- Author: Julienne Cancio
Saoimanu "Saoi" Sope, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources digital communications specialist, was born on Aunu'u, an island in American Samoa, but raised in Southern California. She attended UC Santa Cruz for her undergraduate degree in film and digital media. While in the program, she felt lost compared to her peers.
“I didn't know what type of stories I wanted to tell through film, especially compared to my other classmates,” Sope said. “For a lot of them, it seemed like they had been planning on being filmmakers their entire life. This major was my backup plan.”
To gain more perspective, she took on a second major in community studies, a unique and interdisciplinary field that prepares students to apply the lessons they learn in the classroom to the real world, through a six-month field study.
Sope completed her field study at the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond, teaching Black and Brown youth how film can be used as a tool to navigate their trauma. Through this experience, Sope learned about public health, which she pursued in her master's program at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
In 2018, Sope learned about UC ANR as an employee of Driscoll's. Her boss at the time coordinated a field trip to the UC ANR office in Davis to learn more about successful agriculture communications. Four years later, in June 2022, Sope joined the Strategic Communications team.
“It was a full-circle moment,” she said. “When UC ANR posted the job description for the role I have now, I saw it and applied like anyone else. Luckily, I got an interview and now I'm here.”
When talking about her interactions with Southern California researchers and staff as a digital communications specialist, Sope attributes much of her success to her culture and upbringing. “I think one of my superpowers is that I can work with people in a way that makes them feel valued and seen and heard,” she explained.
She talked about her Samoan background, one that emphasizes the importance of hospitality. Known as the “happy people of the Pacific,” Samoans are very big on caring for and hosting others, Sope said. “How we treat others reflects our value of community,” she explained.
Sope brings this into the room with the people she is interviewing and to the impactful stories she is writing. She makes it known to her interviewees that their time is valuable and their story is worth reading.
As she grows older, Sope said, she realizes how much of her culture has influenced her work ethic. She appreciates that May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, an opportunity to celebrate and bring recognition to the beautiful and diverse cultures of marginalized communities in the U.S.
Although AAPI communities are clumped into one phrase, it is important to remember that there are many diverse groups of people within this term that are often overlooked, such as Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
When speaking about her Polynesian culture, the saying “it takes a village to raise a child” really speaks to Sope. In Samoan culture, it is common for parents to give legal guardianship of their child to other family members. In the U.S., this is formally known as adoption. This is the case for Sope; she was “gifted” to her adoptive mom by her birth mom.
“But one thing that's really beautiful about the Samoan culture is that we always know where we come from,” she said. “We know who our birth parents are…it's not a secret, and it's not shameful.”
Overall, Sope is most proud of coming from a culture that places such a high value on community. This can be seen through her influential writing, bringing awareness and attention to UC ANR staff and researchers who make great contributions to the academic world and the greater SoCal communities.
In conveying their stories, Sope said she hopes they realize and reflect on their potential and the importance of their own work.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Do you want to have productive conversations about farming practices – sustainable, organic, conventional, regenerative, ecological – rather than arguing with people? Are you hungry for effective ways to convey the complexities of farming with people who have little experience with agriculture? Attend a workshop on July 18-19 in Pacific Grove to learn and practice using exciting new communication tools that can help you address the questions above and more.
This 1.5-day workshop is for agricultural professionals, farmers, communicators, advocates, and policymakers who regularly engage with the public on food and farm issues. It is part of a research and education grant funded by Western Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education.
Speakers will share practices grounded in social-science research (conducted by FrameWorks Institute and The Farming and Food Narrative Project) that explored the public's understanding of agriculture and effective ways to create understanding about unfamiliar farming topics.
You will be able to share your most pressing communication challenges, engage with communication strategies that ‘reframe' the conversation about good farming practices, and practice on your own materials. You will meet and connect with colleagues facing similar challenges and can choose to join a follow-up community of learning. The goal is that participants leave feeling confident to employ new communications tools in their work.
When: Tuesday, July 18, 1 p.m. – Wednesday, July 19, 4 p.m.
Where: Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove
Speakers:
- Jessica Moyer, FrameWorks Institute
- Michael Rozyne and Kelsey Gosch, Red Tomato
- Clare Sullivan, Oregon State University professor of crop and soil science
- Jim Farrar, UC Integrated Pest Management Program director
Registration costs $100 and includes one night's lodging and meals. Apply at https://forms.gle/JsJAXjrtZN27Hvyy5. Workshop space is limited so please apply by May 15.
For financial assistance, please contact kgosch@redtomato.org.
For more information about the agricultural communication workshop and the "Reframing in the West" project, see https://www.farmingandfoodnarrative.org/western-sare.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
See what's new in the ANR communications toolkit at https://ucanr.edu/sites/communicationstoolkit. Upon request, new slide templates have been added to the kit.
Google Slides
A Google Slides version of our UC ANR Powerpoint template can be found in the UC Davis template gallery. Scroll down to Presentation Designs to find the template called "UC ANR Google Slides Template English." To view the full template list, you may need to click on the down arrow which first appears at the bottom of the list.
UC ANR overview slides
Three PowerPoint presentation slides with UC ANR overview information, including a map of ANR locations and a list of statewide programs and institutes, have been added. Download UC_ANR_overview_slides by going to Logos & Templates, then clicking on Downloads, then the UC ANR logo.
If there are other resources that you would like to see added to the ANR communications toolkit, please email your ideas to lforbes@ucanr.edu.
- Author: Rose Hayden-Smith
Dear ANR Colleague:
As ANR researchers and educators, outreach is essential to our organization's mission. At our core, humans are storytellers. Stories that resonate can make the information contained in the story more relatable and memorable. While we may have started telling stories around the fire, modern communication involves stories told with digital technologies. Whether it is research, programs, advice, or activities — or communicating the value of your work or brand — it can be challenging to find the time to create content, to use it effectively, and to understand if how you're communicating is working.
Maybe you have ideas, but aren't sure about the best way to share your story…penning a blog post for the ANR website? Adapting a blog post for your LinkedIn page? Creating a storymap to illustrate a point? Using social media? Maybe you're already using social media, but want to do more: refine your approach, add a new platform, reach new audiences, etc. Maybe you're affiliated with a program or county office that wants to develop a communications strategy to emphasize your value to stakeholders.
ANR is developing an “educational pipeline” for academics to share timely information for the public via the ANR website and social media. You can submit a story via this online form https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=25898, then Strategic Communications will take it from there to distribute.
I can help! I can help you brainstorm ideas about stories, and make suggestions about how to write and target those stories for maximum effectiveness. Are you looking for practical assistance with writing and editing? I'm happy to help you with that, too. Are you considering beginning to use digital platforms (including writing for one of the ANR blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.), but are unsure if you should, how you'd go about it, or when to use those communications tools? Call me! I can also help you use the content you create efficiently and effectively across a range of social platforms.
I'll be co-hosting a webinar on blogging on December 6. The webinar is the first in a series of learning opportunities. If you have an interest in exploring any of these topics now, please feel free to email me at rhsmith@ucop.edu or text/call me at (805) 794-1665.
I'm happy to help.
Sincerely,
Rose Hayden-Smith
UCCE Advisor, Digital Communications in Food Systems and Extension Education
Editor, UC Food Observer
805.794.1665
@ucfoodobserver
View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
/span>- Author: Jodi Azulai
Join us on Thursday, July 19, for “Communicating Science, Creating Trust” with UC Davis News Media and Relations Specialist Katherine Kerlin:
- Acquire an understanding of communication skills that can help build trust.
- Learn communication techniques adaptable to a variety of audiences.
- Learn approaches to discussing climate change with more and less receptive audiences.
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/963167636
(646) 558-8656 or (669) 900-6833
Webinar ID: 963 167 636
Pilot mentoring program for staff coming to ANR soon!
Did you know that one of the goals of the ANR Strategic Plan 2016-20 was to establish mentoring partnerships for ANR employees? Yes, and planning is underway. Because of some differences between academic and staff mentoring objectives, Staff Human Resources and ANR Learning & Development is working on a staff mentoring program for now.
Why mentoring? Read an article How Mentoring Propelled My Career Forward posted in LinkedIn by UC President Janet Napolitano. She writes: “...find a good mentor. Look for someone who is genuinely interested in your long-term success and who will invest the time and energy to provide advice, guidance and feedback with candor.”
Stayed tuned for more on ANR's Staff Mentoring Program!
Call for applicants: Management Skills Assessment Program (MSAP)
Next program
October 8-11, 2018 @ the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center
How does this program work?
This program assesses the management skills of high potential, early career supervisors and managers for future leadership opportunities at the University of California. Discuss the program with supervisors and managers with 1-5 years of people management experience who exhibit potential for management development.
When are Applications due?
EXTENDED TO THURSDAY, July 5, 2018
Who is eligible?
Eligibility requirements include:
- Full-time career status with a current, satisfactory (or better) performance evaluation
- Career Tracks job classification as a supervisor or manager with 1-5 years' experience
Participants will be selected based on an evaluation of the applicant's (1) career goals in management, (2) level of skills essential for performing management functions, and (3) demonstrated career path and/or strong commitment to management skill development.
Who pays?
ANR Learning & Development pays (program cost $1350 PLUS transportation and other related travel costs)!
What to expect?
- A demanding program with assessees in activities from 8 am until 8 pm.
- No time to check email or attend to work responsibilities.
- Eat with other assessees and share small condos.
Application instructions and further information about the program are at http://msap.ucr.edu/. Choose UC ANR (not UC Davis) in the application.
A UC ANR committee will review all applications and make the final selection. Completed applications must be submitted online at http://msap.ucr.edu/ by EXTENDED TO THURSDAY, July 5, 2018
As supervisor, you will also have a required portion in the submission for application consideration and commit to participate in the required post-program activities.
For more information, contact Jodi Azulai, ANR Learning and Development Coordinator, at jlazulai@ucanr.edu.
Got Facilitation?
Have you ever participated in or led a meeting that was not effective or where it was not clear why you were meeting? That is where facilitation training comes in. An effective facilitator is a meeting architect who can help plan and/or lead a meeting so that desired goals are achieved.
Are you in need of a facilitator for your next meeting? Through various courses, ANR has graduated many people with training in facilitation. There are ANR Facilitators willing to help you with your next meeting.
In fact, in May a group of 17 ANR people participated in a Collaborative Facilitation Course instructed by Kim Ingram, Susie Kocher, and Linda Manton.
In this course participants learned how to
- Help a group free itself from internal obstacles so they may more effectively accomplish goals
- Guide a group to identify ways to respond to challenges, while maintaining safety and trust among the members
- Bring in processes to help the team achieve its charge
ANR Learning & Development hopes to support another Collaborative Facilitation course in FY18-19, so keep posted!