2021 Conference Recap
The First Annual 1890s Multi-State Conference took place on May 18th, 19th and 20th, 2021. The conference was conducted virtually over zoom and was hosted by three 1890s Land Grant Universities: Tennessee State University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Alabama A&M University. The 1890s Multi-State Conference focused on building relationships, opportunities, and programs within the communities and highlighted the building of the multi-state effort that originally included these three universities.
Walk Across the 1890s
Walk Across the 1890s was a 8-week pre-conference event that encouraged participants to be active and move more! Individually or teams were encouraged to walk 840 miles "the distance walking between Alabama A&M University, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, and Tennessee State University" over the course of the eight weeks. By the end of the event, a total of 12,007.28 miles were walked.
The Conference
The 1890s Multi-State Conference was held on May 18th-20th. The mission of the conference was to focus on building relationships, opportunities, and programs within the communities and highlights the building of the multi0state effort that initially includes: Tennessee State University, The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and Alabama A&M University. The conference was based on increasing food access in underserved communities within these three states.
Virtual Panel Discussions
Virtual Panel Discussions were held on each day of the conference. These virtual panels consisted of educators from each university as well as community leaders and organizations that partner with the universities. The panel discussions focused on how to work to make the community healthier, took an in depth look on how to capture PSE, and showed how agencies could partner to build healthy communities.
Virtual Lightning Talks
Virtual Lightning Talk presentations were displayed on each day of the conference. The purpose of the lightning talks was to showcase innovative and creative work in the 1890 institutions, increase food access in underserved communities, and help provide access to healthy food systems throughout all states.
Interactivity
During the conference, there were different online platforms used to make the conference more interactive. Platforms, such as Facebook and Kahoot, were used to receive feedback from participants and to bid on silent auction items. Another platform used was Sched. This allowed attendees to view the schedule of the conference, receive information about each speaker, and view presentations from each panel discussion.
Extended Reach Initiative
The Extended Reach Community of Practice was introduced and launched during the 1890s Multi-State Conference. This initiative was created and designed for the simple usage of sharing ideas, projects, and stories amongst extension programs. This virtual Community of Practice allows individuals to showcase all the wonderful ways they are changing and helping in their communities.
Donation
In lieu of a registration fee, it was decided that it would be asked of all participants if they would give in donation. All proceeds from the 1890s Multi-State Conference were given to the Mid-South Food Bank in Memphis, TN. By the end of the conference, $2,004 was donated to the Mid-South Food Bank. The donation helped feed 6,012 of our neighbors across the Mid-South.
This material was funded by USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP, and under an agreement with the State of TN. This institution is and equal opportunity provider.
Tennessee State University is an AA/EEO employer.
© 2021 Multi-State Conference
