THE NATIONAL EXTENSION ASSOCIATION OF FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES (NEAFCS) EDUCATES AND RECOGNIZES EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS WHO IMPACT THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES. THE MAJORITY (73.5%) OF NEAFCS AFFILIATE MEMBERS FOCUS ON THE USDA-NIFA-AFRI-FAS-RFA PRIORITY AREA OF FOOD SAFETY, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH (FSNH), SPECIFICALLY DIET, NUTRITION, AND THE PREVENTION OF CHRONIC DISEASES (DNPC). THE 2023 ANNUAL SESSION LOCATION IS IN PROVIDENCE, RI, FROM SEPTEMBER 11-14, AND PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES (FCS) EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS WITH A FOCUS ON DNPC TO EXPLORE OCEANS OF OPPORTUNITIES. THE CONFERENCE WILL ENHANCE FSNH-DNPC ACTIVITIES TO BUILD SCIENCE-BASED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR ATTENDEES (N~500) TO BETTER ENGAGE THEIR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE US. TO ACHIEVE THIS, WE WILL SUPPORT THE DELIVERY OF FSNH-DNPC SCIENCE-BASED KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMAL EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES TO FCS PROFESSIONALS. ONSITE AUDIO/VIDEO SUPPORT FOR ROUGHLY 65 PEER-REVIEWED PRESENTATIONS, TWO PRE-CONFERENCES AND SEVERAL IN-DEPTH SESSIONS. ADDITIONAL CONFERENCE SUPPORT WILL ALLOW FOR BUS TRAVEL AND SPEAKER HONORARIUMS FOR THE PRE-CONFERENCE TOPIC OF FOOD PRESERVATION, AND IN-DEPTH SESSIONS ON FSNH-DNPC, AND A WELLNESS FRAMEWORK. THE NEAFCS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONFERENCE PLANNER, AND CONFERENCE LIAISONS FROM THE UNIVERSITIES OF DELAWARE AND MARYLAND EXTENSIONS WILL IMPLEMENT AND MANAGE ALL ACTIVITIES. EVALUATIONS WILL BE ADMINISTERED TO ASSESS FCS KNOWLEDGE, BEHAVIOR, AND INTENT TO APPLY THEIR NEW SKILLS WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY FROM RELEVANT ORAL, POSTER, PRE-CONFERENCES, AND IN-DEPTHS SESSIONS. FCS ENGAGEMENT IN ONE OR MORE CONFERENCE OFFERINGS WILL IMPROVE THEIR KNOWLEDGE, SKILLSET, AND NETWORKING TO MAKE FSNH-DNPC EDUCATION MORE EFFECTIVE AMONG THEIR RESPECTIVE CLIENTELE.$50,000
· FY2023 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture