The Family T.I.E.S. collaborative continues to work towards building a web of community that strengthens children, youth and families residing in Union County. New Community Empowerment Legislation at the state level has precipitated additional partnerships as we move toward becoming a community empowerment area. Our focus to date has been on providing information, education and support services to families. Public forums as well as monthly meetings provide a process for citizen input to achieve the objectives of identifying available resources and opportunities; identifying needs and barriers for ready access; and building community capacity for family support services.

The purpose of the Strengthening Community Programs project is to build Extension's and its partner's organizational capacity at the state and local levels to implement community-based initiatives that improve outcomes for children, youth and families living in at-risk environments. Best practices tell us that effective programs not only address the comprehensive needs of children and families but also incorporate community-building strategies to improve the environment in which they live. A summary of the project is available in the Project Overview & Staff.

Youth Plus -- Union County Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Initiative Youth Plus is featured in "The Extension Connection." ISUE quarterly publication.

processes	collaboration, citizen participation, youth involvement, community support, business support
programs	Parents as Teachers
initatives	"Youth Plus" initiative and "Family TIES" collaborative
products	project Web site, computer kiosk, community directory
services	electronic connectivity and Teen Centers

Send comments to Diana Broshar, 101 MacKay Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1120
p 515.294.8204 f 515.294.1040 e dmbro@iastate.edu
Last updated 8/28/01