by Michael Karpman

With support from local youth, the City of Reno, host of the 83rd annual Congress of Cities and Exposition, recently adopted NLC?s City Platform for Strengthening Families ahead of this year?s conference.

The platform, developed by NLC?s Council on Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) and adopted by more than 40 cities, outlines the essential tasks necessary for sustained progress on behalf of children, youth and families at the municipal level. The Reno City Council adopted the platform through a resolution after members of Reno?s youth council brought it to their attention at a joint meeting on November 14.

Assessing Youth Opportunities
?The youth council and the city council both agreed that the platform had a lot of good suggestions for Reno to expand on and a lot that we already do but could probably perfect,? said youth council member Lea Moser.

In Reno ?we see that youth are thoroughly involved in creating a better community and we like to see our ideas focused on,? according to Moser. ?The platform seemed to have a link between youth and adult ideas.?

Councilmember Jessica Sferrazza, who was instrumental in creating the Reno youth council in 2001, highlighted how the city and its youth will use the platform as an assessment tool for local youth programs.

?The City of Reno is a huge proponent of youth activities,? said Sferrazza. ?What we did is we took the platform and discussed a lot of things in the platform the city is already implementing, like afterschool programs. We made it the youth council?s job to identify where Reno is lacking, so if they feel that something is not being addressed, they will bring it forward at our next joint meeting with them.?

Reno Youth Programs
Reno?s adoption of the platform stems from its strong focus on the needs of youth and families. Beyond its afterschool programs, the city partners with the school district to provide funding for lunch and breakfast programs for students. The city also has a program called City Kids, which offers vouchers to parents who cannot afford afterschool care. In addition, the city supports its youth council with $70,000 from its general fund. Youth council member Kirstin Fisher is one of three youth representatives who sits on NLC?s YEF Council.

?Getting youth to participate actively in our community not only makes us more well-rounded,? says Moser. ?When we get teens who are active, we also get more in return, such as events and programs focused on our needs.?

Looking Ahead
As Reno city leaders look toward the future, they are continuing to focus on promoting positive youth development as a way to prevent kids from participating in risky behavior.

?One of the things unique about Nevada is we have legalized gaming,? says Sferrazza. ?Because of that, we feel it is important to emphasize youth activities as an alternative to youth crime and drugs.?

Councilmember Sferrazza is also focusing on efforts to spread a message of prevention to stop young people from abusing methamphetamines.

?We want to educate teens before they try the drug because methamphetamines are spreading rapidly across the country,? says Sferrazza. ?So I think that area will be a big priority for the council this year ? doing a targeted campaign so young people don?t try the drug and educating them about the dangers.?

Congress of Cities Activities
Reno youth council members will be active participants in this year?s Congress of Cities, hosting youth delegates from other cities at social events and educational sessions designed specifically for youth.

At the youth delegates orientation session on Thursday, December 7, members of the Reno youth city council will highlight the process by which their city adopted the platform. Youth representatives from the YEF Council will then lead a discussion about how youth councils can promote the platform in their own cities as a tool to guide and assess local progress on behalf of young people and their families.

Details: To learn more about the platform, visit www.nlc.org/iyef/a_city_platform or contact Michael Karpman at (202) 626-3072 or karpman@nlc.org.