June Mead
Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) had a strong presence at this year’s Children, Youth and Families At Risk (CYFAR) Conference this May in Baltimore, Maryland. June P. Mead, Dept. of Human Development, served as the CYFAR Conference Program Coordinator and chaired the Program Committee. Steve Goggin, Dept. of Human Development, chaired the Research Committee and co-chaired the Program Committee. Cornell and CCE faculty and staff presented workshops, computer labs and research posters. This year’s featured research presentations included Gary Evans, Professor of Human Ecology, speaking on The Environment of Childhood Poverty. His presentation examined the role of physical and social factors in the lives of children growing up in poverty, arguing that the confluence of risk factors plays a particularly critical role in children’s lives. Dr. Evans’ research was recently featured in the Washington Post.
June Mead, Steve Goggin and Judy Briggs, Dept. of Human Development, and Barbara Schirmer and Celeste Carmichael, State 4-H Youth Development Office represented the Community Improvement Through Youth (CITY) Project state team. Broome County’s CITY Project was represented by Kay Telfer, Vicki Giarratano, Kelly Mabee, and Ann Supa; and community partners: Beth Roberts, Broome County Youth Bureau; Ana Shaello-Johnson, City of Binghamton Youth Bureau; Shameka Durham and Donald Cole, Liberty Partnership Program, Binghamton University; and Holly Welfel, OASIS Afterschool Program, Endicott. New York City’s CITY Project was represented by Jackie Davis-Manigaulte and Sara Flowers, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, NYC, and community partner, Vanessa Quinones, Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement, Queens.
The CITY Project team, Kay Telfer and Vicki Giarratano, CCE Broome, Jackie Davis-Manigaulte and Sara Flowers, CUCE New York City, June Mead, Dept. of Human Development; and Celeste Carmichael, CCE State 4-H Office, presented a workshop on strategies for creating successful civic engagement programs entitled, Rebuilding the CITY. Several CITY Project partners were on hand to share their perspectives and what they have gained through their involvement in this project. Barbara Schirmer, State Program Leader, 4-H Youth Development, introduced the workshop and served as its host.
The CITY Project uses one of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 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 New York State’s CYFAR project. The CITY Project in Broome County is partnering with the Binghamton University Liberty Partnership Program and the OASIS After School Program in Endicott. In New York City, the CITY Project is partnering with Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House, Long Island City, Queens and the Police Athletic League--Edward Byrne Center, Jamaica, Queens.
The CITY Project was designated as a Successful Urban 4-H Program by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents (NAE4-HA) Urban 4-H Programs Task Force; a Program of Distinction by the National 4-H Headquarters; and is a of the 4-H Families Count: Family Strengthening Award and MetLife Foundation Excellence in Afterschool Award. During the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 4-H Family Strengthening Distinguished Lecture at CYFAR 2009, the CITY Project team was recognized for receiving this award. Nearly 100 CYFAR Conference volunteers, including a team of CITY Project teen leaders, joined with the neighbors of the Academy of Success, a community center targeting the underserved in Baltimore City, to build a KaBOOM! playground in Baltimore as part of the preconference events. 
Conference Presentations by Cornell Faculty and Staff
The Environment of Childhood Poverty - Gary Evans, Elizabeth Lee Vincent Professor of Human Ecology, Cornell University
Sustaining Effective Youth Programs by Building Organizational Capacity - Jutta Dotterweich, Cornell University
Effective, Child-Friendly Parenting Skills: An Evaluation Report of Parenting Skills Workshop Series - Anna Steinkraus and Nancy Potter, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tompkins County
Rebuilding the CITY - Kay Telfer and Vicki Giarratano, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Broome County; Jackie Davis-Manigaulte and Sara Flowers, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, New York City; Celeste Carmichael, State 4-H Youth Development; and June P. Mead, Cornell University
Just Why Is It So Hard to Talk about Race? - Eduardo González, Jr., Cornell University Cooperative Extension, New York City and Robin G. Roper, North Carolina State University
4-H Tech Wizards and Web Tools: Get the Job Done! - Celeste Carmichael, Cornell Cooperative Extension, State 4-H Office; Octaviano Merecias-Cuevas, Oregon State University Extension Service; and Ray Kimsey, North Carolina State University
Closing the Gap with Family Connections - June P. Mead, Cornell University; Jackie Davis-Manigaulte, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, New York City; Karen DeBord, North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension; Judy Branch, University of Vermont Cooperative Extension; Wallace Goddard, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension; Barbara Petty, University of Idaho Extension; Carmen Olga, University of Puerto Rico; and Joseph Maiorano, Ohio State University Cooperative Extension
Understanding Racial Identity Development - Eduardo González, Jr., Cornell University Cooperative Extension–New York City
Community Improvement Through Youth (CITY) Project - Vicki Giarratano and Kay Telfer, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Broome County; and June P. Mead, Cornell University
Parenting Skills Workshop Series “To Go”: Effective, Inexpensive, and Easy to Replicate - Anna Steinkraus and Nancy Potter, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tompkins County
Save the Date - CYFAR 2010 May 4-7, San Francisco
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