THE CENTER FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT at Drexel University furthers students' development by setting up service-learning opportunities in the Drexel vicinity. The center says it builds "sustainable strategic partnerships within the Drexel University, Lancaster Avenue and greater Philadelphia communities."
THE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS at the University of Pennsylvania is Penn's primary vehicle for addressing "the complex, comprehensive, and interconnected problems of the American city so that West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, the University itself, and society benefit." It provides three types of activities: academically based community service, direct traditional service, and community development. The center says about 150 courses from a wide range of disciplines and Penn schools link Penn students to work in the community.
THE CIVIC HOUSE AT PENN is the University of Pennsylvania's hub for student-led community service and social advocacy work linking Penn and West Philadelphia. Civic House says it aims to prepare students "for responsible and effective civic engagement and leadership."
THE CARING PEOPLE ALLIANCE aims "to empower Philadelphia children and youth to become positive citizens, decision-makers and leaders by providing them, their families and their elders with high quality, community-based programs and services that promote character building, educational achievement, healthy lifestyles and teamwork."
THE FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS IN EDUCATION (FIRE) is a legal-rights group that defends First Amendment rights on college campuses. It has successfully challenged "the scourge of unconstitutional speech codes" and "free-speech zones" at some campuses, and has a religious-liberty hotline to assist people "who are helpless in the face of anti-religious double standards."
THE FUND FOR AN OPEN SOCIETY says it is is "America's only national nonprofit whose sole purpose is working to promote thriving racially and ethnically inclusive communities." It does this through conferences, "community conversations," and distribution of its literature.
THE GIRL SCOUTS OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA provides "an informal, values-based education program" to girls ages 5-17. In the all-girl setting, girls learn leadership and decision-making skills with guidance from adult role models.
WOODROCK INC. says it works to promote interracial, interethnic and intercultural harmony among youth. Programs include leadership development, youth advocacy, community involvement and wilderness training. Its training Center provides year-round human relations programs.
THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE, Eastern Pennsylvania Region, has anti-bias programs including No Place for Hate, under which local communities organize projects and events to actively challenge hate and bigotry. ADL then publicly certifies the town as a No Place for Hate community. About 20 area towns have won the designation. ADL also operates the World of Difference Institute, which provide "hands-on training to help children and adults challenge prejudice and discrimination and learn to live and work successfully and civilly in an increasingly diverse world."
THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF PENNSYLVANIA often makes the news, and draws frequent controversy, for its staunch defense of free speech and other constitutional principles.
THE CITIZENS CRIME COMMISSION OF DELAWARE VALLEY is an independent nonprofit that operates in conjunction with businesses and law enforcement to prevent crime and enhance public safety. It runs a ?TipLine' for crime tips and a variety of safety seminars.
THE PENN INSTITUTE FOR URBAN RESEARCH is an interdisciplinary center that researches urbanization and "urban challenges in the 21st century." Among its initiatives, it hosted a conference on urban design and convened a 2006 symposium titled "Rebuilding Urban Places After Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina." It also held public talks on topics including globalization, predatory lending, and urban casinos.
THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF CIVIC VALUES is a venerable activist group that seeks to strengthen civic engagement and get-out-the-vote campaigns as ways to revitalize grassroots democracy. ISCV has been a national leader in promoting civic education and civic values. Its many activities include the PhillyCorps jobs program that helps welfare recipients gain work experience provided by a network of community organizations and human service agencies; and a build-com listserv of activists nationwide sharing information on solving neighborhood problems.
THE PEOPLE'S LAW SCHOOL is a community outreach project of the Philadelphia Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division. The six-session program provides area adults basic, non-technical knowledge of areas of the law most likely to affect a person's life. Among them: labor and employment law, family law, municipal courts/small business claims, personal injury law, landlord/tenant law, real estate law, criminal law and immigration law.
THE UNITED WAY OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA is one of the region's largest nonprofit organizations and one of approximately 1,400 affiliated United Ways nationwide. It dispenses millions of dollars in grants to community groups in targeted areas of concern. Current focuses are youth and student achievement; family stability, and neighborhood development.
THE WORLDS AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization "dedicated to creating an informed citizenry on matters of national and international significance. To do this it provides education, discourse, and information resources to audiences throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, including WAC individual and corporate members, students and teachers, and the general public." In addition to its well-known speaker events and conferences, it has international travel programs and briefings for members and teachers, and cosponsors the Bodine High School for International Affairs.
THE WOMEN'S CAMPAIGN INTERNATIONAL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that "provides training and skills building to help women overcome the political, social and economic obstacles that limit their involvement in government and in assuming leadership positions throughout society." The WCI Chair, Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, is a senior lecturer at the Fels Institute. Her courses on Empowering Women Leaders in Emerging Democracies and Dealing with the Media are based on some of the international training done by WCI.
YIP (YOUNG INVOLVED PHILADELPHIA) aims to increase civic engagement among young Philadelphians and "facilitate reforms that help create a better Philadelphia" through education about civic affairs, social events and outings, volunteer opportunities, and advocacy. Its civic education program presents forums with a mix of public officials and activists to give diverse perspectives on current events, raise awareness and inspire action.
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY HISTORY DEPARTMENT has faculty specializing in "the recent history of American political culture, U.S. social change movements, racial justice politics, and the political capacity of civil society."
THE BREAD & ROSES COMMUNITY FUND awards grants to progressive groups working for "access to health care; economic justice; a clean, safe environment; civil and human rights; peace; and other issues." Through its membership in the Funding Exchange, Bread & Roses is part of a national funding movement supporting social change philanthropy.
THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Has faculty members who focus in various ways on civil society issues. One directs Penn's Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics, another is developing effective models for the use of service learning students in inner city schools, and a third is the principal investigator in an NSF research project, "Universities as Sites of Democratic Education" as part of an International Consortium program on Universities and Civic Responsibility.
