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Weekly UpdatesMunicipal leaders can now get a sneak preview of the 2009 National Summit on Your City's Families by viewing a preliminary program--including full workshop descriptions--at www.nlc. org/iyef/yefsummit.aspx.
The summit, which takes place October 11-13 in Boston, is the nation's largest gathering of municipal leaders who are working to improve the lives of children, youth and families. Several hundred city officials, many attending in local teams with school and community partners, will benefit from the following broad range of unique learning and networking opportunities.
Trainings on How to Work More Strategically Municipal leaders will have access to four pre-conference trainings on Sunday, October 11, that will help them be more strategic in their efforts on behalf of children, youth and families. A special session for community teams will strengthen citywide collaboration and advance local planning efforts.
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All attendees will then be able to choose from, three subsequent trainings on utilizing data to measure and drive progress, engaging local partners and improving public communications strategies.
Weathering the Economic Storm
A special set of workshops will focus on strategies to support families in tough economic times. Topics will include city strategies for preventing and responding to foreclosures and homelessness, promoting access to nutritious food for families on a tight budget, preparing youth for jobs in emerging industries and federal and local efforts to expand health care coverage.
The summit will include two additional workshops on how cities can help put families on a more sound financial footing and ideas for building bright financial futures for children and youth.
Doing More With Less
Summit workshops will highlight cost-effective approaches to common challenges. For instance, participants can learn how cities, school districts and nonprofits are sharing resources through joint use and community school strategies. In addition, workshops will highlight coordinated preschool and after-school systems, and ways to save money through prevention of childhood obesity, effective anti-crime measures and dropout prevention and recovery.
Numerous workshops will discuss opportunities to bring federal funding into local communities.
Learning from Boston's Experiences
NLC and the City of Boston are arranging an exciting range of site visits. These mobile workshops will offer attendees a firsthand understanding of local initiatives such as the Boston Reengagement Center for youth who are chronically truant or have dropped out. Summit attendees will also be able to visit a Play and Learn group that helps parents provide high-quality early learning experiences for their children. Other site visits will showcase Boston's efforts to serve youth with limited English skills, facilitate reentry of court-involved youth and transform deteriorating schoolyards into green spaces for learning and recreation.
Summit attendees will be able to see why the City of Boston is a national leader in areas ranging from violence prevention and out-of-school time programming to community learning and youth civic engagement.
Exploring Cutting-Edge City Innovations
A "World Cafe" style session will enable city officials to explore up to 30 innovations featured in a forthcoming report by NLC's Institute for Youth, Education, and Families. This structured session format will allow participants to go from table to table to learn about the nation's most innovative municipal efforts to promote child and family well-being directly from representatives of featured cities.
Networking With Peers and Colleagues
The summit will offer ample time for peer networking and cross-city learning. Throughout the event, city leaders will be able to interact in several formal and informal networking sessions.
Hearing From Inspirational Leaders
Keynote speakers will include Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the founding chair of NLC's Council on Youth, Education, and Families, and Pittsburgh social entrepreneur William Strickland, whose Manchester Bidwell Corporation has provided education, arts, and job training opportunities to youth and adults for the past 40 years. In addition, a panel of mayors will discuss the Mayors' Action Challenge for Children and Families (www.mayors forkids.org), a national initiative to promote city leadership and action that has engaged more than 100 mayors since November 2008.
Going Home Prepared to Take Action
Municipal officials in cities and towns throughout the nation are already investing significant resources and effort to improve outcomes for children and their families. The summit is a one-of-a-kind event that will help cities work more efficiently, more effectively and more creatively on top priorities such as public safety, education, health and wellness and family financial stability. Participants in the summit will return home equipped with new ideas and knowledge that will help them sustain progress in their communities.
Details: To view the preliminary program or register for the 2009 National Summit on Your City's Families, visit www.nlc.org/iyef. Reduced registration fees are available between now and August 17.
For more information, contact Sharie Wood at (202) 626-3087 or wood@nlc.org.
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