Outreach
Faculty in family social science are pioneers in the practice of community-based participatory research (CBPR) that connects with individuals and communities in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, the nation, and beyond. This collaboration brings faculty, and often graduate students, together with members of a community in every stage of the project, from identifying the problem to designing interventions to evaluating the outcomes. It is a democratic process in which everyone’s expertise is brought to bear.
The proof of the effectiveness of these outreach activities is in the many and varied venues where department work is highlighted as well as the many awards received by outreach projects with which department faculty have been involved. In addition, department faculty members have been consulted by community organizations, corporate boards, state and national legislators, and advocacy foundations.
Baby Boomers for Balanced Health Care
Faculty: Bill Doherty
A citizen group focused on challenging the cultural belief that more health care is better health care.
Topics:
- Democratic community building with families
- Citizen health care
- Psychological stress
Birthdays Without Pressure
Faculty: Bill Doherty
A citizen action group of parents and professionals addressing the excess involved in children's birthday celebrations.
Topics:
- Marriage
- Parenting
- Fatherhood
- Psychological stress
Early Risers
Faculty: Gerald August
The Early Risers Conduct Problems Risk Prevention program is a multicomponent program that targets elementary school children 6 to 12 years of age who are experiencing early adjustment difficulties that may be linked to later risky behaviors, such as conduct disorder and substance use. Early Risers is based on the premise that early, comprehensive, and sustained intervention is necessary to target multiple risk and protective factors.
Topics:
- Prevention science
- Childrens’ mental health
- Implementation of evidence-based interventions
- Dissemination of evidence-based interventions
Parenting College Students - When your child goes to college
Faculty: Jodi Dworkin
This website provides comprehensive resources to parents of college students to support and empower successful transitions to college, increasing responsibility, and good decision-making skills.
Topics:
- Technology and family development
- Promoting positive family development
- Strengthening families
- Parenting adolescents and college students
- Health and wellness
- Alcohol use
- Financial skills
Police and Black Men Project-Minneapolis
Faculty: Bill Doherty
The goal of this project is to forge connections between police officers and African American men that can lead to better partnerships for community safety and law enforcement.
Topics:
- Social justice
- Community-based participatory research
Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?
Faculty: Marlene Stum
Provides practical information about improving family decision-making about inheritance of personal property.
Voices: a trauma-informed approach to family and financial health (ffh)
Faculty: Chalandra Bryant and Joyce Serido
Collaborators: Tonia Brinston, Sharon Powell, UMN Extension educators
Funding from the Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (2021) allowed us to pilot Voices of the Future, a community education program to address economic disparities with a focus on African American families in the Northside community, focusing on the role of historical trauma in family decision making.
Topics
- African American financial education
- Community based participatory research
- Ethno-racial trauma
- Financial stress
- Structural racism
Youth and Money
Faculty: Joyce Serido
Funding from a USDA grant through the National Institutes of Food and Agriculture, launched programming to provide opportunities for youth to practice decision-making about everyday choices (e.g., spending, eating, and exercise) to help them make more informed decisions on their own. This work resulted in two programs:
- Booshke Giin | It's up to you, it's your decision!
A cultural adaptation to financial education, using Ojibwe legends to emphasize how financial lessons relate to Native culture.
Collaborators
Researcher: Joyce Serido
Extension Educators: Jennifer Garbow, Becky Hagen Jokela - Make Money Make Sense Toolkit
A series of short activities based on the knowledge-efficacy-behavior model (Serido et al., 2013) make up this toolkit designed for use in out-of-school programs.
Collaborators
Researcher: Joyce Serido
Extension Educators: Sharon Powel
Topics
- Youth financial literacy
- Youth development
- Cultural adaptation
- American Indian culture (Ojibwe youths)