Children, Youth and Families at Risk

CYFAR is a statewide awareness program with a targeted neighborhood action focus. Key participants are community organizations, low-income youths and families (a minimum of 50% of all served live at or below the poverty level), and the youth, families, and communities with risk factors threatening positive development.  Although the focus is usually on a neighborhood or a community, the efforts could be made county-wide if the county has a small population.

The program is put together in conjunction with the agents of the counties of implementation, local schools, centers, churches, and the Clemson lnstitute for Family and Neighborhood Life and the Department of Park's Recreation and Tourism management. Together, CYFAR promotes positive youth and family development by supporting healthy environments and providing opportunities for learning and leadership by youth and adults in their communities. The CYFAR Program is based on research on effective programs for at-risk youth and families and on the human ecological principle of working across the lifespan in the context of the family and community. The focus of the CYFAR program is children and youth who face the risk of not acquiring the basic skills they need to become responsible family members, participants in the workforce or contributing citizens.

To assure that critical needs of children and families are met, CYFAR supports comprehensive, intensive, community-based programs developed with active citizen participation in all phases.  CYFAR promotes building resiliency in youth, families, and communities. CYFAR also promotes the use of technology to provide essential technological skills for youth and adults in at-risk environments. The

CYFAR mission is to marshal resources of the Land-grant and cooperative extension Systems so that, in collaboration with other organization, they can develop and deliver educational programs that equip youth who are at risk for not meeting basic human needs with the skills they need to lead positive, productive, contributing lives.

For More Information

Barbara Brown
SC CYFAR Director
babrwn@clemson.edu