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<p>The UTTC Extension Program provides nutrition and gardening education to students, staff, and faculty and reaches out to the communities of the five tribes that own UTTC. </p>
<p>Objective 1: Develop culturally relevant nutrition, food safety, gardening and healthy lifestyle education programs and activities for UTTC students, families, staff and tribal communities. The prevention of chronic diseases will be promoted throughout the educational efforts. All lesson materials are made available to Indian Country through direct contact with agency personnel or files sent electronically. Outputs include food safety training for regional and tribal foodservice workers, nutrition and food safety programs for tribal childcare workers, lesson materials and student information sheets shared with tribal agencies serving families, the establishment of an Extension gardening program that incorporates Native American traditional gardening practices and provides scientifically based sustainable agriculture practices for vegetable and fruit crops. Teaching methods include hands-on activities; growing bacteria, hand washing experiments, planting seeds and plants, tasting new foods, cooking method comparisons, dietary analysis, and field trips. </p>
<p>Objective 2: Promote health and wellness for UTTC students, staff and their families through educational activities that support healthy choices, sustain cultural values, strengthen self-esteem and build resource management skills relating to food purchases. </p>
<p>Outputs: articles for United Tribes News, nutrition education activities and messages for the campus elementary health classes and campus child development centers, school wellness program and foodservice advisory efforts to promote healthy food choices and safe food handling practices, gardening and food preservation classes, health fair exhibits and community wellness events. </p>
<p>Objective 4: Develop and maintain local, regional and national partnerships to mutually enhance nutrition and health programs for Native American individuals, families and communities. Outputs include partnerships with reservation based programs to enhance the nutrition and health components of community based projects (food distribution programs, diabetes programs, services to seniors, environmental health, housing and childcare services), workshops, seminars, health fair exhibits and training materials are shared with agency partners. Partner with the health unit to provide WIC access for UTTC students and their families and enhanced nutrition education. Continue and enhance partnerships with other land grant colleges to develop programs, provide student internships and encourage continuing education and communicate education and research needs to and from the tribal communities.</p>
<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:<br/> The UTTC Land Grant mission is to improve the quality of life through culturally appropriate and scientifically based education that will strengthen tribal communities, sustain natural resources, and promote healthy lifestyles for citizens of tribal nations. UTTC was founded to provide a community in which Indian people can acquire an education and obtain employment. The college community provides family housing since 47% of the students are parents with an average of 2.5 children each. The child development centers serve 200 infants and toddlers while their parents are attending classes. Almost 300 children are enrolled in the campus based elementary school. The Extension program provides nutrition and gardening education to all campus based children and youth, 1000 college students, and 350 staff, and faculty, as well as Native Americans and
other interested individuals living in the region. The college is owned by five tribal nations located in North and South Dakota. Tribal collaborators include; diabetes programs, nutrition for the elderly feeding sites, head-start programs, correctional centers, casinos, schools, daycares, clinics and hospitals, food distribution programs and many others. Program guidance is provided by an American Indian advisory board that includes diabetes program staff, university professor, housing inspector/contract officer, senior meal program assistant and foodservice staff representing each of the owner tribes. Educational programs and activities include hands-on food safety programs to improve food safety practices and lead to successful completion of the National ServSafe exam. Elementary children participate in hands-on nutrition activities and cooking experiences, healthy cooking classes
taught in the nutrition and foodservice kitchen lab involve 75 adults living or working on campus, weekly wellness programs with nutrition, health and exercise components reach 100 college students and staff, over 1000 people participate in 3 health fairs annually. A research and demonstration garden large enough for community gardens is being established on campus. Traditional gardening methods, locally grown vegetables and fruits will be emphasized by the UTTC gardening educator who is collaborating with the North Dakota State University horticulture specialist. The production of locally grown fruits and vegetables will lead to food preservation and safety programs as well as farmers market possibilities.
<p>APPROACH:<br/> UTTC Extension program evaluation involves measuring the degree to which each program has met its objectives, specific to each planned activity, and how the activities impact behavior change. UTTC Land Grant Extension program staff will ensure educational efforts meet both cultural appropriateness and professional standards, as outlined in this proposal and by the USDA-NIFA guidelines. Short term outcomes include; improved food choices evident in the UTTC cafeteria and as refreshments at meetings and conferences, the consumption of more fruits and vegetables reported by program participants, healthy cooking methods used during hands-on workshops with participants expressing plans to use the methods at home, increased use of traditional food and gardening practices with community gardens utilized on the UTTC campus. Medium outcomes include; improved
flexibility and weight loss measured by the participants in campus based 13 week wellness program, more vegetable gardens visible near campus housing, and more fruit trees growing on campus, improved food safety practices visible in campus foodservice settings. The national ServSafe exam provides a strong indication of increased knowledge; hands-on activities with food preparation provide visual evidence of the adoption of practices. The long term outcome; UTTC served American Indians have improved health and well-being. Evaluation tools include a program survey asking training program participants to recall the amount of new information learned from each section of the training. A Return on Investment (ROA) assessment tool used for credit classes and college completion efforts will be adapted to accommodate non-formal, non-credit programs. Data collected includes; participant count and
completion rates, participant evaluations of the training, learner outcome assessments, traditional and contemporary American Indian knowledge, experiential learning and internships where participants can apply the skills they have learned (observations, self-reporting, and action plans provide the data).
<p>PROGRESS: 2010/09 TO 2011/08<br/>The Land Grant programs advisory group has met 3 times to review current program plans and prioritize issues affecting the nutrition, food safety and food production education needs of the tribal communities. Annually the programs, lessons and reference materials are reviewed for scientific base and to update current recommendations. Nutrition and food preparation programs involve community members in hands on learning activities that promote improved food selection, gardening, cooking skills and food handling and safety skills. The 13 week series delivers nutrition, health and wellness messages and hands on expperiences. Participants include college students, faculty, staff and community members. The food safety hands-on workshop has been expanded into a tribal cooks workshop that includes nutrition, menu planning and culinary skills.
BIA cooks, IHS cooks,cafeteria cooks and others from ND, SD, NE, MT, NV,AZ and NM have participated. The UTTC gardening program has partnered with North Dakota State University Extension Horticulturist to establish a youth and adult gardening program that includes raised beds for the youth, a campus based community garden and a research and experiment garden. Nutrition and foodsafety news articles are published 10 times each year in United Tribes News, 1,630 copies are mailed throughout Indian Country, 800 copies are distributed on the UTTC campus. PRODUCTS: Nutrition and wellness classes and activities are taught in a 13 week cycle. Healthy cooking classes are conducted 3 times each year, reaching 20 people each time. Fresh garden produce cooking classes (lunch-n-learn) are being taught throughout the summer and early fall. Health, nutrition and foodsafety news articles have been
published in United Tribes News, 10 times each year. Health, nutrition, gardening and foodsafety exhibits and activities have been included in health fairs, school events, tribal programs and Indian country conferences. Food safety resources are shared with IHS and tribal environmental health offices. Tribal Cooks Workshop trains reservation based foodservice providers. Youth gardening activities include elementary age youth. OUTCOMES: Increased knowledge of basic gardening methods. More fruits and vegetables consumed by the youth and adults participating in the nutrition and hands-on cooking activities. Additional foodservice workers requesting training in foodsafety, menu planning, nutrition and cooking skills. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: An updated web site has been established for the distribution of resources, www.landgrant.uttc.edu. Televison and Indian radio program interviews have
publicized the gardening activities, nutrition and wellness programs and the tribal cooks workshops. FUTURE INITIATIVES: Lesson plans and project sheets will be developed to support youth programs that are held in tribal communities, topics include nutrition and food preparation, and youth gardening. The resources will be available on the web site and will be packaged and mailed to reservation based communities. Traditional food exhibits will be developed to be included with the Smithsonian Key Ingredients America by food exhibit we will host on the UTTC campus August to October 2012 and summer 2013.