Research Profiles
Children and Youth in Challenging Contexts (CYCC)
Helping young people at risk around the world
The CYCC Team (L-R) - Pat McGrath, Kim Douglas, Ian Manion, Michael Ungar, Judi Fairholm, Michele Wood, Amber Raja, Shelly Whitman, David Black, Linda Liebenberg, Nichelle Hubley and Jimmy Ung.
Dalhousie's Michael Ungar (Resilience Research Centre and School of Social Work), David Black (Centre for Foreign Policy Studies) and Patrick McGrath (Centre for Research in Family Health) are changing the way that organizations in Canada and around the world help children and youth. Together, they were awarded $1.6 million from the Networks of Centres of Excellence - Knowledge Mobilization (KM) initative to create a network of over 50 international universities and NGOs. This innovative collaboration is known as the Children and Youth in Challenging Contexts (CYCC) Network, and its purpose is to mobilize knowledge and best pratices in the field of at-risk and vulnerable children and youth. This focus includes (but is not limited to): refugee youth, demobilized child soldiers, Aboriginal youth, children in military families, gang youth, children who are subject to domestic violence and homeless youth.
The CYCC Network was created with the understanding that there are similiarities among youth's experiences around the world, but that the organizations working with these youth are often not well connected to each other. Drs. Ungar, Black and McGrath saw this as a missed opportunity, as well as a chance to break apart occupational silos.
Over the next four years, Dr. Linda Liebenberg, Network Manager and Alison Forshner, Project Manager will lead the CYCC Network in their mission to facilitate informal sharing and cultivate connections between community organizations and academic research. Nichelle Hubley, Communications Facilitator, will explore innovative uses of technology and communication strategies to support the network's KM efforts. The CYCC Network will accomplish its goals through the creation of knowledge syntheses, KM measures across geographic and professional boundaries , an innovative "in-the-field-based simulation" exercise to problem solve KM challenges, funding competitons for leading edge pilot KM activities, and a critical evaluation on the overlap between KM and Participatory Action Research/Community Development approaches.