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.
Saginaw County, Michigan
By Christopher Epps
Created in September 1822, Saginaw County is home to many attractions including 665 acres of parklands, miles of trails, pristine rivers and championship golf courses. People who live here are proud of all their county has to offer.
Youth in Saginaw benefit as public leaders at all levels continue to work to ensure that youth remain a top priority. Whether a governor, mayor or councilwoman, each provides support for youth by directing funds to youth programming, volunteering their time on boards of local youth programs and organizations, participating in events that raise funds for youth programs and initiatives, running programs that ensure youth are successful, passing legislation that will help youth as well as those who serve young people and being a mentor, among many other contributions.
Throughout this great county, there are many organizations that work on behalf of young people—some provide kids with a safe place after school, while others work to ensure youth are healthy. Whatever the cause, children are the driving force behind each. A challenge in the Saginaw community has been getting organizations to collaborate for the common good of kids. Thanks to a couple of initiatives, Saginaw is working to combat that challenge. The Great Start Collaborative and Cities of Promise are pulling together organizations that may not have worked together in the past in order to provide great support systems for youth and youth programming. Both initiatives are researching more information about current youth programs and are working to meet the needs of the community.
A thriving sports community gives children who grow up in Saginaw plenty of opportunity to play anything they choose. One interesting opportunity for kids to become involved with sports is the Inter-Faith Basketball League, a collaboration among the local YMCA and several faith-based organizations to break down barriers by putting players from diverse religions together on one team. Teams play at different churches around the county, getting exposure to other religions they may not have previously known.
People in Saginaw strive to teach their children the importance of giving back. In 2006, on the national Make A Difference Day, students were challenged to make a difference in the lives of senior citizens. Most kids found they had not only enriched the lives of some older community members, but made new friends in the process.
Among others, three initiatives that led to Saginaw County’s selection as a 2007 100 Best community are:
Possible Dream
, offered by Delta College, is a program youth enroll in during their 6th grade year. Throughout the students’ middle and high school careers, they are given opportunities to stay involved in activities that encourage them to go on to college. Fifty-five percent of at-risk youth involved in the program go on to college.
Family Youth Initiative
(FYI), a program of the Saginaw County Department of Public Health, collaborates with local schools, recreation centers and faith-based organizations to keep youth engaged in school and off of drugs. FYI offers funding to local collaborators that are willing to become safe houses for young people. The initiative recently received a large grant to help sustain its drug-free programs.
FORCE
comprises youth members that distribute an average of about $55,000 in grants every year, volunteer for local service projects and participate in conferences designed especially for young people. FORCE comprises about 50 8th through 12th grade students from 14 of 18 high schools throughout the county.