Afterschool Leadership Cadre to Assist Other Cities
by Bela Shah
Senior municipal staff from 24 cities that are at advanced stages of creating citywide afterschool systems will participate in a new Afterschool Leadership Cadre sponsored by NLC. This group, launched by NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) at the 2007 National Summit on Your City’s Families in San Antonio, will advise other city officials on their afterschool efforts, guide the YEF Institute’s work on afterschool, and solidify cities as a hub of knowledge and experience on afterschool systems.
New support from The Wallace Foundation and continued support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation enabled the expansion of the YEF Institute’s Afterschool Policy Advisors’ Network (APAN) Steering Committee to create the Leadership Cadre.
Local leaders from this group will serve as experts and advisors to NLC by providing information on the most pressing needs that face local communities and offering tools that have been helpful in their afterschool efforts. Through resources, tools, peer-to-peer networking and technical assistance, the Leadership Cadre will help other cities that strive to implement a citywide afterschool system or strengthen local afterschool programs.
The group will also play a key role in bolstering the number of mayors and council members who are actively engaged in local out-of-school time efforts, and will help provide direction for upcoming afterschool peer learning community conference calls and the 2008 National City Afterschool Summit, which takes place May 12-14, 2008, in Washington, D.C.
This leadership group includes the following cities: Alexandria, Va.; Baltimore; Baton Rouge, La.; Boise, Idaho; Boston; Bridgeport, Conn.; Chicago; Denver; Detroit; Florence, S.C.; Fort Worth, Texas; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Indianapolis; Las Cruces, N.M.; Los Angeles; Louisville, Ky.; New York; Norfolk, Va.; Pasadena, Calif.; Providence, R.I.; Salt Lake City; Seattle; Spokane, Wash.; and Washington, D.C. After examining afterschool system-building efforts in other cities, NLC may expand the group.
In the near future, Leadership Cadre members will help NLC create a matrix to demonstrate the type of expertise that each city has in areas of afterschool system-building. This matrix, along with other local tools and resources, will soon be available on NLC’s website. Afterschool-related topics such as funding, political leadership, sustainability, quality, evaluation, data collection, standards, transportation, tracking of student participation, alignment with in-school learning, and strategies for reaching older youth will be included in the matrix.
Local elected officials are invited to learn more about these efforts at a special APAN luncheon meeting at the Congress of Cities and Exposition in New Orleans. On Friday, November 16, Baton Rouge Mayor Melvin L. “Kip” Holden will highlight afterschool successes in his city and elected officials will have an opportunity to participate in an open discussion about their afterschool strategies and/or challenges. No tickets are required.
In addition, the YEF Institute will soon release a request for proposals for a new technical assistance project to help cities implement components of a citywide afterschool system.
Details: To learn more about the Afterschool Leadership Cadre, or for more information on attending the APAN luncheon meeting at the Congress of Cities, contact Bela Shah at (202) 626-3057 or shah@nlc.org.
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