September 2003

Welcome to the September issue of the National Civic League's e-mail newsletter. This monthly communication provides information on the activities and accomplishments of NCL and links to information on a variety of topics.

The National Civic League is a 109-year-old nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership 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 Web site or because you are an NCL member. If you would like to unsubscribe, look for instructions at the end of this newsletter.

1. 2004 All-America City Award Application
2. Federal Community Partnerships
3. MetLife
4. Student Voices
5. Model City Charter Available Now
6. NCL Internship Opportunity
7. Contact Information

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The Federal-Community Partnerships team recently hosted the Fall 2003 Safe Start Cross-Site Meeting in Sitka, Alaska, for all eleven communities and national partners of the Safe Start Demonstration Initiative. The theme was “Domestic Violence in the Context of Children Exposed to Violence,” and throughout the three-day meeting over a hundred participants shared in dialogue on:

Distinguished guests and leaders from the domestic violence and child protective services communities shared their experiences with the Safe Start community at this meeting, and helped to expand the knowledge of domestic violence and children’s exposure to violence. The workshops engaged participants in dialogue to enhance understanding of these issues, promote improved systems, and produce better outcomes for children, youth, and families in all of our communities.

In addition, the meeting opened with a traditional Tlingit welcome from the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, and participants had the privilege of being a part of various cultural activities throughout the three days, such as seeing native dance performances and taking part in a traditional Tlingit dinner.

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MetLife Foundation Teacher Ambassador Award

The MetLife Foundation Teacher Ambassador Award recognizes teachers who have undertaken extraordinary, and voluntary, efforts to connect with their students' communities and to make themselves an active member of their community. The program is new in 2003.

Students nominate teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty to help people outside of the school. They can submit an application, information available at their school or they can obtain one online at www.ncl.org/cs/metlife, or by mail, fax, or by emailing the National Civic League.

The program is being introduced at high schools in select school districts in 10 cities.

Applications may be submitted now.

• The deadline for applications is Tuesday, October 28, 2003.
• Winners will be announced Monday, November 24, 2003.
• The National Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday, December 19, 2003 in Washington D.C. (student, student's guardian, and teacher accommodations provided courtesy of the MetLife Foundation).

The award is a project of the National Civic League - a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to strengthening citizen democracy and sponsored by The MetLife Foundation, established for the purpose of strengthening communities, promoting good health and improving education.

For more information, please contact Emelie Smith, Project Manager at 303-571-4343 or metlife@ncl.org. Please check the National Civic League Web site for further information which will be posted later this week.

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The 2003-2004 Denver Student Voices School Year is off to a great start in Denver! NCL staff has been visiting students and teaching them about the interactive Denver Student Voices Website, www.student-voices.org/denver. On the website, the students have the opportunity to join a discussion board, vote in a poll, and get all the information they need to be successful with their assignments. The students are also exploring the issues facing their communities in anticipation of compiling their Youth Issues Agendas and putting together final projects to be presented for cash awards, for their school, at the end of the semester.

Denver Student Voices is part of the National Student Voices Project, an initiative of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania with funding from the Annenberg Foundation. The National Student Voices Project is supporting local civic education projects in 22 cities throughout the country. In Denver, the project involves the participation of classes in 10 Denver public high schools. Participating Denver schools include: Abraham Lincoln High School; Career Education Center; Contemporary Learning Center; Denver School of the Arts; East High School; John F. Kennedy; Manual; Montbello; South High School; and Thomas Jefferson.

The primary goal of the Student Voices Project is to encourage the active civic and political engagement of students. It is intended to increase students' knowledge and understanding of political processes and institutions, as well as their ability to find information and make use of it to participate in the public sphere.

For more information about Denver Student Voices, please contact Kelly Bovio, Project Manager at kbovio@ncl.org or Emelie Smith, Assistant Project Manager at esmith@ncl.org or by phone at 303-571-4343.

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If you need to evaluate or update your city charter to keep up with your community's changing needs and demands, the new Model City Charter can help. It's the tool to help you keep up with the latest perspectives and practices on good governance. The 8th Edition of the Model City Charter will help you manage modern issues facing municipalities, including:

Performance Measurement. Regional Cooperation. Citizen Participation. Campaign Finance. Election Law. New Technologies.

Reap the benefits of progress and efficiency. The 8th Edition is now available. You may order your copy of the new Model City Charter by faxing or mailing in the order form from the NCL Web site or order online at www.ncl.org.

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The Washington, DC office of the National Civic League is offering an internship opportunity in the New Politics Program. The intern would report to the Research Director.

Responsibilities include researching and writing white papers on political reform topics including youth civic engagement, researching local campaign finance reform, and updating and maintaining NPP's database. For more information, please see our Web page.

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