A new program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will give youth in three Wisconsin counties the chance to work with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension to explore post-high school educational and work opportunities. The USDA’s Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) program awarded $640,000 to the UW-Madison Division of Extension and North Carolina Agricultural &Technical University to launch the program Nia: Pathways and Purpose for the Future. The program will focus on serving youth in Waukesha, Rock, and Kenosha Counties – three urban and suburban counties where Black, indigenous, and youth of color often experience disparities in transitioning from high school to success in college, careers, and the adult world. Nia will also serve youth in limited-income rural communities in North Carolina. 

“In youth development, there is a lack of culturally relevant, evidence-based programs that give youth who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) the chance to explore their post-high school pathways while developing their cultural identities,” said Joe Maldonado, Extension’s Community Youth Development Program Manager. “They often aren’t exposed to all the options that are available to them, including trades and professional programs.” 

Read the full blog post on News from Extension here https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/news/2021/11/19/extension-cyfar-grant-2021/