New York Gov. George E. Pataki has announced a $425,000 state award to the Family Life Development Center (FLDC) of Cornell University, in collaboration with the University of Rochester Division of Adolescent Medicine and the Upstate Center for School Safety, to administer a component of the Assets Coming Together (ACT) for Youth program. The overall program is focused on preventing abuse, violence and risky behavior among New York's youth.

Cornell's portion, which is part of $2.6 million in state awards to community-based organizations and local governments, is one of two Centers of Excellence in the program.

"Our Upstate Center of Excellence will provide technical assistance and training to each of the partnerships -- which include several county offices for Cooperative Extension, social services, a youth bureau, among others," said Frank Barry, senior extension associate and director of the ACT program at Cornell. "We will work with them to develop the best possible approaches to youth development that make sense in their communities. We want to share research findings on what works and what does not with those who are working to make their communities better places to raise children."

The other Center of Excellence is at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

Other collaborators in the upstate center at Cornell include James Garbarino and John Eckenrode, professors of human development and co-directors of FLDC; Jane Powers, senior research associate in FLDC; Stephen Hamilton, professor of human development; Steve Goggin, senior extension associate in human development; and Charles McClintock, professor of policy analysis and management.

"The ACT for Youth programs foster community involvement in the lives of young people and their families, building on our efforts to enhance their health and lifestyles," Pataki said.

"Through the teamwork of state, county and local agencies, we will help strengthen families and develop the leaders of tomorrow."

Specifically, the Upstate Center of Excellence will: provide training and technical assistance for program development; provide state-of-the-art material on youth and family issues related to the ACT program; disseminate information on best-practice models of preventive interventions that are grounded in the social sciences; and provide expertise in creative problem solving, strategic planning, collaboration and outcome evaluation.

The ACT for Youth initiative was developed in cooperation with Partners for Children, a collaboration of public and private sector organizations committed to improving the health and education of children and adolescents throughout New York state. Community organizations that are awarded funding are charged with developing and implementing strategies aimed at preventing abuse, violence and risky sexual activity among youth.

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