St. Louis Community Builder
Helps Build Youth Development Network
St. Louis Mayor Clarence Harmon invited youth
development professionals in the St. Louis metropolitan area to respond
to a national call to help Americas children. The Mayor wanted his
City to be part of the new Federal Support for Communities Initiative (http://www.afterschool.gov/sponsor.html), which helps local communities access federal resources to finance the creation and expansion of after- school
programs for youth and is housed at Vice President Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government (www.npr.gov).
Responding to the Mayors invitation,
St. Louis education and youth-development leaders met and decided to form
a Community Planning Committee to ensure a coordinated local approach. The
Committee, which consisted of leaders from public, nonprofit, and philanthropic
organizations, met regularly over a period of several months. Community
Builder Marion Eisen was asked to serve on the committee, to represent the
perspective of federal agencies in the planning process.
The Committee sought to support local after-school
providers by: linking providers with federal resources; identifying and
highlighting elements of successful programs; and helping to foster the
creation of a network of youth service providers. "The Committee found
that federal agencies are not as easily accessible as they might be,"
Eisen said, "They discovered that federal programs and agency staff
often are not as close to the people and communities as they need to be."
The Committee chose to hold their first event,
the St. Louis Community and Federal Resource Fair, on November 6. Eisen
was nominated by the committee to coordinate the efforts of the planning
committee. She worked with other organizations to assess the need for workshops;
develop partnerships to ensure an effective outcome; secure facilities and
speakers; and promote awareness of the event.
The objectives of the Fair, held at Harris-Stowe
State College, a historically black college with a strong community service
tradition, were to: connect youth development resources with needs; provide
training on successful programs; and expand the base of St. Louis youth
service providers. Over 160 participants and 35 exhibitors attended, taking
part in workshop sessions, problem-solving in roundtable discussions, and
providing a rich showcase of program options and opportunities. Workshops
focused on program management, accessing resources, marketing, and sustaining
programs.
Shirley Robinson Watkins, Under Secretary
at the US Department of Agriculture, served as the keynote speaker for the
Fair, underscoring the importance of providing nurturing and support for
young people.
"She added just the right touch of wisdom,
warmth, and wit to our activities," said Peg Pedersen of the St. Louis
Public Schools Community Education Centers, commenting on Under Secretary
Watkins keynote address.
The Resource Fair was a significant step towards
the goal of developing a St. Louis youth development consortium. "All
of the speakers invoked much thought and reflection about what we are doing
and need to do," said Patrick Schommer, Manager of Youth and Family
Services for the City of St. Louis.![At the exhibits](at_the_exhibits.jpg)
Several HUD officials not only attended the
Fair, but also volunteered their time to help coordinate various registration
activities and booth assignments. The assistance of these HUD colleagues
led to a smooth process for participating organizations and Federal Resource
Fair attendees.
"It was great to see a gathering of very
committed local, state, and federal personnel, as well as others come together
to share information about a topic of mutual concern, said Patricia Straussner,
HUD St. Louis Public and Indian Housing Director. "The speakers were
excellent, and the audience was enthusiastic about an opportunity to meet
and share information."
HUD St. Louiss Community Planning and
Development Director Ann Wiedl thought that the number of people in attendance
was a testament to "the fact that there is growing realization that
we must do more for our children-and we must do it now."
"Everyone is energized about our potential,"
said Eisen. "The event was the result of the efforts of many people
working together to achieve a common objective, that is, to engage our youth
in meaningful after-school programs. Already we are hearing reports of increased
use of federal programs in fact, one official of a sponsoring organization
for the Department of Agriculture official reports that applicants for food
programs have increased over 50%, an increase that she attributes to the
Fair."
Community activities are scheduled to continue
the process of building the youth development network and fostering growth
of youth after-school programming next year. |