The West Philly Promise Neighborhood (WPPN) is a place-based U.S. Department of Education-funded grant to support "cradle-to-career" opportunities for local children and their families. The grant focuses on systems building to link and align existing programs and providers rather than implementing standalone programs.
Using a systems approach, WPPN collaborates with city-wide partners working both in and outside of schools to create an education pipeline from Pre-K through college and/or career. To prepare students for success in this environment, academic proficiency and career exploration must start early and continue throughout high school. Through ongoing network building, WPPN strives to create a dedicated system of youth service providers and stakeholders whose missions are centered around a common set of long-term student outcomes in collaboration with Drexel University goals. In this way, students are exposed to a continuum of opportunities and experiences that prepare them for later success.
The purpose of this workshop is to engage participants in discussing the needs of youth and youth providers across the college and career pipeline. Presenters will share the value of consistent and committed adults in the lives of high school-aged youth in addition to their experiences and expertise in supporting youth development and the connection to university initiatives. Session participants will have opportunities to ask questions, provide feedback, and connect with colleagues during the session. This session is presented by the West Philadelphia Promise Neighborhood, Fab Youth Philly, and Promise Corps.
Learning Outcomes- Participants will be able to identify critical points of support needed for successful youth college and career preparedness.
- Participants will learn about two different models of place-based youth development. University-based participants will learn the benefits of partnering with external collaborators.
