NJ MED Announces Partnership with America’s Promise to Reduce High School Dropouts in Camden, NJ

WASHINGTON - Jan. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- Camden, New Jersey – Local leaders from Camden’s non-profit organizations, businesses, churches, and education community will hold a 30-minute press conference on Friday, January 17, 2014.  To announce they have organized a coalition called 21^st Century Camden City to become part of America’s Promise Alliance’s Grad Nation Communities Network‘s goal to increase the nation’s high school graduation rate to 90 percent with no high school in Camden having a graduation rate below 80 percent, by 2020.

America’s Promise is the nation’s largest partnership network working to improve the lives of young people.  The Grad Nation Communities Network is a group of 68 cities and towns around the nation that have committed to make improving local high school graduation rates a priority by focusing on area schools that are most in need of improvement.

“The nation will never be able to reach a 90 percent graduation rate goal without a dedicated and sustained effort at the community level,” said John Gomperts, president and CEO, America’s Promise Alliance. “The Grad Nation Communities Network is a great way to dig deeper on a local level to support and encourage this work and inspire other communities to follow suit.”

In addition to supporting the Grad Nation Campaign’s national goals, the Grad Nation Communities Network will:

Engage cross-sector stakeholders business, policymakers, nonprofit, and faith leaders to collaborate in increasing local graduation rates;
Identify shared priorities and focus areas (early childhood education, afterschool programming, youth engagement etc.) for collaboration
Share best practices and strategies; and
Provide updates on their local progress and challenges to America’s Promise.

America’s Promise supports each Grad Nation Communities Network by offering recognition, access to knowledge and communications tools, professional development, funding opportunities when available, and opportunities for networking with other communities and America’s Promise Partners.

The 21st Century Camden City group will unveil its six-year community plan during its press-conference. Albert Mitchell II, the Executive Director of NJ MED and national partner of America’s Promise Alliance said, “We have asked community leaders, Businesses, churches and12 national partner’s local organizations to work together in this near impossible task of raising the City’s high school graduation rate from 50% to 90% in six-years. But, if we work together anything is possible!”

The press conference is scheduled at 11:00 am on Friday, January 17, 2014 at IDEA Performing Arts Center1 Harbour Blvd at the Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden NJ 08103 and is open to the public.