Miami Lakes Named One of the 100 Best Communities For Young People By America's Promise Alliance and ING U.S.
Annual Competition Recognizes Communities that Prioritize Youth Education and Well-Being.
- Miami, FL (1888PressRelease) September 20, 2012 - Miami Lakes today was named one of America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING. The national award was given to Miami Lakes to recognize its programs and services that make it an outstanding place for youth to live, learn, and grow.
"Being named one of America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best is significant and meaningful to the entire community," said Mayor Michael Pizzi. "So many dedicated people and programs contributed to this win and it further reinforces our belief that a focus on youth pays dividends to the entire community."
Miami Lakes, a first-time 100 Best winner, was honored for its efforts to provide a healthy and safe environment for youth that includes educational support programs. For example, the Miami Lakes JUST RUN Program focuses on getting youth moving and active, and promotes healthy eating to combat childhood obesity. Similarly, the Youth Activities Task Force develops positive activities for youth ages 14-19 and creates youth-oriented events, including the annual Haunted House and Bike Rodeo.
The community is also dedicated to providing educational and leadership opportunities. The Educational Advisory Board provides scholarships, SAT prep courses, internships and education programs to youth in the community. In addition, the Youth Internship Program provides opportunities for students to gain exposure to different careers and learn about local government by interning in the offices of the town council, mayor and town staff. Youth are able to present their views at town council meetings and serve on the Peer Review Court, which is an alternative sentencing program that helps young, nonviolent offenders avoid jail time.
Miami Lakes will receive a $2,500 grant, signage identifying the community as one of the nation's 100 Best Communities for Young People, and access to America's Promise Alliance's community development resources.
The 100 Best competition is part of the Grad Nation campaign, a large and growing movement of dedicated individuals, organizations and communities working together to end the dropout crisis. The goal of Grad Nation is to raise the national high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020, with no school graduating fewer than 80 percent of its students on time.
All communities entering the 100 Best competition completed a rigorous application where they provided details on how their existing programs and initiatives help deliver the Five Promises-resources identified by America's Promise as being critical to the development of healthy, successful children: caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; effective education; and opportunities to help others. Applicants also were asked to describe how different sectors of their community work together to help children and families overcome challenges. Most importantly, communities were judged on the strength and innovation of their efforts and programs to help young people graduate from high school prepared for college and the 21st century workforce.
Contact: Clarisell De Cardenas
Tel: (305) 364-6100
Email: decardenasc ( @ ) miamilakes-fl dot gov
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