National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference 2024

Authors:
Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt, Ph. D.
Jody Gatewood, M.A. 
Barbara Dunn Swanson, M.A.

Abstract:
Background:  Working Out Loud (WOL) is a “peer-to-peer learning process” to help people achieve a sense of calm, clarity, and confidence, as well as a connection with the people around them. It is unlike any program currently offered through Human Science Extension and Outreach, offering a unique and innovative way to reach Iowans and address a critical public health issue, self-determination, and social isolation. Social isolation has been identified as a priority of the U.S. Health and Human Services Surgeon General and Cooperative Extension and Outreach have emphasized addressing root causes of health disparities. WOL is a well-received, innovative program the public will not get anywhere else.
Furthermore, retaining current employees in Extension has been a challenge. Implementation of programs such as WOL in our internal Extension and Outreach community as a pathway to engage and support employees. WOL circles have been used in Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to increase Extension professionals’ capacity to tackle workplace challenges and cultivate resilience to deal with those challenges more effectively.
Poster objectives include:

1. Understand how WOL can be implemented to improve participant wellbeing.
2. Review how baseline, mid, and post surveys used to gather participant feedback.

Since 2019, Human Sciences Extension and Outreach in Iowa has piloted “Working Out Loud” (WOL) as a program to improve employee mindfulness, resilience, and sense of wellbeing. A volunteer-based program individuals met for 8 weeks with small groups of peers to work through a guided set of experiences all designed to build connection, support, and confidence. This session will include: 1) lessons learned from implementing this program, including program outcomes (I.e., self-reported change of eight resilience factors) and feedback from educators who participated. and 2) plans for expanding the use of WOL for broader stakeholders in Iowa. 
The WOL curriculum was designed to improve resilience through self-directed, social exchange in learning to support participants development of new skills, new habits, and a new mindset. The 8-week program includes activities that build resilience as participants engage in activities aimed at improving eight attributes which correspond to Self-Determination Theory and basic intrinsic motivators shared by all human beings including: control, clarity, compassion, confidence, composure, contentedness, connection, commitment. (8 C’s)
ISU Human Sciences Extension and Outreach WOL participants completed a baseline, mid, and post survey to assess changes to the eight attributes as well as gather programmatic feedback. Results show an improvement in all eight attributes, with the highest increase in control, clarity, and compassion. This poster will provide additional information related to program satisfaction and expansion to a wider, general audience.