By WJBC Staff
NORMAL – A new program at Illinois State University aims to break the cycle of poverty.
ISU is getting a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families to create a program to help at-risk youth in Champaign County, where one in five children lives in poverty. The program called CARE4U, Champaign Area Relationship Education for Youth, will focus on healthy relationships, communication skills, conflict resolution strategies, job readiness skills, and financial literacy.
“Research indicates how growing up in poverty can place youth at risk for multiple adverse emotional, behavioral, academic, and occupational outcomes,” said ISU professor and Chair of Family and Consumer Sciences Ani Yazedjian, the grant’s principal investigator. “Programs like CARE4U are critical, since one in five children and youth in Champaign County live in poverty.”
Young adults ages 15 to 24 could also get help with summer employment and community college tuition reimbursement.
Illinois State Provost Janet Krejci said creating programs like CARE4U demonstrates the real-world impact studies and research can have.
“Dr. Yazedjian’s work can help countless young people and strengthen communities,” Krejci said. “CARE4U is in great alignment with the University’s core values of providing individualized attention to foster academic and personal growth. Her efforts are not only a blueprint for groups across the nation, but will also have a direct effect on our communities.”
For additional information, contact Yazedjian at (309) 438-2517.
