About Us
A Message from the Primary Investigator
Dean Paula Allen-Meares,
University of Michigan School of Social Work
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GPY provides a model of how higher education and the social work profession can have a significant and sustained impact on the well-being of youth at the state, national, and international levels. This initiative is based on a novel collaborative, interdisciplinary model of problem-solving that uses information technology to restructure the way universities can relate to human service communities. In the process, the program also transforms how social work research is disseminated, and how technical assistance is provided. These interactive partnerships, referred to as collaboratories, involve advanced communication technology. This technology includes, but is not limited to, the Internet, the World Wide Web, digital archives, electronic communication and conferencing, and numerous computer applications that enhance productivity and group problem solving. Bringing collaboratory partners together in one physical site would be logistically and financially complicated. Technology is connecting researchers with practitioners and policy makers across geographic boundaries.
A sizable gulf exists between research and practice. As a result, it is more difficult for research to be informed by the work of public policy makers and practitioners, to be translated into public policy and practice, or to contribute meaningfully to the development of effective solutions. GPY addresses these problems by creating a space within our website for the translation and dissemination of research.
To illustrate how the collaboratories operate, I would like to tell you about one of the projects, the School Violence initiative. This project monitors the occurrences of school violence in order to prepare teachers and school administrators to respond with appropriate interventions and to monitor the effect of those interventions. With self-designed data collection software and supplemental interviews, the principal investigators are able to monitor the incidents of violence and immediately report back to the school. The work of this particular collaboratory is focusing upon Israel. The partners include scholars from the University of Michigan and Hebrew University; students, teachers, parents, school principals, school superintendents and policy makers including members of the Knesset. Testimony based upon the work of this project has been read on the United States Senate floor and entered into the Congressional Record. This project embodies the way that a collaboratory model can link scholars, service providers, and policy makers to affect the lives of children and youth.
We expect the Global Program on Youth to result in significant and practical benefits for youth in communities worldwide. This collaborative problem-solving model promises to be an important tool in addressing a wide range of social issues, especially those confronting youth. GPY will greatly expand the access of all sectors of society to current theory, research and practice innovations.
Last updated: 1/9/03
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University of Michigan
Global Program on Youth, School of
Social Work Building, Room 3743
1080 South University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106 ssw.global@umich.edu