For Immediate Release
Saturday, February 28, 2009
America’s Promise Alliance to Designate ‘Promise Places’ Across the Country
Nashville’s Youth Opportunity Center First to be Recognized as Community Haven Providing All Essential Services for Youth
NASHVILLE
, Tenn. and WASHINGTON, DC – America’s Promise Alliance (the Alliance) today announced the launch of its new ‘Promise Places’ initiative. The announcement was made at the dedication of Nashville’s Youth Opportunity Center (YOC) – the first official Promise Place designee. A Promise Place is a school, community center, place of worship, business, or organization that provides all Five Promises— caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others--to youth. As a model establishment, the YOC represents the collaboration of several different sectors of the community and provides all Five Promises in one place.
“If we are going to truly change outcomes for our young people then we have got to start approaching their development in a holistic sense. This success model is embodied in Promise Places like the Youth Opportunity Center,” said Marguerite W. Kondracke, president and CEO, America’s Promise Alliance. “By offering young people all of the services they need—under one roof—we are exponentially increasing the chances that they’ll receive the support they need and succeed.”
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and other local officials joined dozens of the city’s youth for the dedication of the YOC. As Nashville’s largest nonprofit collaboration in history, the Center represents a collective of eight youth-serving organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, the Oasis Center, and Metro Nashville Public Schools. Together, YOC partners have served more than 50,000 young people in the Nashville area, and will continue to serve thousands of local youth annually through more than 30 programs offered onsite including: health care, job assistance, counseling, education support, emergency residential services, college counseling, youth leadership opportunities, and a youth-run business. The YOC is home to Nashville’s only therapeutic counseling center for adolescents, provides the city’s only long-term transitional living center for homeless youth, and is the state’s only drop-in center for homeless and runaway youth.
“We have nine different agencies who have come together and made a significant and very public commitment to close the opportunity gap that exists for far too many young people in this town,” said Hal Cato, CEO of Oasis Center. “I have no doubt that the Youth Opportunity Center is going to be the vehicle that makes this vision a reality.”
Through Promise Places, the Alliance seeks to inspire others to take action on behalf of youth, raise awareness of local outlets providing the Five Promises to young people, promote and celebrate the Five Promises as a model for youth development while strengthening relationships with organizations on a local level.
In order to be designated a Promise Place, entities must complete an application demonstrating how the Five Promises are delivered to the young people they serve; specific outcomes they have achieved for youth; and alignment with America’s Promise Alliance goals and objectives.
Each Promise Place designee will receive a Promise Place certificate and decal; an America’s Promise Alliance signature little red wagon; and a letter to an elected official to inform them of the organization’s designation. For an application, go to www.americaspromise.org/promiseplaces.
The Alliance’s research brief, Every Child, Every Promise (ECEP), found that children and youth receiving four of the Five Promises are far more likely to be successful, twice as likely to get A’s, twice as likely to avoid violence and 40 percent more likely to volunteer. Moreover, the research showed that receiving four out of five of these basic resources has the potential to level the playing field for youth across racial and economic lines.
About America’s Promise Alliance
America’s Promise Alliance is the nation’s largest partnership alliance comprised of corporations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, policymakers, advocacy and faith groups committed to ensuring that children receive the fundamental resources – the Five Promises – they need to lead successful, healthy and productive lives and build a stronger society. Building on the legacy of our founder General Colin Powell, the Alliance believes the success of our children is grounded in experiencing the Five Promises – caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others—at home, in school and in the community. For more information about America's Promise Alliance, visit www.americaspromise.org.
# # #