AA FORCE FORCE FOR FOR YOUTH & FAMILIES
A child acting out in preschool. A teenager in trouble with the law. A family reeling from a mental health crisis. These are just a few of the North Carolinians aided by the Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships at UNCG. For more than a quarter of a century, the center, known as CYFCP, has addressed pressing social concerns among families, children, and young adults across all 100 counties in North Carolina through wide-ranging programs. Today, the center continues to expand, with funding skyrocketing to $6.8 million annually and a robust staff – currently 30 people – closely collaborating with the community. “What all the programs in the center share is the translation of research to practice for the greater good and authentic partnerships with the community,” says Dr. Terri Shelton, UNCG’s vice chancellor for research & engagement and a prior director of the CYFCP. Community engagement isn’t just a catchphrase for the center: working in tandem with the community is their North Star. “Partnerships with the community are at the heart of what we do, and I would say a lot of evolution for us has been, ‘Where’s the community’s need?’” says Dr. Christine Murray, the most recent director of the CYFCP. The center fosters its two-way relationship with the community in multiple ways, from participating in outreach events to inviting people who have experience with a project’s focal condition or life event to serve as experts on its teams. “A real foundational piece of the work at the center is including youth and families with lived experience – or you could say living experience because they may still be living through it,” Shelton says. “It changes everything when you’re in partnership this way.” These community members provide integral perspectives on conditions a family may face and crucial points in youth development.
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uncg research spring 2024