Youth, Family & Community Partnerships

Educate. Advocate. Collaborate.

Educating, advocating, and collaborating with individuals and systems to promote the well-being of youth and families

Individually and collectively, we are committed to making the Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships a great place to work. We are united by a passion for making a difference in the world. We support one another in this work by upholding the shared values of embracing teamwork and collaboration, being strengths-based, and striving for ongoing professional development.

For over two decades, the Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships has served as a trusted partner for community-based organizations seeking assistance with the following services:

We specialize in working collaboratively with our partners to identify the most useful strategies to enhance their understanding of the populations they serve and the services they provide.

The Center is staffed by researchers with expertise and experience in managing and analyzing large databases, collaborating with local and statewide stakeholders, and providing training and technical assistance on a variety of evidence-based practices.

To learn more about our services and inquire about how to partner with the Center on any of the services listed above, please send us a message via our About Us page.

>50

Dedicated staff

bringing expertise and shared life experiences to our communities

$6.8M

Annually

in grants and external funding

8

impactful programs

empowering families through all stages of life and providing tools to navigate hardships

In the News

A Force for Youth & Families

A child acting out in preschool.
A teenager in trouble with the law.
A family reeling from a mental health crisis.
These are just a few of the North Carolinians aided by the Center for Youth, Family and Community Partnerships at UNCG…(read more)

In the Early Years

For the past 20 years, Bringing Out the Best has lived up to its name by helping Guilford County residents under 5 years old overcome behavioral, social, and emotional challenges…(read more)

In the Aftermath of a Crisis

After a crisis occurs – whether a high schooler’s violent outburst to a middle schooler’s attempt to self-harm – families are left to pick up the pieces, often unsure where to begin. That’s where the NC Enhanced Mobile Crisis Unit comes in…(read more)

In the Juvenile Justice System

In 2022 alone, about 15,000 young people were entangled with the North Carolina juvenile justice system. Program manager Dannette McCain says the majority of these young people have experienced trauma and related behavioral and emotional challenges. But people often only see the young person’s crime – a theft or violent outburst, for example – and not the struggles lurking underneath…(read more)

Voices, Seen

A rain-streaked windshield and a street sign don’t normally warrant more than a passing glance. But four high school students found deeper meaning in them as perfect visuals to express their feelings about mental health. With help from doctoral student Stacy Huff and the NC Healthy Transitions pilot program, they found a creative approach to depict their experiences when it comes to anxiety, self-esteem, hope, and security…(read more)

>18

NC High Fidelity Wraparound teams

in 74 counties assisting families when youth experience mental health or behavioral challenges

60

families Reached

1st 4 months of NC Enhanced Mobile Crisis Pilot

>150

Kids Supported

by Bringing Out the Best each year

Explore Our Programs

The NC DHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services is contracting with the UNCG CYFCP to provide the infrastructure management and evaluation support necessary for the successful implementation of the Mobile Outreach Response Engagement and Stabilization Pilot (MORES Pilot). The program will implement an enhanced mobile crisis model that includes family peer support, decreased response times, and added follow-up support for children, youth, young adults, and their families.

Learn More About the Pilot

Bringing Out the Best (BoB) provides support and community-based services for the teachers and families of young children in Guilford County. Additionally, we provide professional development for early childhood educators. Our goal is to increase the number of children in Guilford County that are socially and emotionally healthy and ready to succeed as they enter kindergarten.

Learn More About BOB

North Carolina Healthy Transitions supports youth and young adults ages 16–25 with serious mental health challenges through coordinated outreach, assessment, peer support, and care in Iredell County. The project aims to improve access to services and inform statewide efforts, with UNCG providing management and evaluation support.

Learn More About Healthy Transitions

The NC High Fidelity Wraparound Training Program (NC HFWTP) teaches and certifies care teams across North Carolina in an evidence-based, intensive care coordination model that brings together youth, families, coaches, facilitators, and peer support to create personalized care plans and help families achieve lasting goals.

Learn More about NC HFWTP

NC Youth & Family Voices Amplified is a statewide training, technical assistance, and collaboration organization that aims to elevate the voices and lived experiences of youth and families to promote mental health.

Learn More about Voices Amplified

NC Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Partnerships (NC JJBH) is a statewide initiative to address the mental health and substance use needs of young persons and families in contact with the juvenile justice system. UNCG works with 21 local teams across North Carolina who work to increase access to effective, family-centered services and support for juvenile justice-involved youth with substance use and/or mental health challenges. This System of Care based initiative involves the Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization (LME/MCO), the local Department of Public Safety, and Service Providers.

Learn More about JJBH

Seeking Partners – Learn More Here!

Strong Minds, Strong Communities is a free program funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) designed to give North Carolinian adults 18+ that speak English, Spanish, or Arabic simple tools to improve the way they think, act, and feel. Through 10, one-on-one psychoeducational skills sessions, Strong Minds can help adults improve their health and well-being! Our overall goal is to reduce mental health disparities and increase access to high quality, culturally competent mental health care by providing our free program and training Community Health Workers to implement our program across North Carolina.

Learn More About Strong Minds, Strong Communities

UNCG’s Recipe For Success program is one of nine agencies implementing SNAP-Education (SNAP-Ed) programming in the state of North Carolina. SNAP-Ed is USDA funded, evidence-based, and designed to provide health and wellness education to SNAP eligible and/or receiving individuals and households. Recipe For Success (RFS) provides direct education, social marketing, and policy, systems, and environmental change programs (PSE) to communities across Guilford, Rockingham, Randolph, Davidson, Stokes, Forsyth and Davie counties.

Learn More About RFS

The North Carolina Preventing Underage Drinking Initiative (NC-PUDi) focuses on reducing underage alcohol use through community-level environmental strategies. It supports local collaboratives with funding, training, technical assistance, and evaluation to strengthen prevention efforts and policy change. As part of this work, the NC Underage Alcohol Use Training and Technical Assistance Center provides statewide coordination, training, resources, and support to help local coalitions implement effective strategies to reduce youth access to alcohol.

Learn More About NC-PUDi / UAUTTAC

334

Community Support Partners

trained by NC Voices Amplified in its first 2 years

21

Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Partnerships

supported in serving 96 NC counties

>295

Teachers trained

by Bringing Out the Best each year