Founded in 1994 in cooperation with the United Nations Secretariat for the International Year of the Family, the mission of the Center for Family-Friendly Cities is to promote the inherent strengths of families, particularly families who live in the urban centers of the world. This can be accomplished through the sharing and exchange of information on family-friendly programs worldwide.

Key elements of the center include:

• Facilitation of communication with experts in the field
• Promotion of scholarship on the subject of urban families
• Provision of expertise for the support of the development and evaluation of family-friendly programs

A family-friendly program can be a project or activity from any system or sector in a city which takes into account the conditions and needs of families. An example is a daytime child-care program housed in a senior citizens' community center which increases interaction between seniors, parents, and children, thereby providing benefits to all participants from the neighborhood.

This type of program information will contribute significantly to the understanding of family situations in urban settings. It will also provide a broad array of solutions to the many problems that occur across the different systems and sectors of a city. Thus, the Center for Family-Friendly Cities serves not only as an important international resource to cities, including all of the infrastructures, but also to all public and private organizations, agencies, and educational and business institutions which serve urban interests.

The heart of the center is its communications network which is an international system that is accessed through the Internet. It is designed to search, retrieve, store, and share information on family-friendly programs in urban settings. The maintenance and updating of the addresses and distribution lists, the database on family-friendly programs, the resource bank, and the bulletin board is continual.

Members of the center have access to:

• Electronic mail

• An on-line address book and distribution system to support direct communication between members

• A user-friendly manual as well as workshops and demonstrations on how to use the network

• An International Expert Resource Bank available for consultation purposes on a variety of urban family issues

All you need to be a member is a computer with access to the Internet. We provide you with the required identification number. Your personal ID will connect you to our communications network which is designed to support work with families. This support is available in the form of information, the sharing of problem-solving techniques, and direct contact with resource experts.

For further details on membership, complete and return the form below. Or join us on the World-Wide Web and submit a membership application form electronically at http://cffc.uakron.edu.