Highlighting America’s 100 Best Communities for Young People
The 100 Best Communities for Young People competition honors outstanding efforts on behalf of young people by multiple sectors of communities. In cities, suburbs, small towns and counties across the country, this annual competition is leading communities to assess their efforts, work more effectively together for young people, and share best practices. Each week one of the 2007 100 Best Communities will be highlighted in the America’s Promise Bulletin and on our web site.
Meridian, Idaho
By Christopher Epps
Sitting happily in the middle of southwest Idaho's Treasure Valley, this is the fastest-growing city in the state for a reason: life in Meridian is very good. Dynamic and teeming with economic growth, it offers residents quality education, jobs, affordable housing, safe neighborhoods and a fantastic array of recreational opportunities in and around the nearby mountains.
Of all the positive attributes that combine to make Meridian the colorful city it has become, according to residents, none is more vital than its focus on youth and families. With nearly half of the households in the city containing children under the age of 18, young people are considered a serious resource here. Almost every aspect of this community's planning involves the input of Meridian’s young people and young voices are heard and respected.
The Meridian Joint School District’s numerous initiatives include dropout prevention programs, academic credit recovery, small learning communities, and targeted magnet programs geared towards higher academic goals in health care, science, math and technology. Each of the preceding programs is designed to keep students in school and at grade level. They are based on the philosophy that intervention should be early and often. The School District also has strong ‘magnet’ focused schools and programs targeted to workforce related skills and partners with local businesses.
The city of Meridian, in collaboration with partners throughout the community, has increased their efforts to guarantee that there are adequate spaces and places for our youth. And to make sure its children have plenty of room to just be kids, the city built the first universally accessible recreation space in the Pacific Northwest, Adventure Island Playground—giving every child a chance to play.
Meridian’s government, public-sector, and private-sector leaders have made the town’s commitment to youth a top priority. As a result, the city has been recognized twice as one of 100 Best Communities for Young People.
A few initiatives that led to Meridian’s selection are:
The Anti-Drug Coalition
meets monthly to provide leadership, awareness, education and resources to reduce substance abuse. The Coalition's latest project reached out to parents of middle school students to educate and provide free drug testing kits which in turned fostered communication between parents and their children, giving kids a reason to say “no” to their peers. As a result of the Coalition’s other efforts including a meth forum and Project 7th Grade, Meridian schools are now examining appropriate grade level education
Governor’s Coordinating Council for Families and Children
(GCCFC) interacts with local and statewide partnerships throughout Idaho to create a statewide awareness of the importance of healthy families and children. In addition to maintaining a complete inventory of resources and programs, GCCFC coordinates and increases resources, and facilitates communication between individuals and organizations that provide services to families and children. The GCCFC’s work helps discover gaps in services to families and children and as a result, works to ameliorate these conditions.
Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council
(MYAC), a 50-member council, provides the youth voice in Meridian. The council meets with the mayor twice each month to discuss issues, plan service projects and hone leadership skills. Members have the opportunity to influence policies ranging from park locations and rules to when drug resistance education fits into the school curriculum. Also, seats are reserved for council members on a variety of city commissions, such as the Traffic Safety Commission, the Parks Commission and Historical Preservation Commission.
Youth are truly involved in the community and the city. One young Meridian volunteer commented, “we want to get involved because we know our plans can actually become realities.”