The National League of Cities (NLC) has announced that the City of Antioch is a finalist for the 2010 Awards for Municipal Excellence. The award recognizes cities and towns for outstanding programs that improve the quality of life in America’s communities. Antioch was chosen for its Antioch Youth Intervention Network (YIN).

“We are pleased that City of Antioch is a finalist for our Awards for Municipal Excellence,” said NLC Executive Director Donald J. Borut. “This shows that even at a time when so many cities are struggling financially, cities and towns continue to develop the most creative and innovative solutions.”

NLC received nominations from cities and towns in 40 states. Finalist programs exhibited exceptional public-private partnerships, productive citizen and community collaborations, management of municipal resources, implementation of government policies, project implementation with tangible results and/or the ability to replicate the project in other cities.

The YIN is a comprehensive program to mentor young people identified as likely to commit or become victims of violent crimes. The program revolves around intense training for community volunteers so they can engage with at-risk youth and help mentor them and their families.

Its curriculum is modeled on a successful outreach to at-risk youth in Northern Ireland called Dialog for Peaceful Change, where it is credited with helping reduce violence and contributing to peace efforts.

Antioch has been a leader in embracing community-oriented policing and in employing U.S. Department of Justice models to build a safer community. The city features a thriving Neighborhood Watch program as well as the successful Community Action Team, which brings community members and police together to address persistent criminal and nuisance problems in both commercial and residential neighborhoods.

The winners of the 2010 Awards for Municipal Excellence will be announced during NLC’s Congress of Cities and Exposition in Denver, Colo. The exposition runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4.

More information about the Awards for Municipal Excellence can be found on the NLC Web site, www.nlc.org/ame.aspx.

The National League of Cities is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

For more information, call Lt. Rick Marchoke at 925-779-6903.