2018 National EFNEP Coordinators' Conference

Nebraska Extension's EFNEP program partnered with Lincoln, Nebraska's refugee resettlement program at Lutheran Family Services and the Karen Society of Nebraska to bring EFNEP's educational program to Karen refugees from Burma. More than half of the refugees that resettled to Lincoln, Nebraska between October 2015 and September 2016 were from Burma or Bhutan. With Lincoln being named by Welcoming America as one of the Top 10 Most Welcoming Cities in America, there have been a large number of refugees resettled in recent years. This sub-population of community members were provided Cultural Orientation services by several social service agencies. As a part of their Cultural Orientation, EFNEP staff in Lancaster County taught refugees from Burma about diet quality, food security, food safety, and physical activity, as they relate in Nebraska versus their home country. Three concepts of learner engagement were applied specifically when teaching the refugees North Carolina's Eating Smart, Moving More adult nutrition education curriculum: being extra-prepared, being flexible, and being a learner. Especially when working with participants from different cultures, being a learner of their habits, patterns, interests, and overall culture is essential for creating a relationship-based program, as exemplified in EFNEP.