Reprinted from Cornell Chronicle, July 21, 2011
Hamilton
A new program called CITIZEN U, funded by a new five-year grant of $660,000, will support at-risk youth to become active citizens in their communities, graduate from high school and go on to college.
CITIZEN U (short for both "CITIZEN YOU" and "CITIZEN University") also aims to build the capacity of the partners to successfully conduct and sustain youth community action programs and make lasting contributions to high-need communities in Binghamton and Rochester.
The program, a joint effort of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and the College of Human Ecology funded by the Children, Youth and Families at Risk Program at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), is structured to mirror a university setting. Teens in the program will participate in weekly afterschool "seminars" taught by "visiting professors" from CCE, community agencies and business partners. They will choose "majors" and "enroll in courses" aligned with NIFA's priority areas on food security, climate change, sustainable energy and prevention of childhood obesity, among others. The program includes summer employment for the students to implement the projects they planned during the school year.
"CITIZEN U embodies the key principles of youth development, notably giving young people a voice in deciding what they do and enabling them to contribute to their communities," said Professor Steve Hamilton, associate director for youth development at the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research. "This new project will help us learn how to put those principles into practice more widely."
"A broad-based community and university partnership is critical to the success of this innovative project," said June P. Mead, project director and evaluator at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Broome County. "We welcome all interested collaborators."
The program will be housed in the 4-H state office, newly located in the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, and implemented in partnership with CCE offices in Broome and Monroe/Wayne counties.
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