| IN THE NEWS
Newport News Named One of the 100 Best
Communities for Young People
City honored by America's Promise organization
for third consecutive year
 January
28, 2008 --Newport News has been selected as a winner in the
third annual national competition to identify the 100 Best Communities
for Young People by America’s
Promise. This is the third year Newport News has won this national
honor. More than 300 communities in all 50 states applied this year,
and winning communities were selected for their commitment to providing
healthy, safe, and caring environments for young people.
“The City of Newport News is excited about being named one
of America’s 100 Best Communities for Young People for the
third consecutive year,” said Mayor Joe S. Frank. “This
award is reflective of our commitment to providing a positive environment
for young people in our community and giving them the support and
opportunities they need to be successful in school and in life.”
This award signifies the contributions of all of the important
partnerships between schools, Healthy Families, the Youth Commission,
Alternatives, the Coalition for Youth, Parks and Recreation, Health
Department, Neighborhood Office and In-SYNC. Great partnerships
support the healthy development of young people throughout the first
two decades of life. The Healthy Families Partnership joins city
leadership and community agencies with public and private organizations
(hospitals, restaurants, businesses) to help all families become
healthy and live self sufficient. To date, the partnership’s
work has reduced high risk pregnancies, repeat teen births and cases
of child abuse/neglect, as well as increased immunization rates.
The Coalition for Youth unites city departments, community agencies,
youth, parents, and representatives of business and faith communities
to mobilize the community to ensure that all youth have someplace
to go, something to do, someone to care, some way to contribute,
and hope for the future. In-SYNC Partnerships is a partnership between
the school division and local government. The program builds neighborhood
based solutions to promote strong schools and youth success. The
staff, shared between city and schools, synchronizes services between
schools and neighborhoods. Local churches also partner with the
schools to host 21st Century Learning sites. Over the past five
years, In-SYNC has more than doubled neighborhood-based after-school
opportunities and dramatically increased school success. Additional
partnerships with the YMCA, the Workforce Investment Board, local
businesses, and volunteer groups have created other successful programs
such as Thank Goodness It’s the Y (workshops for parents on
adolescent issues) and Career Café (one-stop job skills and
career exploration facility in the mall). Alternatives, Inc. leads
efforts to train young people in leadership skills, problem-solving,
creativity and other important ways to help youth develop their
voice.
Newport News was selected as one of the 100 Best Communities for
Young People because it has made a long-term commitment to comprehensive,
community-based efforts that help children and youth develop their
interests, talents, and skills and grow up to be healthy, happy
and successful. The City has created The Keeping Our Kids Safe Violence
Prevention Network (www.keepingourkidssafe.org)
is a community-wide effort to develop and implement an array of
strategies that insures a violence-free environment for our children
at home, in schools, and in our neighborhoods. In existence for
just over a year, the Network has secured $1.3 million dollars in
grant awards, launched a Targeted Outreach Program to serve youth
at-risk for involvement in delinquent behavior, established a mentoring
coalition to enhance mentoring programs, formed an After-school
Time Alliance to identify and fill gaps in after-school programs
and offers a wide range of parenting classes. Additionally, in a
collaborative effort between the Peninsula Council for Workforce
Development, local businesses, the school system and the City, a
Career Café has been established in Patrick Henry Mall that
offers a variety of services including job preparation, employment
assistance, internship opportunities, career exploration, GED assistance,
and job skills training.
All communities that completed entries in the 100 Best competition
were required to submit detailed information on existing programs
and initiatives that help deliver the Five Promises—resources
identified by America’s Promise as being critical to the development
of healthy, successful children: caring adults; safe places; healthy
start; effective education; and opportunities to help others; to
their young people. Applicants were also asked to describe how different
sectors of their community come together to deliver the Five Promises
and specific efforts and programs developed to ensure that their
young people graduate from high school prepared for college and/or
the workforce. Each of these communities, regardless of whether
they were selected as a winner, will be eligible to apply for $300,000
in grants from the Alliance next month.
For more details about the 100 Best competition and the winners,
please visit www.americaspromise.org. |
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