John Punches is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management at Oregon State University. He has been with OSU since 1994 as an Extension Forester and Wood Scientist, and has served in a variety of Extension leadership roles. He now holds a full time administrative role overseeing Extension and Outreach & Engagement programs in Curry, Coos, Douglas and Lane Counties, and serves statewide as a specialist in Extension Service District formation and operational issues. In his spare time, John is an active volunteer and instructor for the Douglas County Search and Rescue and Mountain Rescue units, and teaches cave rescue throughout the United States as a member of the National Cave Rescue Commission.
What Community Service Center program(s) did you work with?
Community Planning Workshop (CPW)
Briefly describe the project(s) you work on with the CSC
We partnered with CPW to produce a needs assessment for our Extension Service program in Lane County.
Why did you decide to work with the CSC?
The Community Service Center came highly recommended and we were aware of their prior work with similar programs. Their community programs and close connections in Lane County made it a logical decision.
What were the benefits of engaging the CSC program?
The Community Service Center understands local dynamics; they are embedded in the community and are trusted as a resource for Lane County. Our partnership made sense and overlapped with our mission. They were able to harness tools that we could not with our limited resources.
What role did CSC staff/students/members have in the project?
Bethany Steiner, CPW Associate Director was the project coordinator. I worked with her and the students assigned to the project to identify goals and to develop a plan of action. Bethany guided the team as they refined objectives, produced a timeline, and established the process. The group worked together on each stage to identify our target audience. The CPW students handled the work and data collection and reported findings to me, and then we collaborated on the next steps. They developed lists of potential audiences, developed and implemented a survey, analyzed data and wrote the project report.. CPW provides a source of informed experts and accomplished goals that otherwise would be impossible without their help. Bethany Steiner is a leader and an excellent student motivator.
How did the engagement of the CSC program(s) increase your organization capacity to complete the project?
The Community Planning Workshop was the capacity. We would have not have been able to reach the depths that they did with our existing resources.
What advice do you have to other potential community partners about working with the CSC?
Do it. Tremendously positive experience; excellent working relationship. CSC is a resource of experts; they were able to understand and develop objectives, facilitated the framework, and provided all the information I needed for the project.
Get involved with our Volunteer Opportunities!
The Oregon State University Extension Service is the largest grassroots educational organization in Oregon. In 2010, OSU Extension trained 18,000 volunteers. In Lane County, Extension Service volunteer opportunities include Master Gardeners, Master Food Preservers, 4-H Youth Development and more. We also over lots of practical educational opportunities. For more information visit our website at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane.
More about the Community Planning Workshop(CPW)