PINELLAS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD EMPLOYEE WELLNESS CLASS SERIES
- Badurek, UF/IFAS Extension, Pinellas County; N. Jensen, UF/IFAS Extension, Pinellas County, H. Landis, UF/IFAS Extension, Pinellas County, R. Madhosingh-Hector, UF/IFAS Extension, Pinellas County, B. Niemann, UF/IFAS Extension, Pinellas County
SITUATION: Workplaces have long been primary locations for training employees in work skills. Recently, there has been an increased interest in providing employees information on health, wellness and other family and personal topics. Employers recognize that helping employees address these issues can improve their productivity at work. Therefore, worksites may be a prime location for Extension professionals seeking new audiences. This project was borne out of the relationship that one agent had developed with the Pinellas County School Board by offering a variety of worksite wellness classes since 2010. In 2015, Extension expanded class offerings into other Extension subject areas such as gardening, energy savings, creating healthy home environments and more. OBJECTIVES: Enhance an existing partnership to promote employee health and wellness and increase Extension’s capacity to reach new and diverse audiences. METHODS: Agents from the Family and Consumer Sciences, Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM Program, Sustainability, and Urban Horticulture offered a list class topics for school site wellness coordinators and employees to choose from. Using Eventbrite each agent charged the client a $50 speaker fee per one-hour class. Classes were held during and after work hours in classrooms, administration offices, and maintenance facilities and attendees included teachers, administrators, and other staff. RESULTS: 49 classes were held with 875 participants, and generated $2313.00 in revenue. Of those surveyed for knowledge gain and practice change, over 70% (n=152) intended to improve lifestyle habits or practices. CONCLUSIONS: This series is a successful way to reach new audiences and work as a team to provide a variety of Extension information. Most employees have little time in their schedules to attend classes and this allowed Extension to bring knowledge directly to them.
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