A virtual Summer Small Business Boot Camp was launched in Clatsop County after COVID-19 shuttered businesses, kept tourists away from a county heavily reliant on tourism, and drove the unemployment rate to almost 25%.

Lindsay Davis, OSU Extension in Clatsop County, and Jessica Newhall, Associate Director of the Clatsop Small Business Development Center, joined Interim Vice Provost Anita Azarenko to share how they collaborated to build core business skills and economic resiliency in Clatsop County. It is a model that can be replicated in other counties across Oregon.

Tell us what you inspires you about this collaboration in the comment section on the blog post and reach out to Lindsay and Jessica to learn more.

Shana Withee, state 4-H program coordinator for the 4-H international program, joined Anita Azarenko, interim vice provost for Extension and Engagement,for this month’s First Monday Update. The 4-H international program began to take shape in Oregon in 1973 to help youth gain a greater understanding of themselves and the world around them.

There are in-bound and out-bound opportunities to experience world cultures, including hosting students and adults from other countries and living inother countries. Youth do not have to be 4-H members to participate and 4-H Foundation endowments make participation affordable.

The 2020 program is postponed, but planning is underway for 2021. Consider opening your home for two weeks to a visitor from Japan, or encourage the youth you work with and know to engage with the world in a life-changing way.

Want to learn more or become a host family? Contact Shana and visit the 4-H international program website.