Body of Knowledge

Empowering people and systems to grow, collaborate, and achieve lasting impact.

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Building capacity is essential to achieving family, organization, and community goals. Capacity building refers to people, their assets, and strengths, as well as the dedication of their abilities toward achieving identified outcomes, whether working as an individual, within families, part of a team/group, or organization/community. Capacity building requires access to resources such as finances, time, information, equipment, and physical space, and the ability to use them effectively and efficiently. The process involves analyzing personal assets and strengths, expanding knowledge and skills as necessary, devising a plan, locating required resources, and implementing the plan. This approach may not be applicable to everyone and might need several adjustments to be effective. While there can be objectives established as capacity is developed, it often enables the identification of new goals or targets.

Successful capacity building involves empowerment and self-reliance and knowing when building a collaboration is required. Even if the individual is addressing personal issues, they will likely still need to build a network of individuals (e.g., FCS professionals, subject matter experts, community leaders) to access their resources (e.g., funding, knowledge, skills, and talents), which will expand their capacity for problem solving.

One might define collaboration as a team approach where individuals bring their assets and resources together to address a common goal. This work requires a leader to step forward. This leader could exist within the team or be created through education, experience, and mentorship. Solving personal or practical problems requires critical thinking, decision-making, motivation, and perseverance. Collaboration embraces diverse points of view and a mindset that leads to continuous learning and improvement as successive problems arise. Capacity building is ever evolving and specialized to each individual or group; built from best practice, trial, and error, and based upon applied research.

Capacity building enhances individuals, groups, and systems by improving their operations, programs, financial security, and organizational maturity to achieve their goals efficiently. This same concept exists concerning issues at the national and global levels to address challenges that extend beyond geographic and political boundaries.

Family and Consumer Sciences understands the unique attributes individuals bring, and their enhanced ability to achieve goals through personal and group growth and targeted experiences. Leadership development is a part of capacity building that involves understanding and providing opportunities for leaders. Professionals in Family and Consumer Sciences are essential in fostering these opportunities through professional development, team building, and mentorship. This involves leading or supporting individuals, programs, or organizational efforts. Building capacity is essential for Family and Consumer Sciences professionals to advance knowledge, skills, issues, and programs. 

Connecting people and nations through cooperation, shared goals, and mutual respect. 

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Global interdependence, also known as globalization, is the process of individuals, families, communities, companies, and governments around the world interacting and integrating. These networks of support are formed between and among individuals, governments, and natural environments. The quality of the exchange of ideas, information, cultures, goods, and services that cross national borders is determined by cooperation and respect. Cooperation and respect will advance society. 

Countries that promote interconnectedness are likely to be open to international trade. The people who live in these countries are open to travel, and money tends to be more interrelated. Such countries invest in education and research, both domestically and internationally. The benefits of global interconnectedness include education, sharing knowledge and technology to stimulate growth, reducing cultural barriers, and a higher rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, which is used to measure the country’s economic health. 

Global conflict may adversely affect the sharing of resources, solving issues, and using technology to improve interconnections. The fact is that all things in our world are interconnected, even when we do not necessarily see or understand these connections. 

In the United States, the International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE– US) participates as a United Nations Liaison and serves on the NGO (non-governmental organization) Committee on the Family to give Family and Consumer Sciences a voice in addressing international issues. This is affirmed by the members of the “United Nations Group of Friends of the Family” statement.

“We are convinced that the sustainability of communities and societies largely rests on the strength of the family as a basic unit of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members, particularly children. We recognize the vital role of the family in attaining the internationally agreed development goals and confirm our commitment to enhance the contribution of families in the efforts to achieve sustainable development goals by promoting family-oriented policies and prioritizing the needs and priorities of the family at the national and international levels.” (United Nations General Assembly, New York, February 18, 2015). 

Family and Consumer Sciences professionals are encouraged to become aware of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals that promote global interconnectedness, which is the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice.  

Building a better tomorrow by managing today’s resources wisely.

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Resources come in many forms. Individuals and families acquire them, use them, and sometimes discard them. Quality of life is determined by the amount and value of family and community resources. 

Resources are tangible and conceptual elements that enable individuals and families to meet basic needs and achieve goals. Individuals and families use their human resources (e.g., intellect, experience), monetary resources, and property resources, as well as resources within communities. Resources may be tangible (e.g., housing, furnishings, property). Employment skills, knowledge about money management, and governmental policies and social systems are intangible conceptual aspects that affect the acquisition and use of human and tangible resources. Also critical in meeting human needs are the social relationships within families and communities that support individual members and social networks. 

Families’ needs for various resources change over the life span of family members, as well as the life span of the household, as family members acquire knowledge and skills, accumulate resources, experience loss, and modify their goals. Sustainability of family resources is critical to achieving the goals of a family and society. The transfer of wealth to future generations may be a goal for some families. Sustainability is fostered by knowledge of the economy and governmental systems, as well as communication within families. 

The economic systems in some countries may not provide sufficient resources for family well-being, resulting in impoverished segments of the population unable to sustain the health and well-being of their members. Some families may have external economic and social support resources, whereas others may experience economic turmoil and forced relocation, which results in underdeveloped resources and family instability. 

Individuals living within the United States and other developed countries contribute to a tax-based system that offers a social support network for individuals, families, and communities to live and participate in the economic and social structures. When financial development resources, tangible, and intangible, are managed wisely, the economic system is maintained, and resources are conserved for current and future generations of families, which strengthens communities.  

Driving progress through creativity, knowledge, and transformative technology.

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Technological advances and innovation have made previously unattainable tasks possible, converting ideas into practical outcomes. Technology is the application of human knowledge, techniques, and ideas to create tools, systems, and processes that solve problems and enhance human capabilities. New technology and innovation are quickly changing the world, which requires up-to-the-minute analysis for incorporating new facts into everyday life. Understanding and managing the human-technology interface is critical as Family and Consumer Sciences professionals use both technology and innovation in the process of supporting and improving everyday living. These processes can lead to significant increases in efficiency and a better quality of life. 

Technology involves the practical use of scientific principles to develop solutions that are accessible, inclusive, and adaptable to diverse needs, and that address real-world challenges and enhance human abilities.

Innovation involves the creation and implementation of new or improved ideas, products, processes, or services. An individual accepts the opportunity to think and create, which can lead to significant advancements for their family members, community, and the larger world. 

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) has used technology to support individuals and families since the profession's inception. In the Industrial Era, FCS professionals integrated new technologies such as electricity. During the Information Era, the profession addressed digital literacy, incorporating computers and the internet. In the Post-Information Era, FCS addresses smart home technologies and sustainability practices, advancements such as artificial intelligence, and technology disparities.

Human knowledge encompasses understanding the facts, theories, and concepts accumulated through research, experience, and education. It is the foundation for developing new technologies and driving innovations and improvements in tools, systems, and processes. For example, the internet, smartphones, and artificial intelligence significantly shape the modern technological world.

To help humans work more efficiently or achieve previously unattainable goals, digital tools like interactive whiteboards, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) enhance learning by offering hands-on, immersive experiences. Examples include software applications and computers. Technology also integrates tools and processes into systems designed to achieve specific outcomes. For instance, Extension and education professionals utilize podcasts, webinars, and online videos to reach wider audiences, as well as social media for direct engagement. 

Together the use of technology and the skills of managing innovation enhance the Family and Consumer Sciences areas of study including nutrition, food science, financial and resource management, child development, family relations, housing, interior design, and textiles. Additionally, research advances the content and dissemination of knowledge, as well as the process of professional development, and the delivery of knowledge and services. Technology and innovations will continue to stimulate change in the home, community, and workplace.  

Nurturing health in body, mind, spirit, and community.

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Wellness is the active pursuit of balanced health and refers to achieving a holistic sense of overall health. Wellness and well–being are often used interchangeably; however, wellness reflects an individual’s physical, mental, and social health, and the ability to achieve it through information gathering, research-based decision making, and self-motivation. 

Physical wellness refers to the body's overall health and functioning. It involves maintaining a well-balanced diet, hydrating sufficiently, engaging in regular physical activity, getting enough rest, managing physical stressors, and seeking preventative and medical care when needed. Physical wellness is about keeping the body strong, resilient, and capable of meeting the demands of daily life and changes over the life span. 

Mental wellness is equally important and refers to the emotional, psychological, and cognitive aspects of an individual's health. It involves managing stress, coping with life’s challenges, and maintaining a positive outlook on life. Emotional resilience is a crucial factor of mental wellness, supporting individuals to remain level-headed despite adversities. Mental wellness leads to improved mental clarity, productivity, and overall emotional balance.

Social wellness highlights the importance of forming meaningful connections, feeling a sense of belonging, and contributing to the well-being of families and communities. Healthy relationships provide emotional support, reduce feelings of loneliness, and enhance overall life satisfaction. Social wellness evolves from effective communication, empathy, and the ability to resolve conflicts in constructive ways.

Spiritual wellness is having a philosophical understanding, personal responsibility, and environmental sensitivity. On an individual level, spiritual wellness is about spending time defining personal values and ethics and making decisions that complement them, being open to diverse cultures and religions, spending time alone in personal reflection, and engaging in spiritual activities. 

These four wellness components are interlinked and affect one another. Achieving and maintaining wellness requires a balanced approach, where individuals actively engage in self-care and make intentional efforts to maintain or improve their health. Life events and personal and family decisions, as well as community practices, influence wellness over the lifespan. Seeking balance, understanding, and outside resources supports an individual’s ability to be well. True wellness is not the absence of illness but the quality of life that balanced health brings.

Family and Consumer Sciences professionals have a key role in wellness by providing access to research-based information, offering prevention education, and teaching technical skills to better meet personal needs as well as those of family and community members.