SCAHIP Maintains Positive Presence Among Farm Youth at National FFA Convention

With over 72,000 agriculturally enthused youth and adults present at the 2023 National FFA Convention, the SCAHIP team took advantage of the opportunity to connect the work of the Center with individuals who play a major role in rural farming communities. Over 200 square foot of educational space was devoted to display the Center’s work and create critical discussions among the visitors. With all of SCAHIP’s work on display, special attention this year was to raise awareness of the work of the Vector-Borne research core as well as the Farmer Mental Health research core.

The SCAHIP team met with over 5,000 agricultural youth and adults, giving away 4,600 awareness stickers, 1,500 t-shirts, and 538 curriculum files for teachers. In addition, 1,457 visitors completed a questionnaire regarding their awareness levels, presence around, and episodes of attack with different types of ticks. The feedback provided the SCAHIP with information that will guide new directions of research and additional angles for educating stakeholders.