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.
Missoula, Montana
By Christopher Epps
Earning the nickname “Garden City” for mild winters when compared to the rest of the state, Missoula offers several opportunities for excitement depending on the season. Here, residents and tourists hike, ski, fish and ride mountain bikes. Located in the heart of a deep valley and divided by three major rivers, there’s nothing divided about this community that collaborates for its youth.
Education is a key priority in any progressive community whether a small town or large urban city; however, facilities to keep young people active and healthy are a great part of Missoula’s identity. Following the approval of an $8.1 million bond, the city opened new indoor and outdoor aquatic centers, while municipal and private sector funds created a white water play pool—for kayakers, rafters and tubers—in the heart of the river running through downtown.
Schools in Missoula partner with local organizations and businesses to bring safe and healthy resources and activities on-site. The local health department assumes an active role in its youth’s development—it works with high schools to reduce tobacco use among students and a dental group provides free dental care to Lowell Elementary school children, among other aspirations to improve local youth.
Because of the atmosphere created by this safe and nurturing place and the powerful spirit of community seen in its varied collaborative efforts, Missoula was chosen a second time as one of 100 Best Communities for Young People. Other initiatives that led to its selection include:
Forum for Children and Youth:
This organization builds and maintains supportive environments for collaborative and proactive work, helping Missoula raise healthy children. Of the government, business and youth members, among others, the forum focuses on issues related to youth and those affecting families. Through its coordination of funding proposals, more than $4 million in grants have been secured for the community.
Kids Café:
Sponsored by the Missoula Food Bank, this is a lunch program that serves meals for school-aged children who might otherwise go hungry during summer and school breaks. Ensuring they have at least one healthy meal a day, the café provides a safe location where children can partake in nutritious meals and enjoy a variety of fun activities.
Safe Havens:
This program, created by the YWCA, provides children with a safe and neutral environment to visit their non-custodial parents. Unfortunately, many of the program’s children’s parents are incarnated. Because many of the children who are provided with a “safe haven” only have one parent or guardian, they have priority for the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program.
Because Missoula is surrounded by national forests and a handful of wilderness areas, it hosts several trips allowing its youth to explore and discover. When students are not in-tune with exploration in the classroom, this 100 Best community has created individualized tutoring programs for homeless youth, and even Smaller Community Learning Initiatives that provide individual advisors for all students to enhance freshman transition activities, expand career preparation and increase academic support for struggling students. One thing that can be said about Missoula is that it makes itself available to allow the local youth to be successful and prepared for the world at large.