About Vol-a-Palooza:

Old Main 2022

What: Vol-a-palooza is a 3 day professional development event for Extension volunteers and Extension volunteer support personnel. During this event, we will provide opportunities for our volunteers and staff to learn, network, and engage with their peers all while living the University experience. 

Where: University of Arizona Campus

When: Arrive July 12th, Depart July 14th

Lodging: Cooperative Extension will be paying for single occupancy UA Dormitory rooms for all attendees. If you wish to pay for your own lodging options, there are a number of local hotels that are close to campus including: aLoft, the Graduate, and University Marriott. 

More Info: Vol-a-Palooza will be held on the University of Arizona main campus, in Tucson, Arizona. Attendees will have many sessions to choose from, ranging from role specific (such as 4H, Master Gardener, Staff and more) to group sessions intended to bring everyone together. There will also be many campus-based Field Trips to choose from, so all of our folks have an opportunity to see and engage with the many facets of the University.  Meals and lodging (UA dorms - single occupancy) will be provided, attendees will need to provide their own transportation to and from the event. For questions regarding Vol-a-Palooza, please reach out to Jessica Montgomery.

Agenda

**Agenda subject to change**

Field Trip Sign-Ups Are Now Open!
Wednesday, July 12th

      Arrival Activities:

  • 2pm- 5pm
    • Registration & Check In; Bear Down Gymnasium
  • Field Trip Options Available: (sign up required)
    • 2pm-3pm: Field Trip - Arizona Museum of Art; Visit the University of Arizona Museum of Art and learn how it advances the academic and research mission of the University, inspires critical dialogue among campus and community audiences, and celebrates art as essential to our lives through the stewardship and interpretation of its expanding collection of art and archives.
    • 2:30pm-4pm: Field Trip - Tree Ring Lab: Join docent Donna Mac to explore the tree ring lab and see how researchers are using the information stored in the annual rings of trees to understand and quantify interactions among our Earth’s climate, ecosystems, and societies. 
    • 2:30pm-3pm: Field Trip - Insect Collection Tour: Boasting 2 million specimens of over 35,000 species, explore why the UAIC is one of the most important arthropod collections of the desert southwest.
    • 3pm-4pm: Field Trip - Rooftop Garden Tour; Join Student Union Executive Director Todd Millay as he leads us on a tour of the Union's Rooftop Gardens that feeds 500 students, faculty and staff a week. (sign up required)
  • 5:30pm-7:30pm
    • Welcome Dinner; Bear Down Gymnasium
Thursday, July 13th

      Morning Activities:

  • 7am-8am
    • Breakfast; Bear Down Gymnasium
  • 8am-8:50am 
    • Group Session: Icebreaker: Getting to Know the Many Faces of Extension - Join us for this fun activity that helps us all get to know each other and make important connections with your fellow Extensionists!
  • 9am-10:15am
    • Breakout 1: 4H Roundtables - Meet your fellow 4H Club Leaders and learn about each other's work across the state in this facilitated session.
    • Breakout 2: MG Roundtables - Meet your fellow Master Gardeners and learn about each other's work across the state in this facilitated session.
  • 10:30am-11:20am 
    • Group Session: The Communication Challenge!  How Can 4-H and Master Gardeners Collaborate for Mutual Benefit? -   Join Christina Lipin, Americorps Coordinator, to learn how Extension Volunteers can work together, across programs, to expand our reach.
  • 11:30am-1pm
    • Lunch; Bear Down Gymnasium

      Afternoon Activities:

  • 1:10pm-2:40pm
    • Breakout 1: Phenology: Nature's Notebook; Learn all about phenology, the study of seasonal changes of plants & animals - and how you can get involved. Presented by Samantha Brewer, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, National Phenology Network.
    • Breakout 2: Field Trip - The Herbarium: 1pm-1:45pm; Visit the UA Herbarium, a research collection of over 425,000 dried plant specimens, with emphasis on the plants of the Sonoran Desert region and adjacent areas of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. (sign up required for field trips)
    • Breakout 3: Field Trip - Insect Collection Tour: 1pm-1:30pm; Boasting 2 million specimens of over 35,000 species, explore why the UAIC is one of the most important arthropod collections of the desert southwest.
    •  Breakout 4: Field Trip - Arizona Museum of Art: 1:30-2:30pm; Visit the University of Arizona Museum of Art  and learn how it advances the academic and research mission of the University, inspires critical dialogue among campus and community audiences, and celebrates art as essential to our lives through the stewardship and interpretation of its expanding collection of art and archives.
    • Breakout 5: Field Trip - The Herbarium: 1:45pm-2:30pm; Visit the UA Herbarium, a research collection of over 425,000 dried plant specimens, with emphasis on the plants of the Sonoran Desert region and adjacent areas of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. (sign up required for field trips)
  • 3pm-4:30pm
    • Breakout 1: Social Media & Marketing; Bring your "A" game for outreach! Learn how you can support Extension programming outreach efforts with social media and marketing tactics presented by Cooperative Extension Marketing Team Ben Downer & Brad Poole
    • Breakout 2: Expanding 4H Programming with Curriculum Kits; Gila County Extension Director Renee Carstens presents a session on building curriculum kits to effectively teach youth on pertinent topics while keeping it fun.
    • Breakout 3: Field Trip - Rooftop Garden Tour; Join Student Union Executive Director Todd Millay as he leads us on a tour of the Union's Rooftop Gardens that feeds 500 students, faculty and staff a week, 3:30pm-4:30pm (sign up required for field trips)
  • 5:30pm-7:30pm
    • Appreciation Dinner; Bear Down Gymnasium - An evening of great food and even better company, join us for dinner and hear from our guest presenter about the many ways Extension volunteer programs have contributed to building strong communities through their outreach.
Friday, July 14th

      Morning Activities:

  • 7am-8am
  • 8am-8:50am
    • Opening Sessions - Power of Play to Transform the Everyday & Successful Activities Across Generations; Presented by Work Life Balance Manager, Lourdes Rodriguez.  Creative play in the workplace adds benefits well beyond just having fun, such as re-energizing creativity, building trust amongst teammates, and establishing a renewed sense of purpose. Take a play break with the first part of this workshop and learn how you can add intentional play breaks in your workday. Then, in the second part of this session, we will explore creative intergenerational activities to foster connection and harmony.
  • 9am-9:50am 
    • Breakout 1: Volunteer Retention through the IMM Model: Centering your Program on Mentoring to Retain Volunteers; Presented by Melissa Hosten from the UArizona Mathematics department and Americorps representative. The 5 stage model intentionally shifts from onboarding through community connection and development through leadership. Framing your program in these stages can help volunteers find strong connections to the work, realize great benefits from their term, and desire additional service terms. Volunteers naturally become your greatest recruiters, sharing their experience with others.
    • Breakout 2: Teambuilding Through Games; This engaging session focuses on working together as a team for a common goal. Facilitated by 4-H Graham County Assistant Lori Knight.
  • 10am-10:50am​​​
    • Breakout 1 - HeartMath; Presented by HeartMath Professional Presenters. Unlock your heart’s natural, intuitive guidance, better manage stressful emotions and increase resilience.
    • Breakout 2: Transformation of a Plant HelpDesk; Join Dominic Rodriguez, Associate Director of Operations at Extension, for this deep dive on transforming an in-person plant help desk to an online, data driven portal.
    • Breakout 3: TBD
  • 11am-12pm
    • Lunch & Sendoffs; Bear Down Gymnasium
  • 12pm
    • Check Outs must be completed

FAQs

The conference will have multiple sessions available, ranging in topics of interest from 4H, to Master Gardener to Staff. Additionally, in tandem with presentations and panels, there will be a number of on-campus field trips available to sign up for (due to the small spaces in some of these locations, the sizes of the groups and opportunities are limited).

Vol-a-Palooza is free to attend for invited guests, including lodging and meals during the conference. 

Vol-a-Palooza is an invitation only event. County Extension Directors and Program staff will nominate volunteers to invite to the conference.

Yes!  Please indicate the days you will be in attendance on the registration form.

Cooperative Extension will pay for staff and volunteers to stay in the UA dorms. We have single occupancy rooms, along with a few double occupancy rooms for volunteers who wish to share their room with their significant other (must be a UA volunteer).

If staying in the dorms is not your preference, and you are willing to pay for your own lodging, we can recommend the Marriott University Hotel, Aloft Hotel, and The Graduate Hotel as options that are right next to campus.

See the Marriott University Hotel

See the Aloft Hotel

See the Graduate Hotel

Due to the nature of this event, only active & authorized Extension volunteers and Extension Program staff will be allowed to attend Vol-a-Palooza, eat at event meals, and stay in the dorms. If you are paying out of pocket to stay at a local hotel, you may certainly bring your family, but they will not be permitted to attend the conference meals or sessions.

No, the UA will provide clean linens for your lodging.

As this event is on campus, make sure you bring comfortable walking shoes and business casual to casual attire. A light rain jacket may be appropriate a well in the event of rain.

The weather averages around 100-103 degrees during this time of the year, with occasional monsoon storms rolling through.