Long Beach is one of eight cities selected to receive the Award for Municipal Excellence at the National League of Cities' 2009 Congress of Cities & Exposition in San Antonio, Tex.
As a Gold winner in the 150,001-500,000 population category, Long Beach is being honored for its Creating a Youth-Driven Career Center program, a reinvention of the Long Beach workforce development agency's youth service strategies.
The program focuses on providing opportunities to engage youth in the design and creation of physical spaces, outreach messages, collateral materials, actual products, key policy-making and critical community connections.
"The City of Long Beach is very proud to receive this award from the National League of Cities in recognition of our efforts and commitment to our youth," said Mayor Bob Foster.
"With 40 percent of our population under the age of 25, the Youth Opportunity Center plays an important role in the city," he added.
Other award-winning cities include Slidell, La.; Savannah, Ga.; New York City; Estes Park, Colo.; Burnsville, Minn.; St. Louis, Mo. and Seattle, Wash.
Donald J. Borut, NLC executive director, said the program has improved the quality of life for its citizens by developing a creative solution to a pressing local problem.
" It is a model program that can serve as a positive example for other cities."
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