October 7, 2005

San Jose named one of ‘100 Best Communities for Young People’

“America’s Promise” winners recognized for efforts to help young people succeed

San Jose was recently honored for its dedication and commitment to youth as one of the “100 Best Communities for Young People” by America’s Promise—The Alliance for Youth.

The winning communities, ranging from small towns to urban neighborhoods across America, are being celebrated for their commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people.

“We are very pleased to get national recognition for all that we do in San Jose to improve the lives of our children and their opportunities to achieve success,” said Mayor Ron Gonzales. “Our community is committed to helping our young people develop and excel to become leaders of the future.”

The America’s Promise selection panel evaluated nearly 1,200 entries that detailed information about each community’s efforts to fulfill five essential promises critical to the well-being of young people: caring adults who are actively involved in their lives; safe places in which to learn and grow; a healthy start toward adulthood; an effective education that builds marketable skills; and opportunities to help others.

The San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services led the local application effort in collaboration with the San Jose Youth Commission and San Jose Library.

In addition, key community partners such as the United Way, Project Cornerstone and First 5 support San Jose commitment to children with a wide range of programs and services.

Among the examples cited in the city’s application are community partnerships including the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force, a consortium of schools, law enforcement agencies and community organizations; San Jose City/Schools Collaborative, which involves the 19 school districts serving San Jose students; Project Cornerstone led by the YMCA of Santa Clara Valley now with more than 100 partner organizations that serve youth; and “San Jose After School” that offers 227 homework centers for students to receive academic assistance in safe places.

As the 10th largest city in the nation, San Jose also is one of the two major American cities on the list of the best 100 Communities for Young People. Most communities on the list are significantly smaller.

“We have had an amazing response from hundreds of communities, large and small, from Alaska to Florida,” said Marguerite W. Sallee, President and CEO of America’s Promise. “Our purpose for launching this competition is to appeal to America’s competitive spirit to encourage communities to become great places to grow up.

She noted inspiring examples of what can happen when communities across the country pull together to help people in times of urgent need in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. “In the 100 Best Communities, we have witnessed that same spirit at work in making the well-being of their children an urgent priority,” said Sallee.

“Their outstanding efforts—to measure how well their children and youth are doing, to put more resources in place, and to form cross-sector partnerships—provide shining examples of what it means to keep America’s Promise for our young people.”

The criteria for selection of the “100 Best Communities for Young People” are based upon recent research conducted by National Academies of Science, Search Institute, Academy for Educational Development and Child Trends. The criteria included community support of children and youth; community resources dedicated to children and youth; community innovations; outcomes and progress to date; and plans for the future.

To honor the 100 Best Communities selected, the America’s Promise Alliance will hold a special event Nov. 2 in Washington, D.C. This celebration will be dedicated to the children affected by Hurricane Katrina, highlighting outstanding community initiatives across the country that are providing displaced children with the services and support that they need to thrive. All proceeds from this event will go toward helping the children impacted by Katrina.

The Alliance will also sponsor a yearlong celebration including a special day in each of the winning communities and a series of regional forums across the country that will enable communities to share their success stories and learn effective strategies from one another that will further enrich the lives of their young people.

For more details about the 100 Best selections, go to www.americaspromise.org or to Newsweek Magazine at www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9466949/site/newsweek/