History Summary

The Center for Youth and Community Development, doing business as Collaborating For Youth (CFY), is a county-wide collaboration of schools, parents, youth, youth-serving organizations, business, media, law enforcement, religious, civic and fraternal groups, and county agencies established in 2001 and serving rural Adams County, Pennsylvania. Members of CFY pool their resources to build healthy, safe communities and jointly share responsibility to plan, implement and evaluate strategies and programs that achieve common goals.

CFY has been designated by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (SAMHSA) as one of 711 different Drug Free Communities Support Programs (DFCSP) in the United States – DFCSP is a national effort to reduce substance abuse among youth; by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a Communities That Care ^® site; and by Adams County as the entity to implement the Integrated Children’s Services Plan, another statewide initiative.

CFY acts as a catalyst for increased citizen participation in efforts to reduce substance use among youth by building the capacity of communities and partner organizations to implement community activities and evidenced based programs. CFY strengthens coordination and prevention efforts, encourages citizen participation in substance abuse reduction efforts, and disseminates information about effective programs.

In March 2007 CFY incorporated as a nonprofit organization in Pennsylvania under the name Center for Youth and Community Development (CFYCD). CFY’s activities focus on positive youth development and the reduction of abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATODs). A detailed timeline of our history is highlighted below.

CFY Historical Timeline

• 2000: A planning group of 20 interested parties research “Communities That Care” model and apply for a Planning Grant.
• July 2001: Key leader training begins.
• August 2001: First collaborative meeting occurs, bringing birth to the Gettysburg Communities That Care (CTC) Prevention Board.
• 2003: Upper Adams School District (USAD) approaches the CTC Prevention Board to start a community team in the Upper Adams area. The Team forms out of an existing “social concerns” committee of USAD, expanding the focus outside of the Gettysburg area. During this time, the Gettysburg and Upper Adams Teams function independently of one another.
• 2003: The Family Service System Reform (FSSR) Board requests merger with Communities That Care Prevention Board, expanding the focus county-wide. The area of concern from a prevention model centers on positive youth development to a continuum of prevention, intervention, treatment, and remediation. The area of focus is for the entire family and the issues of access and quality of services available.
• 2004: The strategic planning session of the CTC Prevention Board shifts, changing the structure to community teams adhering to the CTC Prevention model. A county-wide Board addresses the broader concerns across Adams County. The Gettysburg Area Communities That Care (CTC) becomes Collaborating For Youth (CFY). At the first meeting of the newly formed board, CFY prioritizes the prevention and reduction of the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) among youth. The Collaborative Board allocates resources to develop a Drug Free Communities application to increase CFY’s capacity in this area.
• October 2005: Collaborating For Youth becomes a federally designated and funded Drug Free Communities Coalition, making ATOD reduction central to our mission countywide. As Drug Free Communities Coalition, CFY focuses on the three legs used to combat ATOD abuse – prevention, treatment, and law enforcement.
• June 2006: CFY Collaborative Board agrees to oversee the implementation of Integrated Children’s Services Planning (ICSP) in Adams County. This furthers the move towards involvement with child and family serving systems which started under the Family Service System Reform in 2003.
• July 1, 2007: The Center For Youth and Community Development (CFYCD) begins operating as the business side of Collaborating For Youth. Bylaws are revised to clarify the relationship of CFY and CFYCD. A small CFYCD Board forms to attend to the corporate business. CFY staff become employees of CFYCD. This structure preserves the Collaborative (CFY) as a community-focused, community-driven process and Board. The CFYCD Board and staff begin to manage the day-to-day business of Collaborating For Youth, serving under the direction of the CFY Collaborative Board.
• October 2007: The first countywide Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) is administered on all six school districts, in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12, creating a countywide snapshot of youth. Prior PAYS administrations (2001, 2003, 2004, and 2005) took place in four districts, but not all within the same year.
• December 2007: The CFY strategic planning focuses on CFY Board functioning and capacity issues, resulting in the formation of new committees (Public Relations, Outreach, Strategic Planning, Programs & Grants, Sustainability, and Integrated Children’s Services Planning).
• September 2008: The CFY Collaborative Board adopts a four-year strategic planning cycle. Core operating principles are approved by the board. Committees recommend, and Board agrees to focus on the first area of the strategic planning cycle – Assessment and Prioritization.
• September 2009: The CFY Collaborative Board begins focusing on the second area of the strategic planning cycle – Planning and Capacity Building.
• September 2010: The CFY Collaborative Board begins focusing on the third area of the strategic planning cycle – Implementation.