Obama’s ‘promise’ can make Rochester better
Last week, 1,000 applicants submitted proposals to pilot President Obama’s Promise Zone initiative. This program is modeled after Geoffrey Canada’s successful Harlem Children’s Zone, which is changing the way America supports children and families living in poverty.
Whether the model is called a Promise Zone, a Children’s Zone or a Surround Care Community, the concept is the same.
Create the conditions for economically challenged children to thrive. Surround them and their families with world-class educational opportunities; comprehensive, quality health care; a safe, attractive physical environment; training and jobs; and social and cultural enrichment.
Deliver this success-focused bundle of services through caring, culturally-competent professionals and other service providers. Bring together representatives from all the faith, educational, business, philanthropic and human service institutions in the community to create and manage a coordinated, integrated child-centered delivery system — and you will transform the neighborhoods and the lives of thousands of at-risk children.
Canada’s results in Harlem prove that this holistic strategy works. Unfortunately, the Rochester experience had a much different outcome, despite the hours that hundreds of residents of northeast Rochester and their partners committed to this promising undertaking.
As one committed to improving the lives of children and families in Rochester, and as the first and last employee of Rochester Surround Care Community, I have a deep interest in what happens to children in Rochester. I hope Rochester will be selected as a Promise Zone site and that its leadership will be guided by the lessons learned from the Rochester Children’s Zone experience:
Design the project to manageable scale and follow Canada’s wisdom by tackling issues “block by block” and “family by family.”
Secure multiple, multi-year public and private revenue streams of sufficient magnitude to sustain the project for the realistic time it will take to achieve measurable outcomes.
Develop a leadership and support base of residents from targeted areas, community-wide institutions and government.
Ensure that the long-term success of the initiative does not depend on the advocacy and support of a single champion but on the consistent participation of diverse stakeholders.
Engage residents of all ages to move from planning to action and recognize and celebrate their contributions and accomplishments.
When lack of funds closed Rochester Surround Care in September, we hoped the concept would be revived with a new structure. Now that may become a reality. Hopefully, the efforts that created the Rochester Children’s Zone vision will influence the creation of a future Promise Zone in Rochester.
Thanks to everyone who laid the foundation for the coming solution that will help our young people break out of the cycle of poverty and into a generation of prosperity.
Lewis is the former director of support and accountability for Surround Care Community.
