LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
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This month, explore learning opportunities designed to strengthen how you connect, communicate and create impact. Highlights include sessions on building a local food guide, advancing Food is Medicine partnerships and enhancing your professional presence with LinkedIn strategies. You’ll also find practical tools for setting boundaries and building essential workplace skills.
Don’t miss the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Challenge (July 6–24, 2026) – an opportunity to pause, reflect and respond more effectively in your daily work.
Explore by focus area:
Extension Methods & Delivery
Explore training and resources to improve how you design and deliver effective extension programs and educational outreach.
Building Support
Learn strategies for developing partnerships, engaging stakeholders and securing resources to strengthen your work.
Inclusion & Belonging
Access tools and learning opportunities to create welcoming, equitable and inclusive environments for diverse audiences.
Office, Team and Personal Management
Find professional development resources to enhance workplace skills, teamwork and individual growth.
- Feature article – Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Have you ever reacted quickly in a conversation and wished you had paused first? Emotional intelligence helps us do exactly that. Join in the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Challenge from LinkedIn Learning (July 6–24, 2026)
EXTENSION METHODS & DELIVERY
Creating a Local Food Guide (Extension Foundation)
July 9 | 11 a.m. – Noon PT
Learn how to build a local food guide that connects communities to farms, markets and fresh food. Julie Wayman (Ohio State) shares practical tips on getting started, funding and keeping your guide updated. Learn details and register.
STEAM Imagination Guides
July 22, 11 a.m. – Noon PT
Ready to spark curiosity while supporting literacy and community connections? Explore ready-to-use STEAM resources that help you engage families and partner with local libraries. Discover creative, hands-on activities designed to inspire learning across ages and settings. Walk away with practical ideas you can implement right away to strengthen programs and outreach. Check here for details (coming soon).
Partnering for Impact: Food is Medicine
July 21, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PT
Is improving community health through innovative partnerships on your radar? Discover how healthcare and community organizations are teaming up to deliver nutrition-based solutions that make a real difference. Learn details and register.
Program Development & Evaluation Capacity Building Trainings
Aug. 4 – Oct. 27, 2026
Interactive online trainings on program planning, community engagement, civil rights compliance, evaluation methods and communicating impact. The 15-part series is offered à la carte – attend individual sessions or complete the entire series to build program development competencies. New for 2026: a deeper dive into using observation as an evaluation method. Register for the 2026 Program Planning & Evaluation Webinar Series
Audience: CE academics, community educators, supervisors, program staff and especially new CE Advisors, Specialists, Academic Coordinators and other academics. Area Directors and County Office Administrators are encouraged to attend the Writing Strong Impact Statements session on Oct. 27 to support County Spotlight reporting.
Hosted By: UC ANR Program Planning and Evaluation Team, Vikram Koundinya, Samuel Ikendi, Jocelyn Mobley, UC Informatics and Geographic Information Systems (IGIS) and the UC ANR Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Employment Opportunity.
BUILDING SUPPORT
Access tools, training, and support services to strengthen your effectiveness, grow program capacity and advance UC ANR’s mission.
Development Services (Fundraising & Philanthropy)
Strengthen your ability to secure funding, build donor relationships and elevate program impact through strategic fundraising support. Learn more on the Development Services webpage.
Government & Community Relations
Strengthen your ability to engage effectively with policymakers, community leaders, and stakeholders to advance UC ANR priorities. The Government & Community Relations resources support relationship-building, strategic communication and informed advocacy aligned with UC policies – helping you elevate the impact and visibility of your programs.
Strategic Communications
Sharpen your messaging, storytelling and outreach to boost program visibility, engagement and UC ANR brand impact. Visit the Strategic Communications webpage to increase program visibility, engage diverse audiences, and elevate UC ANR.
INCLUSION & BELONGING
Anti-Racism Resources (UC Davis Webpage)
Digital Accessibility Community of Practice Meeting (UCOP)
July 14 | 11-11:50 a.m.
Tentative agenda
- Share results from the kickoff meeting (June 17)
- Breakout rooms for interest groups and meeting others
- Discuss next steps for the CoP including formats and ways to engage
Join Zoom Meeting
https://UCOP.zoom.us/j/98446190054 | Meeting ID: 984 4619 0054
Jamie Herrera, Accessibility Program Manager in Digital Innovation & Technology, UCOP
Kate Miffitt, Chief Digital Experience and Engagement Officer, UCOP
Digital Accessibility Refresh (UC ANR Webpage)
When was the last time you checked your content for accessibility? Learn practical tips and steps to make your documents, presentations, and web content more inclusive. What is digital accessibility? Weekly tips to make your digital products accessible.
OFFICE, TEAM & PERSONAL MANAGEMENT
LinkedIn Strategies for UC ANR Employees (With Doralicia Garay)
Sept. 8 | 10 a.m. PT
Want to make your work more visible and expand your professional reach? Learn practical LinkedIn strategies to showcase your impact and strengthen your network.
Zoom link: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/95530820478
My UC Career (UCwide Career Resources Tool)
What possibilities could open if you had a clearer view of your career path? My UC Career is a free, UC-wide platform for academics and staff that helps you assess your strengths, build in-demand skills, and explore personalized career pathways across the university system. Discover tools, learning resources, and guidance designed to support your growth at every stage.
The Art of Saying No (NCFDD)
Feeling stretched thin by competing requests? Learn practical strategies to set boundaries with confidence and protect your time. Learn details and register. Create your free account today!
Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP) Resources (Extension Professional Organization)
Looking for professional development you can access anytime? Explore free, on-demand webinars for Extension professionals covering leadership, communication, and more. Presentations are led by Extension colleagues from across the country and offer practical ideas, innovative approaches, and research-informed strategies you can apply directly to your work. Learn more about ESP. Watch webinars.
FEATURE ARTICLE
Join the July LinkedIn Learning Challenge
On June 23, L&D shared an invitation to participate in LinkedIn Learning’s Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Challenge (July 6–24, 2026)—and we’re including it again here so you don’t miss the opportunity to build skills that strengthen how we work, communicate and collaborate every day.
Have you ever reacted quickly in a conversation and wished you had paused first? You’re not alone, and that’s exactly where emotional intelligence makes a difference. This challenge offers short, practical lessons (just 2+ minutes a day) to help you:
- Build self-awareness and regulate emotions
- Strengthen resilience
- Navigate emotionally charged conversations
- Practice empathy and mindfulness
Connecting to Our Work: Insights from a 4-H Youth Advisor
Matthew Rodriguez reminds us that cultivating emotional health is foundational to thriving personally and professionally. His recent post emphasizes that emotional well-being grows through intentional practices – like reflection, self-awareness and building supportive relationships. These ideas align closely with the EQ challenge: developing the ability to pause, name emotions and respond thoughtfully helps us show up more effectively for our colleagues, communities and youth.
- Silence and Emotional Intelligence (2 min: 19 seconds) – Learn to stay calm and intentional instead of reacting in uncomfortable moments
- The 5 Vs model to build EQ and resilience (2 min: 35 seconds)– Practical tools to build resilience and reclaim joy at work
- Ground Yourself to Help Regulate Strong Emotions (4 min: 21 seconds) – Techniques like breathing exercises to manage stress in real time
- Navigating Emotionally Charged Conversations at Work: Ask questions to reduce defensiveness and invite openness (3 min: 6 seconds)– Stay centered and collaborative when tensions rise
- Communicating with Empathy: Empathy drives success (1 min) – Build stronger, more authentic connections
Even a few minutes a day can create meaningful change. Consider inviting a colleague to join you and share insights along the way. Need access to LinkedIn Learning? Contact ANR IT at help@ucanr.edu
Let’s take this opportunity to strengthen our emotional intelligence together to support a more thoughtful, connected and resilient workplace.
Learn something new today to support your work.
Credits:
Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash
Photo by YY TEOH on Unsplash
Photo by Annie Williams on Unsplash
Photo by Jeriden Villegas on Unsplash
Photo by Greg Bulla on Unsplash
Image by geralt from Pixabay