by Jessica Burch Hembree and John E. Kyle
An innovative, interactive town hall will offer a unique opportunity to all participants at NLC?s 2005 National Summit on Your City?s Families in San Antonio, Texas, September 25-28, 2005.
Participants at some point may think they are part of television?s ?Who Wants to be a Millionaire.?
In reality, they are being included in NLC?s first-ever use of audience response technology.
This cutting-edge tool will permit all participants to offer input on a platform for local and national strategies that addresses issues concerning youth, education and families.
Three hundred municipal officials and other community leaders are planning to attend the summit in San Antonio. It is the place to be if you are involved in municipal government and care about the well-being of children and their families. Registrations are still being accepted.
The Platform
The platform outlines essential tasks for cities and towns across the country that will strengthen families, improve outcomes for children and youth and sustain community efforts over time.
The platform was developed by NLC?s Council on Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Council), chaired by Mayor Ron Gonzales of San Jose, Calif.
During the town hall meeting, facilitators will pose questions both about pressing child and families issues facing municipalities today and about vital strategies to address them.
Using handheld response devices or keypads, participants will log their responses, which will be tallied and almost immediately displayed on screens for all to see.
The responses are aimed both at influencing what actions individual cities and towns take after the summit and at providing input to help shape the final draft of the platform, which will be discussed by the YEF Council at its meeting immediately following the summit.
The Technology
While overfilled conference rooms are rarely the ideal place to access and assess the opinions of hundreds of individuals, audience response technology enables each and every participant?s voice to be heard.
Facilitators offer yes/no and multiple choice questions to session participants, who use corresponding keypads on their handheld device to provide input.
This versatile information-gathering and dissemination tool is designed to emphasize interaction.
At the summit, participants will have the unique opportunity to be fully engaged in vibrant discussion among municipal and community leaders as well as to obtain insight into the views and priorities of local officials and other community leaders from across the country.
Creating interaction in the town hall will benefit the group as a whole and allow everyone to express an opinion, free of political or peer pressure. Graphs will display the responses from the group, and the ensuing discussion will indicate ?why? the group feels this way.
In order for Town Hall participants to respond effectively and knowledgeably, the platform will be sent to all registered participants before the summit and included in the packet of materials available on site.
In addition, small group discussions and caucuses leading up to the Town Hall meeting will allow individuals to debate both the entire platform and its individual planks.
The Summit
NLC?s 2005 National Summit on Your City?s Families is being held September 25-28 in San Antonio, Texas, at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel. This Summit is the nation?s largest gathering of municipal leaders who are working to improve the lives of children, youth and families.
In addition to the Town Hall meeting, the summit will include
? educational workshops,
? small group networking,
? site visits,
? commentary and insights from a panel of mayors and
? dynamic keynote addresses from former UNICEF Director Carol Bellamy and from NLC President Anthony A. Williams, mayor of Washington, D.C.
Details: For more information about the Summit and to register, go to www.nlc.org/iyef, or contact Sharie Wood at 202-626-3087 or iyef@nlc.org. The current registration fee is $500 for NLC members and $575 for non-members.
Draft Platform for Cities and Towns on Youth, Education and Families
The draft platform being sent to the participants at the 2005 National Summit on Your City?s Families states that:
Every community should have a structure, mechanism, or process for carrying out four essential tasks that will strengthen families, improve outcomes for children and youth and sustain the community?s efforts over time:
1. Identify needs and set priorities ? through a city commission, mayor?s task force, or other group that brings together leaders from both public and private/non-profit sectors.
2. Promote city-school collaboration ? through regular meetings between the mayor and/or city council, school superintendent, and school board.
3. Encourage and support youth voice, engagement and leadership ? through a mayor?s youth council, appointment of youth to municipal boards and committees and/or community-wide youth summits.
4. Measure progress over time ? through the use of a community ?scorecard? or set of benchmarks that track key outcomes for children, youth and families.
In addition, the platform lists specific action steps for every community to consider in seven key areas:
? Early childhood development
? Education/afterschool
? Youth development
? Health and safety
? Youth in transition/at risk
? Family economic success
? Neighborhoods and community
Action steps in these key areas are likely to yield immediate and significant results in all communities, regardless of their size or composition.
Details: For a complete draft of the platform when it is available, leave a detailed message at iyef@nlc.org or 202-626-3014.