by Michael Karpman

Recordings of two recent Web seminars are now available on the NLC website, making the seminars accessible for city officials who were unable to participate.

The first Web seminar, ?Building Public Will: Promoting Citizen Engagement to Improve Your City?s Schools,? took place on Thursday, Sept. 21. The deputy director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, along with senior municipal staff from Nashville, Tenn., and Denver, shared ideas for mobilizing public support for school reform.

The second Web seminar, ?Project Homeless Connect: Using Civic Engagement to Serve the Homeless,? was held on Thursday, Sept. 7. The seminar, sponsored by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, highlighted San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom?s innovative efforts to engage businesses, civic organizations and other volunteers in creating a one-stop service center for homeless individuals. Speakers also shared efforts in Norfolk, Va., and other cities to connect homeless people with housing and services by replicating the Project Homeless Connect model.

Each Web seminar was hosted by NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) and National City Network.

The YEF Institute continues its popular monthly audioconference series on Thursday, Oct. 19, at 12:30 p.m. EDT with an audioconference (with no Web component) titled ?Strengthen Working Families and Local Economies: How to Mount a Successful EITC Outreach Campaign.? The audioconference will highlight strategies that municipal leaders can support or initiate to help families claim the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Details: To view and listen to the Web seminar recordings or to register for an audioconference, visit www.nlc.org/iyef and select ?Events and Audioconferences.?