We Owe it to our Young People

What do Anchorage, Cincinnati, Honolulu, Scottsdale and Virginia Beach all have in common? They all are part of America’s Promise Alliance 100 Best Communities for Youth! That’s right, each year America’s Promise Alliance recognizes 100 cities or towns throughout the United States that are “making extraordinary efforts to reduce dropout rates and provide outstanding services and supports to their youth”. All of the communities recognized have dedicated a significant amount of time and resources into helping youth succeed in school and life and have made a valuable pledge to resolve this issue for the long-haul.

In 2010, the whole state of Indiana had no communities that made the 2010 100 Best Communities for Youth list. Now, we know we’re better than that! Many of our organizations work very hard to support our students’ academic success as well as success in life. And many of us personally take the time to tutor or mentor children in Indianapolis. It’s time again that Indy stepped up and became one of America’s Promise Alliance’s 100 Best Communities for Youth in 2011. This is a rigorous activity, and will take the support from lots of organizations to collaborate – but if you’re ready, the time is now! There are lots of potential media attention and even some grant dollars at stake.

Another great way to recognize organizations doing great work to champion the positive development of youth is through America’s Promise Alliance’s Promise Places. To become a Promise Place, “organizations must deliver the five promises to the youth they serve: caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education and opportunities to help others”. In central Indiana, there are currently three organizations that were recognized as Promise Places in 2010. Those organizations are The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, The First Tee of Indianapolis and Net Literacy. Congratulations to those wonderful organizations that won this award in the past, and lets make sure that next year we have even more from Indy. All of our organizations should strive to become Promise Places and to better serve the youth we work with.

For more information and to apply for the 100 Best Communities for Young People and Promise Places, visit: http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Community-Action/100-Best-Communities.aspx.