September 16, 2016
Paraguayan extension agent visits Kansas, K-State campus
Bernardo Villalba, an extension agent in the College of Agrarian Sciences from the National University of Asuncion in Asuncion, Paraguay, visited with representatives of the Kansas 4-H program Sept. 5-15.
The purpose of the visit was to learn about 4-H youth development and how the 4-H program model can be applied to local program needs in Paraguay.
Villalba spent time with K-State Research and Extension faculty and staff including Susan Schlichting, Ellis County 4-H Agent, Hays; John Jobe, Riley County 4-H Agent, Manhattan; and Ginger Kopfer, Geary County 4-H Agent, Junction City; Aliah Mestrovich-Seay, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, Manhattan, and Deryl E. Waldren, Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, Northwest Research-Extension Center, Colby.
Villalba met with KSRE administrators on K-State's Manhattan campus, learning about extension models, 4-H volunteerism and increasing Extension's capacity to deliver relevant programming that meets local needs. He also participated in a 4-H Volunteer Leader workshop in Cimarron, Kansas, learning how to effectively work with volunteer leaders. The training was in both English and Spanish in an effort to reach more Latino 4-H volunteer leaders.
Deryl Waldren, extension specialist, planned and coordinated the visit along with hosting Villaba with other families in Hays, Hutchinson and Manhattan.
The Kansas Paraguay Partners organization sponsored Villalba's trip to Kansas through a travel grant with Partners of the America's, Inc., in Washington, D.C. Kansas and Paraguay are both members of Partners of the Americas and have been cooperating and collaborating since 1968 with cultural and educational programs in two-way exchanges.
Other educational experiences included visiting the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson where Villalba saw and experienced more than 10,000 Kansas 4-H exhibits and livestock in 4-H Centennial Hall and the livestock barns.
For more information about this program, contact Deryl Waldren, dwaldren@k-state.edu or call 785-462-6281.