August 2002

Hello, and welcome to the August issue of the National Civic League's email newsletter. This monthly communication will provide information on the activities and accomplishments of NCL and links to information on a variety of topics relating to NCL's mission.

The National Civic League is a 108-year-old non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research, and the All-America City Award. The National Civic League is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, call 303-571-4343 or visit www.ncl.org.

This newsletter is by subscription only! You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription on our website. If you would like to unsubscribe, look for instructions at the end of this newsletter.

1. All-America Cities Honored at the White House
2. Federal-Community Partnerships Program
3. Community Services Updates
4. ANR: Things You Can Do For Your Community
5. Civic Index Feature

On July 31st, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez welcomed the 2001 and 2002 All-America City Award recipients to the White House and commended their innovation and example. Communities earn the prestigious award by exemplifying the spirit of grassroots citizen involvement and collaborative problem solving to address critical community issues.

"The Bush Administration is proud to recognize the accomplishments of these twenty All-America Cities," said Secretary Mel Martinez, US Department of Housing and Urban Development. "Their work has made their communities stronger and has strengthened the entire nation at the same time."

Pictures

Links

View the NCL press release

View selected press coverage in local newspapers (1) (2) (3)

Back to top

In May 2002 the National Civic League created a new division called Federal - Community Partnerships. This division focuses on the League's existing programs that provide training and technical assistance to several federal demonstration initiatives. Cheryl Cook serves as Director of the Federal-Community Partnerships Program.

The Safe Start Initiative: A Federal-Community Partnership Program

The National Civic League has begun work on the Safe Start project, a national initiative funded by the Department of Justice's Office for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The 5-year project is a multisite demonstration that seeks to show how systems reform can positively impact at-risk children who are exposed to violence or abuse by shifting resources to early intervention efforts and coordinating across agencies. Studies have shown that early intervention efforts dramatically decrease the rate at which abused and neglected children develop into delinquents or engage in criminal behavior as adults. Therefore, this initiative seeks to create comprehensive community systems that reduce the impact of family and community violence on young children, primarily between the ages of 1 and 6 years old. The project includes the following partner sites: Sitka, Alaska; Chatam County, North Carolina; Pinellas County, Florida; Zuni, New Mexico; Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; San Francisco, California; Spokane, Washington; Rochester, New York; Bridgeport, Connecticutt; and Washington County, Maine. The National Civic League will serve as the national coordinator for all training and technical assistance for the initiative.

May Cross-Site meeting-Rochester, New York

In May, the Community Services team participated in the Safe Start cross-site meeting in Rochester, New York. The team was introduced to the participant communities and had individualized consultations with program directors. In June, Community Services staff traveled to New Haven, Connecticut to meet with staff at the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence (NCCEV) at the Yale Child Studies Center. NCCEV will serve as the project's prime technical assistance provider. Community Services staff were able to observe the Center's innovative community policing and child intervention collaborative which brings together representatives from several agencies that address child abuse issues to coordinate early intervention services, share information and review individual cases. They also met with key staff at the Center to discuss the Safe Start intiative's progress to date and plan coordination of technical assistance services.

In August, the National Civic League completed the program transition by finalizing its application process and staffing plan. The Community Services staff will begin individual site assessments and technical assistance consultations with each site in September.

Back to top

Forum for Civic Advancement

El Pomar Foundation in partnership with the National Civic League developed the Forum for Civic Advancement to facilitate greater participation in the civic and public life of the Pikes Peak Region through a series of six forums for emerging leaders in the community. The Chairmen of the Forum for Civic Advancement are Chuck Berry, who served in the Legislature for two consecutive terms from 1985-1998 and is currently the President and CEO of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, and Jerome Page, former Executive Director of the Urban League of the Pikes Peak Region. This series of forums will continue from March through October 2002.

On August 15th, Amy Swiatek and Derek Okubo met with the forum in a session designed to raise the awareness of citizen democracy and collaborative approaches to problem solving and decision-making in today's world. Jerome Page, past CEO of the Urban League and co-chairman of the Forum for Civic Advancement, and Lionel Rivera, Vice Mayor of the City of Colorado Springs, presented on the approaches they have taken to effect change in their community. They each come from different perspectives and positions in the community and each has had to build creditentials, effective coalitions, and community outreach in order to be effective leaders for change in the community.

Next forum is on September 26th and will address how to run for public office. For more information, contact Matt Carpenter at mcarpenter@elpomar.org.

Back to top

The Alliance for National Renewal is an intentional community of civic leaders and community builders who collaborate to learn and tell their stories to inspire creative problem solving, imitation, and innovation in pursuit of democratic revitalization and the renewal of civic life. The following ideas are an excerpt from their poster "100 Things You Can Do For Your Community In A New Century".

Things You Can Do For Your Community As Youth

1. Encourage your public school to incorporate community studies into the curriculum. For ideas visit the Heritage Project website (www.edheritage.org).
2. Discover how influential young people may be with their peers, parents, politicians and the press. Contact the Activism 2000 Project (800-KID-POWER or www.youthactivism.com) for more information.
3. Get involved in volunteer work by contacting Youth Service America (202-296-2992 or www.servenet.org).
4. Go back to your high school and share your college or work experiences.
5. Learn more about the legal system and your rights. Get a Street Law program into your school or community center. Contact Street Law, Inc. (202-293-0088 or www.streetlaw.org) for more information.
6. Work with America Scores (www.americascores.org) to start a community-building program in your area that utilizes the sport of soccer to help build self-esteem, leadership, and academic skills among young people.
7. Become a teacher and help make a difference in the lives of children in disadvantaged communities. To learn more, visit the Teach For America website (www.teachforamerica.org).
8. Ask your teacher about using The American Promise teaching and community guides in your classroom as part of a discussion on democracy and grass-roots activity. Free guides are available from The American Promise (800-204-7722 or www.americanpromise.com).

To learn more about the Alliance for National Renewal, visit their website at www.ncl.org/anr.

Back to top

Local Government Can't Solve Problems Alone, But Must Do Its Part Efficiently and Effectively

The growing number and complexity of issues faced by localities demand that government, business, and the nonprofit sector work closely together in setting common goals and working together to achieve them.

As Drew O'Connor, assistant director of the National Civic League's Community Services reports from his work with communities throughout the country, "Communities that succeed today recognize that power can't be concentrated in traditional government leadership positions such as mayors, city managers and board chairs. They have a place at the table for citizens and for neighborhood groups as well."

While government cannot solve all community problems by itself, it must be a positive force in addressing community needs. Government must perform well in regard to the functions over which it maintains responsibility....

Read more of this article by NCL's Derek Okubo...

Back to top

If you have comments or suggestions about this newsletter, please email them to webdesign@ncl.org.

If you wish to unsubscribe to the newsletter, click here.

Back to top