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In March the Delaware and Union county Extension offices partnered to put on a Chef's Camp for 5th through 7th grade students. One of the goals of this program was to draw an audience not previously reached by Extension. It was open to both 4-H and non-4-H members and was advertised through schools, social media and local businesses. The camp was open to a maximum of sixteen participants based on available space, volunteers and equipment.  The camp was 4 days and lasted from 12:30- 4:30 p.m. and was held during the county schools spring break. The cost of the program for the participants was $75 which covered ingredients, an apron, measuring cups and spoons, cutting mats and a recipe book to take home at the end of the program. The students not only learned cooking skills but there was also a focus on nutrition, sensory food science, food safety and new ingredient exploration. Recipes included chicken curry, marinated salmon, ratatouille, cassava cupcakes and many more. Each recipe was chosen to teach students a new skill and reinforce food safety practices. Groups learned about protein denaturation as they cooked eggs and a variety of meat dishes. A tasting session was held after all the foods were prepared allowing groups to try each other’s dishes and comment on them. Groups created poster presentations on food safety and MyPlate based on that day’s cooking assignment. In down time the participants had the opportunity to do a variety of activities including using the state 4-H smoothie bike to learn about energy output and blend a smoothie while riding a stationary bike. A sensory game helped teach students how much smell factors in to their ability to taste and identify different flavors. Other activities included equipment and ingredient identification and food safety standards. This pilot program was a huge success and feedback from participants and parents helped confirm that there is a need and want for Food and Nutrition based programing. The future goals of this program are to develop a state curriculum that can be used in other counties.  Additional topic areas for future lesson plan development include: Cultural foods, meat science, food science and sensory science. Getting youth excited about preparing food and the science and nutrition behind cooking has health and wellness benefits as well as foster an interest in career opportunities. This short program was ideal for busy families that cannot commit to a traditional 4-H year timeline while providing a fun educational experience for the youth. Most participants wanted to know when they could sign up for the next program and others wanted to know if it would be available for older youth. Several parents indicated that they would be interested in the camp being offered over winter, spring and summer breaks. The next Chef’s camp opportunity will likely take place over winter break in Delaware County and will be offering a similar curriculum to the pilot camp with some new materials. The concept of this program originated with Christy Leeds –Union County 4-H and Youth Development Educator and County Director reading about cooking classes for youth in Columbus. Carmen Irving- Union County Family and Consumer Science Educator and Carol Keck- Delaware County Program Coordinator for Extension in the City began working on Christy’s concept. The Chef’s camp was developed by working across program areas and reaching outside the traditional structure of 4-H youth development. Reviewed By: Carmen Irving- Union County Family and Consumer Science Educator

The United States has long welcomed people from distant shores. Ohio currently welcomes thousands of immigrants and refugees each year.  According to the Office of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, a refugee is someone who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country." In Ohio, most refugees have been resettled in Franklin, Cuyahoga, Montgomery, and Summit Counties. Resettlement agencies, religious organizations, and community groups are critical to helping persons adjust to their new communities by assisting with the most immediate needs of finding homes, developing English language skills, and medical care. These same organizations also assist with long term challenges such as job training. Immigrants are defined as “those who have entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident.” In a recent report by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs entitled “Growing the Heartland: How Immigrants Offset Population Decline and an Aging Workforce in Midwest Metropolitan Cities” stated that while much of the Midwest suffered net population loss between 2000-2009, the Akron, OH metropolitan area (Summit and Stark County) gained over 9,000 new residents and 54% of this was due to immigrants and refugees settling in the area. People from this population are starting businesses, buying homes, and increase the local economy. In some counties, such as Cuyahoga and Montgomery, Ohio State University Extension has worked with organizations that help refugees and immigrants develop job skills via agri-businesses, such as farms and compost facilities. Immigrants and refugees are changing the landscape of our Ohio cities, can help reverse population loss, and are becoming vibrant members of our communities. How can we best embrace and support our newest neighbors? For more information: https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/publication/growing-heartland-how-immigrants-offset-population-decline-and-aging-workforce-midwest http://jfs.ohio.gov/refugee/index.stm Reviewed by: David Crawford, Educator III Stark County Extension Director & 4-H Youth Development

Many large universities are located in America’s largest cities. Leaders at these universities recognize their impact on surrounding communities. In many instances, multiple partnerships between cohorts of universities and local communities address key issues and reach large audiences. For example, key initiatives focus on food security, health, and accessibility to higher education. The Ohio State University connects with people living and working in urban communities. OSU is distinct in that it is a: Land-Grant University (LGU) As a land-grant university, Ohio State has campus research centers throughout the state and Extension offices in each of Ohio's 88 counties. Urban Serving Universities (USU) USU members are public urban research universities that are located in metropolitan areas with populations of 450,000 or greater. They demonstrate a commitment to their urban areas. Carnegie-Engaged University OSU was recognized for its extensive engagement programming and how its mission, culture, curriculum and resources are structured to support high-impact community engagement. Member of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) For the past year, administrators and representatives form OSU's 15 colleges have convened to collectively advance OSU's urban mission. More to come... What co-discovery projects are you involved with in Ohio's largest cities? Reviewed By: Julie Fox and Brian Raison Ph.D. Associate Professor, Extension Educator Community Development, Miami County Ohio.

Metropolitan and rural America are highly connected and interdependent. To succeed, metropolitan America needs a healthy and sustainable rural economy and culture, and in turn rural America needs vibrant, well-functioning cities and suburbs to thrive and flourish (Dabson, 2007). Creating Opportunity and Prosperity Through Strengthening Rural-Urban Connections contains case studies on efforts underway across the country to support rural-urban connection. This issue brief, from The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), was developed and funded by the NADO Research Foundation, through a sub-grant with the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). If you're interested in urban-rural research and policy, check out Isserman's article in the International Regional Science Review, 28, 4: 465-499 (October 2005), In the National Interest: Defining Rural and Urban Correctly in Research and Public Policy. OSU Extension in the City's newest working group is Sustainable Cities, led by Myra Moss. While there are numerous sustainability definitions and indexes, one thing remains constant -- there is value in exploring the connections between neighborhoods, cities, counties, and states.