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Free Websites for Communities of Promise
by Tamara Haspels

America’s Promise was created in response to the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in 1997. Past and present Presidents of the United States who attended this summit issued a challenge for the American people to make the nation’s youth a priority. Communities of Promise are formed with a commitment to fulfill one or more of these five promises:

Promise One: Ensure ongoing relationships for youth with caring adults--parents, mentors, tutors, or coaches.
Promise Two: Provide safe places for youth with structured activities during non-school hours.
Promise Three: Offer youth a healthy start and future.
Promise Four: Give youth marketable skills through effective education.
Promise Five: Create opportunities for youth to give back through community service.

Classroom service-learning projects and other community-based initiatives that involve youth more than likely meet all five of these requirements and qualify as a Community of Promise. Consider evaluating your project or organization with respect to America’s Promise and becoming a Community of Promise. As a Community of Promise, America’s Promise will help you mobilize your efforts. Notably, America’s Promise affords Communities of Promise the opportunity to have their very own website. The websites are used to increase outreach and visibility in the respective Communities of Promise and to make these initiatives known among a nationwide network.

These free websites are called Promise Stations. Promise Stations are created through a template developed by America’s Promise and are made available to any Community of Promise. With this service, a Community of Promise can customize their website with complex capabilities by simply filling out a series of online forms. The website can be updated and maintained in the same manner.

If your current project currently meets the five requirements of America’s Promise, consider making use of the resources made available to you as a Community of Promise. Classrooms may also consider following these criteria in the planning stages of a service-learning project to maximize the impact of their project.

For more information on becoming a Community of Promise: http://www.americaspromise.org/GetInvolved/
CommunitiesOfPromise/KnowingCOP.cfm

For more information on developing a Promise Station:
http://www.americaspromise.org/PromiseStations/index.cfm