Dubuque Named One of the Nation’s 100 Best Communities for Young People by America’s Promise Alliance and ING

October 12, 2011    |   Categories: News
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Dubuque achieved national recognition as one of America’s Promise Alliance’s 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING for its initiatives to help young people. The competition recognizes communities across the country that focus on reducing high school dropout rates and providing service and support to their youth.

Dubuque is a four-time winner of the 100 Best Communities for Young People competition. The city’s dedication to supporting at-risk youth can be seen in programs like Every Child/Every Promise (ECEP), an initiative that strengthens the community’s ability to deliver key resources to area youth to ensure success in both youth and adulthood. Through ECEP, community leaders and individual citizens are collaborating to address and identify needs and gaps in data collection and analysis with tools like the Youth Master Plan and the upcoming Youth Indicator Report. ECEP task teams are also focusing on areas like out-of-school programming and transportation. A partnership between ECEP and the East Central Intergovernmental Association revitalized the Free Way to Fun City program, allowing more than 500 young people free and easy access to the Jule this past summer. Meanwhile, students at Jefferson and Washington Middle Schools are currently enjoying more than 25 after-school activities through the Leadership Enrichment After-school Programs (LEAP), through another partnership between Dubuque Community Schools, nonprofit service providers, and ECEP.

Other initiatives for young people that contributed to the honor include: Dare to Be King, a Dubuque Community Y program that helps local, young African-American males facing challenges connect with role models in the community; and Youth Area Philanthropists (YAPPERS), the youth board of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, which is dedicated to using volunteerism, philanthropy and grant-making to address the needs of youth in the community.

“We are proud of Dubuque for being named one of the America’s Promise Alliance’s 100 Best,” said Nancy Van Milligen, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. “This award recognizes the hard work of many community members that have dedicated their time to making a difference in the lives of our young people.”

“Winning the 100 Best award four times says a lot about Dubuque’s dedication to measuring and evaluating our progress,” says Nicole Johnson, Every Child/Every Promise coordinator. “By engaging with tools like the Youth Master Plan and the upcoming Youth Indicator Report, our community can continue to improve and ensure the success of our young people.”

“In a nation where 7,000 students drop out of high school every day, we hope Dubuque’s initiatives inspire other communities across the nation to take action to solve the challenges facing their young people,” said Marguerite W. Kondracke, America’s Promise Alliance president and CEO. “Dubuque is especially deserving of this recognition due to their efforts to ensure that their young people graduate high school and go on to lead healthy, productive lives. Dubuque refuses to let the challenges they face determine the future for their young people. Instead, they are helping their youth prosper and become contributing members of society.”

At noon EST on Oct. 12, 2011, Kondracke will join America’s Promise Alliance Chair Alma Powell and ING Foundation President Rhonda Mims at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., to officially announce the 100 winning communities in a live webcast. Visit www.tinyurl.com/100BestDBQ to view the webcast.

“The issues surrounding youth education and success are of vital importance to ING,” said Mims. “Our ongoing support for 100 Best underscores our commitment to the cause and the value we place on recognizing communities that produce measurable results for youth.”

Dubuque will receive a $2,500 grant, signage identifying the community as one of the nation’s 100 Best Communities for Young People, and access to America’s Promise Alliance’s community development resources.

First held in 2005, the 100 Best competition is one of the Alliance’s signature initiatives and is part of its Grad Nation campaign, which is a 10-year initiative to mobilize Americans to end the high school dropout crisis and prepare young people for college and the 21st century workforce. The 100 Best honors communities large and small, rural and urban, that are making progress to help young people achieve their potential, which includes earning a high school diploma, securing a good job, and playing an active, productive role in America’s economic vitality.

All communities entering the 100 Best competition completed a rigorous application where they provided details on how their existing programs and initiatives help deliver the Five Promises—resources identified by the Alliance as being critical to the development of healthy, successful children: caring adults; safe places; healthy start; effective education; and opportunities to help others. Applicants were also asked to describe how different sectors of their community work together to help children and families overcome challenges. Most importantly, communities were judged on the strength and innovation of their efforts and programs to help young people graduate from high school prepared for college and the 21st century workforce.

This year, more than 300 communities from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were nominated for the 100 Best distinction. Winners were chosen by a distinguished panel of 20 judges that included: Marc Morial, president and CEO, National Urban League, Roxanne Spillett, president and CEO, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Michelle Shearer, Chemistry Teacher, Urbana High School, 2011 National Teacher of the Year.

The winners are a diverse group, ranging from small communities to large cities. A list of all 2011 winners can be found at www.americaspromise.org/100best.

Being a 100 Best community not only demonstrates commitment to local young people; the award fosters local pride, bolsters economic development and shines the spotlight on the people and programs that are building better communities. The competition also facilitates the sharing of best practices among communities nationwide regarding education, access to health care, reading score improvement, youth service and pre-school enrollment, among many other areas.