About IFNL
- About the Institute
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- Mission
- Press Kit & Resources
Publications
- Listing of Publications
People
- Faculty and Staff Bios
- Adjunct Faculty Bios
- Student Bios
Projects and Grants
- Introduction
- Building Dreams
- Bullying Prevention
- Center for Community Services
- Child Care
- Compassion
- International Society for Child Indicators
- Strong Communities for Children
News & Press
- News Stories
- Press Kit & Resources
- "Your Day" Radio Show
Projects and Grants of the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life
Grants:
Strong Communities
Building Dreams
Bullying Prevention
Child Care
Compassion
Projects:
Growing Foods Locally
ABCs of Youth Work Surveys
Advancing Youth Development Professional Training and BEST Network Partner
Building a Community Youth Development System in the Lowcountry
With scores of grants and contracts received since the Institute's inception in 1999, the projects implemented by IFNL are too numerous to list. Among the largest initiatives that the Institute is currently undertaking are the following:
STRONG COMMUNITIES, a long-term effort supported by The Duke Endowment (approximately $1.65 million per year) to design, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive effort to prevent child abuse and neglect in communities in southern Greenville County and adjoining sections of Anderson and Laurens counties. This effort is being supported by a multi-year grant from The Duke Endowment to Clemson University through the Clemson University Research Foundation — the largest grant ever received by Clemson University in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. Unlike most of the comprehensive community initiatives to prevent child abuse and neglect, the strategy is to build community itself, not merely to foster collaboration among community organizations. To our knowledge, Strong Communities for Children is the first effort fully to implement the Neighbors Helping Neighbors strategy proposed by the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect in 1993. More than 4,500 volunteers have been mobilized throughout the service area to prevent child abuse and neglect. For more information, visit the Strong Communities website.
The prison population is on the rise. In fact, the number of children with an incarcerated parent increased more than 100% between 1991 and 1999. The Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, the Youth Learning Institute, and Clemson Extension Service (Sumter) received a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement the "Building Dreams" mentoring program for children of prisoners in five counties in the state. These departments at Clemson are also collaborating with Angel Tree Ministries and numerous community partners. Counties and participants are Clarendon County (Ministerial Alliance), Darlington/Lee Counties (Center Baptist Church), Greenville County (Augusta Road United Methodist Church, Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Reedy River Missionary Baptist Churdh, Shady Grove Baptist Church, and Valley Brook Community Outreach Church), Pickens County (Caring Communities of Pickens County), and Sumter County (Sumter Citizens).
The Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life (IFNL) at Clemson University, in partnership with the Chesterfield County Coordinating Council (CCCC), received two competitive grants totaling $546,860 for development of strategic plans for family and intimate partner violence and substance abuse prevention programs in Chesterfield County. The Stop the Violence Project and the Substance Abuse/Mental Health Rural Planning Project are from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services. It is unusual for rural communities to have this level of competitive Federal funding dedicated to improving social services. Upon completion of the projects, local organizations will be equipped with integrated plans based on model programs that foster collaboration and community development.
The IFNL is leading efforts in the United States to implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, developed in Norway, is a comprehensive, school-wide program designed for use in elementary, middle or junior high schools and identified as one of only 11 national Blueprints for Violence Prevention by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado.
IFNL faculty and staff are actively engaged in the development and implementation of a National Bullying Prevention Campaign. The public information campaign, targeted at “tweens” (children and youth between the ages of 9 to 13), launched national print, broadcast, and web campaign ads on March 1, 2004. Dr. Susan Limber, professor, and Dr. Joyce Ott, research assistant professor, have provided expert consultation in this national public awareness campaign: “Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop Bullying Now.”
IFNL faculty and staff have been engaged in guiding an increasingly visible agenda to build a South Carolina system of quality child care and early education. Activities include: enhancing the professional development system; building a system of technical assistance for caregivers with a strong evaluation component; guiding the development of early care and education core knowledge and competencies; structuring a system of child care standards reimbursements. Although much of the work relates to state policies and programs, IFNL has also led in the development and facilitation of a group in the tri-county area whose mission is to educate civic and business leaders on the importance of quality environments for young children. Leading in this work are Dr. Janet Marsh, Dr. Patricia Hashima, and Kerry Coffey.
The SC Rural Communities Compassion Project, a grant from the U.S. Administration for Children and Families, provided sub-awards and technical assistance to faith- and community-based organizations in South Carolina. The SC Center on Grassroots and Nonprofit Leadership, a center of the IFNL, implemented the Compassion project, which included technical assistance to the state in the form of informative workshops, funding resources, one-on-one skills training, distance learning events, and web resources.