National 4-H Council recently announced that the Community Improvement Through Youth (CITY) Project has won one of the 2008 4-H Families Count: Family Strengthening Awards, sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. National 4-H Council will recognize the CITY Project and four other exemplary 4-H programs with awards of $15,000 each at Galaxy III in Indianapolis on September 17.
In addition to the 4-H Families Count: Family Strengthening Award, the CITY Project was recently honored as a 2007 Successful Urban 4-H Program by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) Urban 4-H Programs Task Force and was selected as a National 4-H Headquarters Program of Distinction. The Program of Distinction designation is coordinated through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).
As part of the award process, the CITY Project will develop a replication plan to teach others about program with the intent that they will begin to use the CITY program model in their work. According to June P. Mead, CITY Project Director and Evaluator, “Winning this award will allow us to conduct a series of regional trainings and produce a toolkit on how to replicate our Youth Community Action (YCA) program. The focus of the toolkit would be on the strategies and mechanisms youth-serving organizations can use to foster successful family and community strengthening program outcomes.”
The CITY Project http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/city/ is part of the Children, Youth and Families At-Risk (CYFAR) Program. It uses one of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) 4-H Signature Programs, Youth Community Action (YCA), as a model for promoting civic engagement, workforce preparation, and asset development among youth (13-18 years old). In Broome County, the CITY Project is partnered with CCE Broome County, the Broome County Urban League and Binghamton Housing Authority, Broome County Gang Prevention Program. In New York City, the CITY project is partnered with Cornell University Cooperative Extension New York City and with Henry Street Settlement and the Police Athletic League Wynn Center.
CITY Project Team
Cornell University
June P. Mead, Project Director and Evaluator, Dept. of Human Development
Steve Goggin, Principal Investigator, Dept. of Human Development
Celeste Carmichael, Technology Coordinator, State 4-H OfficeCornell Cooperative Extension Broome County
Kay C. Telfer, Community Project Director
Vicki Giarratano, Community Project Coordinator
Kelly Mabee, Summer Employment CoordinatorCornell University Cooperative Extension New York City
Jackie Davis-Manigaulte, Community Project Director
Jamila Simon, Community Project Coordinator
For Further Information
CITY Project website: http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/city/