The Center for the Study of Black Youth in Context (CSBYC) at the University of Michigan focuses on research and action related to the social, psychological, and educational development of African-American children and youth.
A primary mission of the CSBYC is to better understand the many assets and resources of Black youth: the strengths they possess, as well as those they draw on from family, school, and communities to support their positive development and to protect them against risks and challenges they may experience. A related mission is cultivating authentic relationships and partnerships with local communities. This is critical to get a true sense of how communities themselves define issues, strengths, problems, and challenges. Our goal is that these relationships lead to collaborations that help inform, improve, and create practice and intervention approaches for promoting youths’ positive social and educational outcomes.
