Communiversity Youth Program (CYP) is one of the Stone Center’s longest-standing programs.
Since its founding in 1992 by two undergraduates (Michelle Thomas and Denise Matthewson), Communiversity has connected the vision of Dr. Stone and the work and resources of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center with the University campus and local and state communities.
As a key component of the Outreach & Service arm of the Stone Center, CYP partners with campus, local, and regional partners near UNC Chapel Hill to improve the lives of young people in kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12). Led by the work of a full-time Coordinator and team of volunteers, Communiversity uses the word “scholars” to refer to K-12 youth in our program, and “students” to refer to students at the University.
Service-learning, community-building, social justice outreach, leadership, cultural literacy development, interpersonal skills development, and increasingly, STEM-based and STEM focused learning, are integral to helping to improve student performance through education and practical experience.
CYP fulfills an important part of the Stone Center’s mission of examining the role of culture in social change and community development by helping to improve student performance through education and practical experience. These components educate, empower and expose participating community youth to various aspects of culture and history in an after-school context.
Working in cooperation with other University departments and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system, CYP has established lasting relationships and built an important bridge between the University and our local communities. We strive to make the program accessible to any scholar who is interested, and outside of a modest application fee, CYP is available to scholars at no additional charge.
CYP programming takes place at University United Methodist Church (150 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC), and typically runs Tuesday through Thursday from 3:00pm-5:45pm.
For more information, call (919) 962-9001.