I receive this question a lot locally, around the state and even nationally. I would like to share some thoughts on this subject to help clarify it.
UF/IFAS Extension Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) provides a wide range of programs aimed at supporting and improving life across the state, in both rural and urban areas. Florida Extension FCS programs (FEAFCS) help Floridians address a wide range of topics from building stronger families and improving nutrition and food safety practices to managing family budgets and financial resources.
Florida has 67 counties and UF/IFAS Extension is present and represented in each of them. Whether you’re retired, a parent, a teen, a visitor or somewhere in between, UF/IFAS Extension Family and Consumer Sciences has Solutions for Your Life.
The UF/IFAS Extension Family and Consumer Sciences program provides science-based information and educational programming to the community to empower individuals and families to make informed decisions about their well-being and to help them make changes to improve their health and quality of life.
What are these two organizations-FEAFCS and NEAFCS?
Florida Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (FEAFCS) is an affiliate of the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS). FEAFCS and NEAFCS educates its professionals to empower individuals and families to make informed decisions. Throughout Florida, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agents educate in the following subject areas:
Parenting and Family Life- Nutrition and Food Safety
- Housing and Home Environment
- Financial Management
- Disaster Preparedness
- Leadership Development
- Community Resource Development
- Youth Development
Parenting and Family Life
UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Family Youth and Consumer Sciences (FCS)
UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Family Youth and Consumer Sciences has information on a wide range of topics from health and nutrition, food safety, saving money at the grocery store, gardening, disaster preparedness, community resource development and much more.
Evidence-based resources and the Family Youth and Consumer Sciences Extension agent and staff are available to help clientele. The Broward FCS agent is one of eleven in the southeast extension district.
Food, Nutrition and Wellness in Broward
The UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Family Youth and Consumer Sciences program is here to help citizens better understand a variety of topics related to nutrition, health and food safety and to provide tools needed to make positive changes that contribute to living a long and healthy life.
Good nutrition isn’t just about counting calories or eating healthy. Good nutrition is about making mindful food choices that allow you to stay well and have the energy needed to do the things you want to do throughout the lifecycle. It’s about making wise choices based on your knowledge of food, nutrients, gardening, food safety and finding a balance between food and physical activity.
Good nutrition can contribute to overall quality of life. Eating properly with regular exercise can extend good health even into old age.
Advisory Committee Involvement
The advisory committee is an important component in the success of the agent-led UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Family Youth and Consumer Sciences program. The FCS advisory committee provides recommendations to the agent in improving accessibility to targeted audiences and for the sustainability of behavior changes that enhance quality of life.
The advisory committee has two main purposes: to advise and to advocate. The FCS advisory committee is made up of a diverse membership with the knowledge base needed to provide the best recommendations for evidence-based FCS program development and to help spread the word about the value of the UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Family Youth and Consumer Sciences program.
The committee, as advisors to the FCS agent, can help identify needs and issues, target audiences, provide input as to the most effective ways to reach the targeted audiences, and the provide insight into cultural differences that need to be understood before developing programs. The FCS advisory committee helps provide input and insight into making sustainable change happen.
Community Partnerships
Community partnerships are vital to UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Family Youth and Consumer Sciences. Local organizations allow FCS to bring educational programming into our community. Examples of partners include: parks and recreation, schools, food pantries, farmers markets, libraries, community centers and faith-based organizations.
Mission
The mission statement for UF/IFAS Extension includes the Cooperative Extension Service mission of “a federal, state and county partnership dedicated to making knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of human life.” UF/IFAS Extension Broward County faculty are trying to bring about change to improve the quality of human life.
I hope this was useful and provided more insight into the topic of the UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Family Youth and Consumer Sciences program
For more information check out these links:
http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/broward/family-and-consumer-sciences/
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