Welcome to IFNL
A commitment to strengthening communities in support of children and families guides our work. Look around to learn about our international, national, state, and local efforts in program and policy development, research, and consultation and education. Then join us in this exciting and rewarding work.
Graduate Studies
Integrating humanities, social sciences, and community action, IFNL offers a unique interdisciplinary program of study in International Family and Community Studies (FCS). For information about FCS courses, click here.
Providing skills and knowledge about generating, disseminating, and applying knowledge to strengthen community capacity to support children and families, the PhD program is intended to educate leaders in academia and humanitarian organizations. Much of the coursework is offered at the University Center campus in Greenville, South Carolina. Pending the approval of the University’s Trustees, planning is underway to offer the program under Clemson University auspices at various partner universities around the world. We welcome both post-baccalaureate students and those who already have graduate degrees; we also welcome both American and international students.
Designed to be either a free-standing post-baccalaureate program, a post-master’s or post-doctoral area of specialization, or a component of a more conventional graduate program (e.g., Public Administration; Policy Studies; Political Science; Community or Organizational Psychology), the Graduate Certificate program is intended for students who would like a more limited program focusing on a particular topic of study (e.g., Human Rights; Community Development; Community Research; Social Policy). Roughly the equivalent of a semester’s work, the program is currently offered at the Clemson/Greenville campuses of Clemson University. Pending the approval of the University’s Trustees, we plan to begin offering the Graduate Certificate in late 2009 or in 2010 at partner universities in the Balkan region (with coursework in Tirana, Albania, Pristina, Kosovo, and Tetovo, Macedonia), the Czech Republic, and the Dominican Republic. For FCS courses offered abroad, the University’s Trustees have set a special, highly discounted tuition of $200 per credit ($2400 for the entire Certificate program) in recognition of the national differences in students’ financial resources.
Projects
Building Dreams is an innovative mentoring program, matching highly qualified and dedicated volunteer mentors with children with an incarcerated parent. The program was launched in five South Carolina counties in 2004 and gradually expanded to serve eight counties today. Plans are underway to take the program state-wide.
The Institute is leading a national effort to implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, a comprehensive, school-wide program for elementary and middle schools. The program has been shown to reduce bullying and associated behaviors, including vandalism and truancy, and improve the social climate of classrooms.
The South Carolina Rural Communities Compassion Fund project works to strengthen the capacity of faith- and community-based organizations to improve local conditions. Through a combination of training, technical support, and grant-making, the Compassion Project is helping organizations all across South Carolina develop, implement, and sustain community change projects.
Strong Communities is one of the largest and most comprehensive efforts to date to engage whole communities to support families with young children and keep children safe from harm. In doing so, Strong Communities mobilized thousands of volunteers and hundreds of community organizations, businesses, and faith institutions. The results are impressive. Currently, the initiative is in a transitional phase but continues to develop and implement innovative ways to assist families and communities, including our newest support, Safe Families.
Other significant Institute programs include the Child Care project, an effort to improve out-of-home care and early education for South Carolina's children; Growing Foods Locally, a project that seeks to improve the availabiltiy of nutritional foods for low-income families, improve small farm economies, and improve the food distribution system of food banks; Rural Capacity Building, a series of innovative projects over the last six years focused on strengthening the capacity of rural communities in Chesterfield County, SC relative to mental health and substance abuse service delivery, and youth violence; and Youth Development, a group of projects intended to professionalize youth workers.
Publications
The work of the Institute and it's partners is disseminated through publications in professional journals, technical reports, and other scholarly products. You can find a listing of publications from 1998 to the present here.
In the news
In recent news, Dr. Sue Limber was named the first Dan Olweus Distinguished Professor for her innovative work in school-based bullying prevention and the Institute received the Blanche F. Ittelson Award from the American Orthopsychiatric Association. You'll find current and archived news stories here.
Affiliated organizations
The Institute is home to several outstanding organizations. The American Orthopsychiatric Association is a membership organization focused on mental health and social justice. The International Society for Child Indicators is a membership organization that brings experts from around the world together to share knowledge and experience to improve the lives of children.
