Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 222 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • Philly should look to this Oakland program to protect its AAPI community

    In response to a string of hate crimes across the country that has left the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community on edge, a volunteer-led group is standing in solidarity through more than just words. Compassion in Oakland is providing chaperone services to Asian elders. The volunteer-led group is helping the Asian-American community feel safer by accompanying people on their errands and doing street patrols to show solidarity and support.

    Read More

  • Would better policing reduce gun violence in Philly like it has in Camden?

    For a city like Philadelphia, with rising violence and a lack of community trust in the police, Camden and Newark serve as examples of the positive changes that come about when outside forces impose the kinds of reforms that the community seeks. After significant makeovers, both cities' police departments have earned greater trust by being more effective and less brutal. Crime is down and police use less force, including not a single police shooting in Newark in 2020. The lesson in both cities: community involvement in crime reduction is key, but better policing also must be a part of the response.

    Read More

  • Philly Under Fire Episode 4: A Fresh 24

    Philadelphia's PowerCorpsPHL and a larger program it resembles, Chicago's CRED, spring from one reality: Young men prone to gun violence will readily leave street violence and the underground economy if offered the opportunity for a legitimate job. In Philly, the strategy worked even when the jobs barely pay minimum wage. When pay jumped $3 per hour, the rate at which program participants got arrested dropped from 8% to 3% immediately, versus the city average recidivism rate of about 50%. The programs also provide GED classes, trauma counseling, and other services meant to change lives permanently.

    Read More

  • The Unscripted Project uses improv to boost confidence among local youth

    The Unscripted Project in Philadelphia is helping middle schoolers learn valuable life skills an unconventional method—improv. During a workshop, participants learn to persevere in the face of adversity, equipping them to succeed within and beyond the classroom.

    Read More

  • "Get In Front of the Beef"

    Philadelphia's Cure Violence program uses violence interrupters whose street credibility can mediate disputes before they turn deadly. This program and a related group violence intervention program, focused deterrence, have been successful in certain neighborhoods. But the city's support has been inconsistent as competing priorities or lack of focus undercut the programs' effectiveness. Oakland's Ceasefire program provides an example of a long-term success in a marriage of law enforcement, community-led interventions, and data showing whom to target and what is working.

    Read More

  • Laws We Can Actually Understand

    Law Rewired, run by law students and an advisory board of legal scholars, translates complex laws and landmark court decisions into plain language so people can understand them. Real-world examples, easy to read bullet-points, videos, and a glossary of legal terms make the legal explanations more widely accessible. Summaries also explain why a law was enacted, when it can be applied, and any amendments that were added to it. The materials are available for free online and via social media and the organization answers 10 to 25 questions from readers every month about a variety of legal issues.

    Read More

  • LEGO ramps could improve access for Philadelphians in wheelchairs

    An ingenious use of LEGOs has resulted in colorful wheelchair ramps around the German town of Hanau. The ramps are constructed using thousands of tiny LEGOs that are glued together and are able to withstand the weight of electric wheelchairs, strollers, and walkers. Although the ramps don’t comply with official building and safety codes, they’ve proven to be helpful and have remained in use in Hanau.

    Read More

  • A collaboration of local orgs is working to boost minority-owned businesses in Kensington

    Four local organizations have teamed up to provide $15 million in loans for the Latinx community in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. The affordable loans have gone to affordable housing, small businesses, residential mortgages, and development projects.

    Read More

  • Local groups are working to keep 18-year-olds in PA excited about voting after record turnouts in 2021

    Philly Youth Vote is a nonpartisan effort, organized by a local social studies teacher, to prepare 18-year-olds to vote. In addition to registering about 700 students in the summer of 2020, the group advocates changing social studies curriculum to include more lessons on civic participation. To connect students with on local issues that directly impact them, they brought 27 candidates to speak in 11 virtual classrooms. The students interviewed the candidates and other schools have used the recordings of the interviews as well. 74% of registered 18-year-olds in Philadelphia cast a ballot in 2020.

    Read More

  • Hopeworks expands its outreach to support small businesses and fight regional poverty

    Hopeworks is providing a paid job training program along with internship and employment opportunities in any of three businesses owned by the nonprofit. Hopeworks also provides living arrangements in a residential program where students, alumni, and interns can all live together. The nonprofit adopted a trauma-informed approach that allows participants to learn healthy coping mechanisms.

    Read More