The Power of Local Government

Looking back on my spring semester in Washington, D.C. reminds me of how much growth I owe to my Boston University Initiative on Cities 2018 Menino Fellowship. Working at the National League of Cities’ Institute for Youth, Education and Families introduced me to new people, ideas, and an entirely new perspective on what it means to help others. With a focus on issues and policies that affect families every day, the YEF Institute connects local leaders seeking to improve outcomes for parents and children to networks and technical assistance. My time with the YEF Institute was split between three research projects supporting the work of the Economic Opportunity and Financial Empowerment (EOFE) and Health and Wellness teams. Through these projects, I was able to dive into the multi-sector world inhabited by several local issues: afterschool programs, programs that support parents and their young children simultaneously, and the work that cities of different sizes are doing to create a culture of health in their communities.

Cities Working to Create a Culture of Health:

One of the things I enjoyed most about the YEF Institute is how much it expanded my view of systems in today’s society. Before coming to the NLC, I thought of improving access to hospitals and doctors as the most important step we could take towards better health outcomes in the U.S. After being introduced to the determinants of health I realized that where we live and the state of our environment plays an enormous role in our health outcomes. This was the guiding principle behind my search for examples of cities that leverage different approaches simultaneously to improve the health outcomes of their residents: innovative sources of funding for projects, community engagement strategies, and making infrastructure conducive to a healthy lifestyle. It is a harsh reality of modern society that where we live can determine how long we live, but I learned that cities of all sizes and from all regions of the U.S. are leading the way when it comes to making a healthy lifestyle more accessible for Americans from all walks of life. As the Health and Wellness team of the YEF Institute prepared a new health initiative, I supported the research team through memos and briefs on existing city programs that promote a culture of health in their communities.

Cities Applying the 2-Gen Approach:

The two-generation (or 2-Gen) approach is one of the most interesting concepts I came across while working at the NLC. Generally speaking, two-generation programs provide parents with workforce training, childcare, nutrition, and support while they pursue an education. At the same time, they take a two-generation approach by giving their young children access to early childhood development and health screenings. In this project, I was also focused on city leadership, researching best practices for city officials who lead from the front on issues of multi-generational policies. Looking back, I was most struck by the story of Moore Community House in Biloxi, Mississippi. Since 2008, their Women in Construction program has trained over 400 women for work in the skilled craft trades and advanced manufacturing industry, while providing free childcare during the training program. The City of Biloxi supported this program’s efforts with technical assistance in applying for federal funding. The biggest lesson of my work in this project was the potential for local leadership to support innovative ideas across different sectors.

Making the Case for Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs:

The political disconnect between cities, states, and the federal government has drastically reduced the level of cooperation on issues and policies that affect millions of Americans every day. Funding and technical assistance for afterschool programs has been one of the areas most affected by this disconnect. This is despite a wealth of data showing afterschool and summer learning programs have positive effects on public safety, academic achievement, and workforce readiness. For example: while 92% of business executives believe that Americans do not have the skills they need to do the jobs of today or tomorrow, more than 70% of students participating in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) afterschool programs studied in a multi-state evaluation reported positive gains in foundational skills including perseverance and critical thinking. Afterschool programs also help keep students safe: the risk that juveniles will be victims of violence is 60% greater in the four hours after school, and in 2014 nearly 25% of families and 18% of children relied on afterschool programs to fill the gap between the end of the school day and when parents return home from work. This project was meant to support the EOFE team’s goal of helping city leaders make the case for state and federal level aid for afterschool programs. When I learned the stories of the community leaders and residents working to better the lives of their youth, however, I realized that the importance of this issue goes well beyond statistics. It was important to me and the NLC team that we tell both quantitative and qualitative stories as we advocate for these policies.

As an International Relations major, I found that people were often curious about how I ended up at an organization with a strong local focus. During my first few weeks, there were times I became curious about that as well. As I progressed in my projects, however, the veil between the local, the national, and the global grew thinner and thinner. My Menino Fellowship at the NLC is an opportunity I will always cherish because it taught me just how interconnected local, national, and global issues are to each other. If it weren’t for my time at the NLC, I would not have gained a localized perspective that most IR majors don’t have the opportunity to develop. My experience was made all the better for the brilliant and passionate people at the NLC who have dedicated their careers to addressing some of the most important national issues of our time. At the NLC, it is as I was told on my first day: “This isn’t a think tank. It’s a do tank.”

About Augustine: Augustine (Class of 2020) focused his directed study on affordable housing policies aimed at homeless youth, particularly immigrant youth from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations.