by Michael Karpman
Since 2000, NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) has served as an indispensable resource for mayors and other municipal leaders taking action on behalf of children, youth and families.
At the 82nd Annual Congress of Cities, NLC will celebrate the YEF Institute?s fifth anniversary in a plenary session on Saturday, December 10, featuring folk singer and youth advocate Peter Yarrow.
The institute also marks this milestone with the publication of a report titled, ?Municipal Leadership for America?s Children, Youth, and Families: Celebrating Five Years.?
The anniversary report highlights the YEF Institute?s central role as a place where local officials can share ideas and solutions as they strive to help children and families succeed. Hundreds of communities have turned to the institute for guidance on how to improve early childhood development, education, youth development, family economic success and the safety of children and youth.
?The institute is a vital resource for NLC member cities,? says NLC President Anthony A. Williams, mayor of Washington, D.C. ?Its success demonstrates how much can be accomplished when we focus on what works and build the networks that are so essential in order to replicate effective strategies.?
The First Five Years
In its first five years, the YEF Institute has made a difference in communities from Grand Rapids, Mich., to West Palm Beach, Fla., and from Indianapolis to Fort Worth, Texas. Technical assistance projects in 94 cities have had a significant impact in areas ranging from K-12 school improvement to helping eligible working families receive the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and other federal and state benefits.
The institute also makes the case for municipal leadership by highlighting key opportunities for local involvement.
Its seven signature action kits and other publications, as well as initiatives like the 2003 City Challenge for Early Childhood Success, mobilize cities and towns to take advantage of these opportunities. For instance, more than 100 communities responded to the city challenge by developing their own early childhood plans.
Indianapolis was one of those cities. The city also worked with the institute to create a citywide afterschool coalition and to expand its outreach to low-income families eligible for the EITC.
?The institute?s high-quality technical assistance, leadership training and publications offer practical solutions to real problems,? said NLC Second Vice President Bart Peterson, mayor of Indianapolis.
The fifth anniversary report illustrates how more and more city officials are taking advantage of the institute?s resources to network with other cities and towns through a broad array of peer networks, learning communities, site visits, free audioconferences and events such as the Summit on Your City?s Families.
Finally, the Institute has significantly raised the profile of municipal leaders as catalysts for change. Connecting municipal officials to national, regional and state-level partners has helped raise awareness of the importance of local perspectives on how to improve outcomes for children, youth and families.
Vision for the Future
Looking ahead, the report lays out the institute?s vision to build a movement of local officials dedicated to meeting the needs of children, youth and families. In the next five years, the institute will help broaden and deepen the commitment of municipal leaders to make their communities places where all children and families can succeed.
?The progress that the institute has made during these first five years is simply remarkable,? said Thomas M. Menino, mayor of Boston, and founding chair of NLC?s Council on Youth, Education, and Families. ?For mayors and other city leaders who care about children and their families, it is without question the place to go for help.?
Details: Additional copies of the fifth anniversary report can be obtained at www.nlc.org/iyef or by contacting Michael Karpman at (202) 626-3072 or karpman@nlc.org.