University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension recognized in 2017 that while FCS agents and specialist are doing exceptional work for Kentuckians, we were not effectively sharing our story about impacts made and accomplishments achieved.  To remedy that oversight, we have worked diligently over the past year to ensure that agents, county programs and state initiatives are not only making a difference for Kentucky but that those accomplishments are highlighted.  Improving the visibility of FCS Extension is inordinately beneficial, by increasing the effectiveness of our efforts and bringing in new clientele.

Encouraging agents in their efforts to market and report impacts from their programs, has been a primary focus. Agents, state staff and administrators collaborated to develop a capstone project which involved creating marketing materials that highlight Family and Consumer Sciences programing in multiple delivery formats, from hand-out cards to banners to flash videos to social media post messages. 

To highlight some of the amazing results that have occurred across the state, the “Telling Our Story” YouTube video series was created.  Partnering with Agriculture Communications provided the opportunity for professional quality videos that go “beyond the numbers” and tell the story of how FCS Extension programs are impacting local communities.  These videos have been featured on websites, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts and have been shown to stakeholders in local communities.

On the state level, a Family and Consumer Sciences Facebook page (@UKFCSExt) was launched to celebrate the achievements of FCS agents and specialists and highlight their valuable work.  While the page has only been LIVE for a little longer than 9 months, more than 130,000 people have been reached with FCS content. More than 24,000 have engaged with our content through post reactions, comments, shares or clicks for additional information.

As another outlet for FCS content, Talking FACS (Talking Family and Consumer Sciences) was launched in June.  Talking FACS is a podcast, hosted by our Assistant Director featuring our content specialists and associates as guests.  The podcasts episodes (published weekly) highlight topics relevant to Kentucky families and are delivered in a short format to allow listeners to start and complete the show while commuting to work, sitting in the school car line, working out or working around the home. During the first month, the podcast was downloaded to personal devices more than 350 times.

All of the efforts culminated in the Embracing Technology to Tell Our Story in-service training, which gave participants the opportunity to hone their skills in an experiential learning setting using various platforms and devices.  Through this session more than 60 agents learned new applications and are using these developed skills to communicate effectively with clientele, community stakeholders, and Extension administration.