The Center for School-Based Youth Development (CSBYD) at UC Santa Barbara has released its 2013 annual report, emphasizing 16 active funded research projects dedicated to work with at-risk students developed by 11 faculty and researchers from UCSB and affiliated institutions, by 14 student researchers and by 10 research partners worldwide. CSBYD is a community of researchers devoted to developing a better understanding of the role of school engagement as a protective force in children’s lives and that promotes academic, social, emotional, and physical well-being. According to the report, from 2012-13, CSBYD faculty published 60 papers and 8 technical reports and gave 31 conference presentations. The Journal of School Violence continued to be edited by the CSBYD and researchers provided reviews for 39 other research journals. CSBYD’s activities were graciously funded by 14 contracts and grants.
The research projects explored a wide-range of issues, including bullying, youth violence, and substance abuse. For instance, one contract evaluates children’s chronic stress levels during the transition to kindergarten, while another evaluates a county program that provides a coordinated, multi-agency approach to juvenile offender reentry for high-risk male youth with substance abuse and/or co-occurring disorders.
The Center for School-Based Youth Development is a community of researchers--Dr. Michael Furlong (Director), Dr. Erin Dowdy, Dr. Erika Felix, Dr. Karen Nylund-Gibson, Dr. Matt Quirk, and Dr. Jill Sharkey. The Center was formed in 2002 through the Gevirtz Funds for Excellence through the generosity of the Ambassador Don Gevirtz and his wife Marilyn Gevirtz. The core of the CSBYD is in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at UCSB’s Gevirtz School.