by Michael Karpman

Cities across the country will participate in National Family Week celebrations from Nov. 19-25, honoring the connections that support and strengthen families and communities. National Family Week is directed by the Alliance for Children and Families, with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Celebrated for more than 30 years, National Family Week embraces the premise that children live better lives when their families are strong, and families are strong when they live in communities that connect them to economic opportunities, social networks and services.

This premise aligns with NLC?s ?City Platform for Strengthening Families and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth,? which outlines the essential tasks necessary for a sustained municipal investment in children, youth and families.

NLC is one of hundreds of organizations supporting National Family Week as an opportunity to launch or highlight local initiatives that help young people and their families succeed.

The week is designed to achieve long-term family and community strengthening policy and program objectives, such as economic self-sufficiency, dependable transportation, reliable child care, accessible health care, applicable education and training and affordable housing. Municipal officials in many cities are joining forces with neighborhood organizations, businesses, nonprofits and other community networks and institutions to make progress in these areas.

How Cities Can Get Involved
The theme of National Family Week is ?Connections Count,? and municipal leaders are in a strong position to help residents make the connections that help children and families thrive.

Municipal leaders can get involved in this year?s National Family Week in many ways, such as:

? Issuing a mayoral proclamation or city council resolution formally adopting the City Platform for Strengthening Families and proclaiming National Family Week;

? Submitting a letter to the editor of a local publication to underscore the ways in which a city helped strengthen families this past year;

? Participating in a local event or forum in which community leaders and other residents can discuss issues of concern and receive information about local resources;

? Helping publicize other local National Family Week activities; or

? Encouraging employers to consider family-friendly work options.

What Some Cities Are Doing
To celebrate this year?s National Family Week, NLC First Vice President Bart Peterson, mayor of Indianapolis, will host a citywide Family Strengthening Summit, in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Family Service of Central Indiana Inc.

The City of Phoenix Human Services Department has invited the Family Service Agency to partner with them on collaborative ways in which they can improve the quality of life and economic self-sufficiency of vulnerable children and families.

In Jacksonville, Fla., city officials will discuss issues of concern with families, representatives of community agencies, school boards and law enforcement at the Family Counseling Service?s 4th annual family forum. In Gainesville, Fla., the Partnership for Strong Families will engage local policymakers and other community leaders in dialogue about establishing a children?s council.

The Village for Families & Children Inc., in Hartford, Conn., will invite state and city officials as guests of honor, where they will present their policy platforms on child and family issues for the upcoming 2007 legislative session. And in Bridgeport, Conn., Mayor John Fabrizi plans to issue a proclamation and speak at Family Services Woodfield?s National Family Week ceremony, which will focus on economic self-sufficiency and the importance of financial savings.

Details: For more information on how to participate, visit www.nationalfamilyweek.org or call (800) 221-2681.

For ideas and examples of what other cities are doing to strengthen families, and to learn more about downloading and adopting the City Platform for Strengthening Families, visit www.nlc.org/iyef/a_city_platform or contact Michael Karpman at (202) 626-3072 or karpman@nlc.org.