By Nicole Maharaj
September 9, 2002

Several key Conference of Mayors members participated in an Executive Symposium on Faith-Based & Community Initiatives Approaches to Revitalization Forum held at the J. F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University on August 8-10. The following mayors attended the session: Mayor Patrick McCrory of Charlotte, Glenda Hood of Orlando, Martin O-Malley of Baltimore, and Bill Purcell of Nashville. Some former mayors attended the session as well including Marc H. Morial of New Orleans and W. Wilson Goode of Philadelphia. Former White House Director of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives under President George W. Bush John DiIulio also participated in the session.

The session was hosted and facilitated by the former Mayor of Indianapolis and current Chairman of the Corporation for National and Community Service Stephen Goldsmith. A diverse mix of participants including persons and officials representing the White House, the non-profit, philanthropic and faith communities comprised the forum, which will be convened every six-months over the next two-period with the intention of sharing best practices and creating written case study strategies to be shared and distributed nationally. The Executive Session will be a standing task force built around a group of 30 knowledgeable mayors, civic, and religious leaders, academic specialists, and others representing the field. The forum is sponsored by a grant from the Pew Charitable Foundation.

The first forum devoted a large portion of time to sharing best practices and successful strategies for addressing social problems. For instance, Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory shared information about his "Mayor's Mentoring Alliance," which was established in 1996 as a coalition of 50 existing mentoring organizations working together to provide positive role models for young people in areas ranging from academic assistance to leadership development. Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood spoke about her "Mayor's Faith-Based & Community Matching Grants Program,"which is a pilot program designed to encourage tax-exempt 501(c)(3) faith-based and community organizations to partner with neighborhood organizations, the business community and the City to offer children or family support programs in grants funded in either character development or civic responsibility categories.

Key focus areas of the Executive Session included strategies and examples of the following:

• knowing how to reach beyond institutional loyalties to develop new leadership networks
• sorting through pressing issues to achieve strategic focus;
• generating political support and community participation;
• identifying and mobilizing community resources;
• deciding when and how to evaluate outcomes; and
• finding ways to sustain positive impacts on the social welfare of disadvantaged communities.

For more information about joining the Executive Symposium, please call Anne Mathew, Assistant Director for the Joint Program on Religion and Pubic Life at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at the J. F. Kennedy School of Government at 617-495-7553 or e-mail Anne at anne-mathew@harvard.edu.