solutions (1999). Youth starts with you, 10490 Taconic Terrace, Cincinnati, OH.

Association for the Advancement of Social Work With Groups. (1998). A Training program for leadership of youth groups, Second Edition, 210 pp. AASWG, Inc.C/O The University of Akron.

Building Partnerships to Address Challenging Social Problems

Kerry Kazura
Associate Professor, Family Studies
University of New Hampshire
Durham, New Hampshire
Internet Address: Kerry.Kazura@unh.edu

Mary Temke
Extension Specialist Human Development
University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
Durham, New Hampshire
Internet Address: Mary.Temke@unh.edu

Kristina Toth
Program Administrator
Department of Corrections
Laconia, New Hampshire
Internet Address: familyresourcecenter@yahoo.com

Barbara Hunter
Extension Educator, Family Development
University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
Laconia, New Hampshire
Internet Address: Barbara.Hunter@unh.edu

Introduction

A parent in prison creates disruption and stress for the entire family system. In the United States over 1.7 million people are currently incarcerated in jails and prisons (Gilliard & Beck, 1998). More than one half of state and federal inmates are between the ages of 18 and 34 (Gilliard & Beck, 1998). Approximately 65% of inmates have children under the age of 18, and 6% of women entering prison are pregnant. Currently, nearly 1.5 million children have a mother or father in federal or state prison (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000).

There is evidence that family support for inmates during incarceration, either informal or programmatic, promotes positive behavior during incarceration and reduces the likelihood of recidivism (Borgman, 1985; Fishman, 1982; Schafer, 1994). There is also evidence that children with incarcerated parents are at risk and need support to reduce the likelihood of intergenerational criminal behavior (Adalist-Estrin, 1994).

The Family Connection Project

Because of the high incidence of incarceration and the family issues associated with incarceration, a partnership was created among the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Cooperative Extension, UNH Department of Family Studies, and New Hampshire's Department of Corrections (Kazura, Baber, & Temke, 1999). This partnership is called The Family Connection Project. Programming objectives are to strengthen at-risk families and improve the healthy development of children with incarcerated parents through a family-centered, strength-based approach. The acquisition of positive family and relationship skills is expected to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors in families with an incarcerated parent.

The participants of this program are parents incarcerated at a New Hampshire state correctional facility and their families. At the current time, the prison population is approximately 500 (450 men and 50 women). A recent study by Kazura (1999) indicated that 73% of the prison inmates are parents (or stepparents), and 58% receive visits from their children.

The correctional facility houses a state-of-the-art rehabilitation program established in 1993. The facility serves non-violent offenders; the majority of offenders committed crimes associated with drug and alcohol use. It offers inmates two programs: 1) a modified therapeutic community, to deal with inmates' substance abuse; and 2) a vocational college program, to assist the inmates with their education and employment needs.

Needs Assessment

Respondents to a needs assessment survey were inmates who either had children or expected to return to homes with children (e.g., partners' children, siblings' children) upon being released from the facility. One hundred thirty-six inmates (99 male, 37 female) who ranged in age from 18 to 49 (M=29.33, SD=7.67) completed the needs assessment.

The assessment asked inmates to indicate their:

• Needs for education concerning parenting issues,
• Needs for life skills training,
• Concerns regarding finances,
• Needs for visitation programs,
• Partners' need for information about the correctional facility, and
• Needs and their partner's needs for social support services.

Kazura (1999) found that inmates realized and were concerned about how their incarceration was affecting their children's social and emotional development. Many inmates requested information about how to deal with their children's stress and what signs to look for in their children's behavior that may demonstrate the impact of incarceration and/or separation. In addition to parenting issues related to incarceration, these parents wanted basic parenting education concerning discipline and caring for their children. This group of inmates seemed to be motivated to be more knowledgeable and skillful parents; however, there were little to no resources available to them.

Four Programming Strategies Developed from the Needs Assessment

The majority of inmates receive parenting education classes that were designed for parents of young children, school age children, and adolescents. UNH Cooperative Extension trains program staff to conduct their parenting education program, Family Focus (Temke, 2000a; 2000b; 2001). Parents learn about child growth and development, effective discipline, positive communication, supporting children's education, building self-esteem in children, problem solving, decision making, and developing responsibility in children.

Inmates are encouraged to attend parent support/education groups. Program staff and students from the UNH Department of Family Studies are trained to conduct informal parenting support groups for incarcerated parents. In the near future similar support groups will be offered to the inmates' spouses/partners.

A section of the correctional facility has been renovated for supervised visitations between the incarcerated parents and their children. A play room has been designated for parents to interact with their infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and/or young elementary school children. A recreation room has been created for parents to interact with their children who are school-age and adolescents. There are one-way mirrors in each of these rooms so parents may be observed.

A faculty member from the UNH Department of Family Studies trains advanced graduate students and program staff to work in the playroom and recreation room with parents and children in order to model appropriate adult/child interaction. Students also observe parent-child interactions via the one-way mirrors and provide feedback to the parents regarding their parenting style.

Currently, program staff are partnering with 4-H Youth Development educators in the 10 New Hampshire counties to enroll children of incarcerated parents into community 4-H clubs or other youth development programs. In addition, the program staff works with UNH Cooperative Extension's family development educators to connect spouses/partners to parenting education programs and social services in their communities.

Outcomes

Each of these programming strategies will be extensively evaluated for effectiveness. Expectations are that the data will demonstrate that this is an important program that addresses the risk and protective factors associated with this marginalized population. In addition, it has the potential to lower recidivism and break the cycle of intergenerational transmission of behavior that leads to incarceration.

Acknowledgment and Disclaimer

Cooperative agreement number 5U1FSPO8169-02 made funding for The Family Connection Project and this publication possible from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do no necessarily represent the official views of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

References

Adalist-Estrin, A. (1994). Family support and criminal justice. In S. L. Kagan & B. Weissbourd (Eds.) Putting families first: America's family support movement and the challenge of change (pp. 161-186). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2000). Incarcerated parents and their children (BJS Document No. NCJ182335). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Borgman, R. (1985). The influence of family visiting upon boys' behavior in a juvenile correctional institution. Child Welfare, 64(6), 629-638.

Fishman, S. H. (1982). The impact of incarceration on children of offenders. Journal of Children in Contemporary Society, 15, 89-99.

Gilliard, D., & Beck, A. J. (August, 1998). Prisoners in 1997. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

Kazura, K. (2001). Family programming for incarcerated parents: A needs assessment among inmates. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 32, 67-83.

Kazura, K., Baber, K., & Temke, M. (1999). The Family Connection Project: A collaborative approach to supporting families with incarcerated parents. Family Science Review, 12, 294-315.

Schafer, N. E. (1994). Exploring the link between visits and parole success: A survey of prison visitors. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 38(1), 17-32.

Temke, M. (2000a). Family Focus: parenting the young child (Rev. ed.). NH: University of New Hampshire, Cooperative Extension.

Temke, M. (2000b). Family Focus: parenting the school age child (Rev. ed.). NH: University of New Hampshire, Cooperative Extension.

Temke, M. (2001). Family Focus: parenting the young teen (Rev. ed.). NH: University of New Hampshire, Cooperative Extension.

This article is online at http://joe.org/joe/2002february/ent-iw.html.

Copyright © by Extension Journal, Inc. ISSN 1077-5315. Articles appearing in the Journal become the property of the Journal. Single copies of articles may be reproduced in electronic or print form for use in educational or training activities. Inclusion of articles in other publications, electronic sources, or systematic large-scale distribution may be done only with prior electronic or written permission of the Journal Editorial Office, joe-ed@joe.org.