Expanded
programming continues through fall and beyond
Todd
McLeish
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, staff members at
the University of Rhode Island’s Cooperative Extension were gearing up for a
spring gardening festival, deploying Master Gardeners to public events to
answer gardening questions, and scheduling presentations around the state about
numerous gardening topics. Spring and summer are their busiest seasons by far.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, staff members at
the University of Rhode Island’s Cooperative Extension were gearing up for a
spring gardening festival, deploying Master Gardeners to public events to
answer gardening questions, and scheduling presentations around the state about
numerous gardening topics. Spring and summer are their busiest seasons by far.
When
the virus forced the state into lockdown and residents were told to stay home,
the organization shifted its tactics and tried to figure out how to continue
its offerings online. And it has been more successful than they could have
imagined.
“The pandemic – and the fact that everyone was staying home – triggered tremendous interest in growing food, many of whom had never done so before,” said Kate Venturini, outreach program administrator for Cooperative Extension. “We wanted to make sure people still had access to our science-based resources, so we turned to online programming.”
From
May through July, nearly two dozen presentations were offered online via the
WebEx platform on such topics as landscape design, planning a vegetable garden,
container gardening, composting, and easy lawncare.
More than 3,000 people attended the programs live – far more than would ordinarily have attended similar programs in person – and many more have watched them after the presentations were archived on YouTube.
More than 3,000 people attended the programs live – far more than would ordinarily have attended similar programs in person – and many more have watched them after the presentations were archived on YouTube.
“As
we started building our gardening-related webinar schedule, we realized that we
should integrate other topics Cooperative Extension programs address, not just
gardening,” Venturini said. “We’re now planning programs about solar energy,
energy markets, cooking with fresh fruits and vegetables, youth engagement in
science, tick safety and more.”
So
far, the programs have been a rousing success. Ninety-seven % of the 500 people
who completed an evaluation of one of the seminars indicated that they had
learned something new, and 96% said they planned to take action or do something
differently as a result of what they had learned.
“A
light bulb went off for us. Why weren’t we doing this all along?” Venturini
asked. “So we’re planning to continue offering these programs online going
forward, even after the pandemic is over. It’s so much easier to bring people
together this way and to bring in experts from outside our immediate area.
We’ve got science behind us, and we want to make it accessible to all.”
Upcoming
online seminars are as follows:
- July 24: Totally Tomatoes
- July 31: Food and Animal Science for Youth: Live 4-H Activity Demonstrations
- August 7: Tree Fruits in Rhode Island
- August 14: Valuing Siting Options for Commercial-Scale Solar Energy in Rhode Island
- August 21: Food Preservation FAQ’s
- August 28: Family Friendly Fruit and Veggie Recipes
To
register for any of these programs, visit https://web.uri.edu/coopext/events.
All are free and open to the public.
Additional
programs will be scheduled throughout the fall. Check the website regularly for
topics and information.