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Our beginning…

Dr. Ani Yazedjian, Associate Provost at Illinois State University, applied for and was awarded $5 million in federal Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood grant funding in the fall of 2015. Interest was high in the Champaign county area, particularly in the Champaign-Urbana communities where the United Way, the University of Illinois, Parkland College, and the Champaign and Urbana School Districts all agreed to support and promote a new program targeting at-risk youth ages 15-24 and directed at relationship education, job readiness, and financial literacy. Plans were made to launch a new program called Champaign Area Relationship Education for Youth or CARE4U in January of 2016. A program manager, four project facilitators, and a budget assistant were hired to implement the new program in Champaign-Urbana. In addition, a research team is located at Illinois State University. In order to assure ongoing program quality, two professors lead graduate students and undergrads in developing and administering surveys and focus groups as well as supporting the project facilitators during group sessions. This CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) team also studies the impact of our program on youth and contributes to the literature and research on an international scale.

Providing the CARE4U program at educational facilities where students are already in attendance allows the students to commit to our school year program more easily and with fewer barriers to attendance. Currently, we work with students at Central, Centennial and Novak in Champaign; Urbana High School; and the Regional Office of Education’s READY program. Students are recruited or self-select into groups of 10-20 at our school-based sites, where meals and curriculum-based incentives are provided to encourage attendance. In addition, CARE4U provides funding for students who complete the program to participate in either Summer Youth Employment or Tuition Reimbursement programs. An annual Career Fair and ISU Campus Visit help students envision their future selves in both the workplace and in further educational endeavors.

We have discovered that family support is critical to a student’s successful transition into adulthood. To this end, each year CARE4U holds four Family Nights where students can invite friends, family, significant others, etc. for a meal and activities that encourage healthy interactions and shared knowledge. Our annual Youth Conference provides yet another opportunity for students to focus on life choices and building a more positive future.

Since January of 2016, CARE4U has served approximately 1,000 youth in Champaign County. During our weekly small groups, facilitators use a variety of student-focused methods to introduce new information, facilitate activities to illustrate key concepts, provide opportunities to apply and practice new skills, and lead small group discussions to interpret lesson content. Evidence shows that our program has impacted our CARE4U participants. We believe we are planting seeds of healthy change as they move ever closer to adulthood. .

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