The first 25th anniversary event of the year was held during Penn's Homecoming on November 4th in partnership with the Annenberg Center for Performing Arts. The program, “From Hollywood to West Philly: Film & Community Storytelling,” featured Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) courses taught by Dean John Jackson and Professor Amit Das. The audience enjoyed short clips from films the Penn students had produced with West Philadelphia high school students.

The Netter Center also co-hosted a community service activity with the Penn Alumni Classes of ’88-’93 to make care packages for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and local homeless shelters. (Join the Netter Center and Classes of '88-'93 again at Homecoming this fall, November 10, 2018, 11am-1pm!) 

Our 25th Anniversary Conference, "Higher Education-Community Partnerships for Democracy and Social Change," took place November 16-17 on Penn's campus with approximately 550 participants from 95 colleges and universities and 110, local, national, and global organizations.  

Check out coverage from the Daily Pennsylvanian.

25th Anniversary Community Partnership Festival

The Festival, part of the Center’s 25th anniversary celebrations, welcomed more than 500 people, including students from seven of its University-Assisted Community Schools, their parents, and other friends from West Philadelphia, along with Penn students, faculty, and staff.  Students participated in hands-on science, gardening, games and arts activities and performances. The evening culminated with an Awards program presented to the K-12, Penn students, and after school staff by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, Community Advisory Board Chair Jettie Newkirk, Principal Stephanie Andrewlevich of Mitchell and Principal Richard Gordon of Robeson High School.

Check out Penn Today's coverage of the Festival.

As part of Penn’s month-long Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Symposium on Social Change, the Netter Center co-hosted with the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development and the African-American Resource Center the Hallmark Program on January 24, entitled “The Fierce Urgency of Now: What Can Colleges and Universities Do about Education in Philadelphia?” 

As part of our Anniversary celebration and Black History Month, the Center’s University-Assisted Community Schools' team hosted a UACS Arts Showcase on February 28 at the Rotunda featuring work from several local schools and Penn-school partnerships.  (See story below!)

On April 27, the Netter Center hosted its 15th annual Academically Based Community Service Summit. In addition to poster presentations by students in ABCS courses, this year’s summit featured a student panel co-hosted by the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education (SCUE), which focused on how ABCS can help realize the purposes of a Penn education.

We also celebrated our anniversary with special events on Alumni Day, May 12, including the 5th annual Children’s Basketball Clinic with members of the 1979 Final Four Men’s team, co-sponsored by the Class of 1978. Our afternoon panel, “The Netter Center for Community Partnerships: 25 Years of Educating Penn Students as Civic Leaders,” co-sponsored by the Class of 1993, featuring several outstanding alumni panelists and Provost Wendell Pritchett. The Center also co-hosted a drop-in community service activity with the Class of 1976.

Other alumni-sponsored activities were held throughout spring 2018, including in New York, California, and Connecticut.

The Netter Center has recognized Dr. Joan Gluch with the 2018 Faculty-Community Partnership Award along with one of her partners, Philadelphia FIGHT, a health services organization for people with or at high risk for HIV/AIDS

“The collaboration between Joan and her partners embodies the Netter Center’s efforts to integrate research, teaching, learning, and service in a meaningful and mutually impactful way,” says Ira Harkavy, director of the Netter Center. “Moreover, Joan’s work to effectively engage Penn Dental Medicine students in community oral health by embedding ABCS courses in the curriculum serves as an exemplar for Penn, as well as for dental schools and other professional schools across the country.” 

Read the full story by Penn Today here.

An artistic collaboration with Penn and local students in West Philly

At West Philadelphia High School, the dance team performed “Sounds of the Soul,” an exploration of iconic musicians throughout history. But, they first demonstrated their dynamic choreography skills by giving the audience a taste during the University-Assisted Community Schools Arts Showcase, which consisted of art displays and a series of performances from UACS students at The Rotunda. 

Relays week gets set at Comegys School

The Young Quakers program and USA Track & Field partnered to teach West Philadelphia students the fundamentals of running, jumping, and throwing.

Penn Lacrosse and Young Quakers Community Athletics host 5th annual Urban Youth Lacrosse Jamboree

The event featured the YQCA's West Philadelphia teams -- which have been paired with the Penn lacrosse programs for the past several years -- and teams from New York City's Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership as well as Boston's Metro Lacrosse.
 

Netter Center prepares high school seniors to enter the contemporary workplace 

Five students from West Philadelphia explored careers during a six-month internship at Penn, where they learned about fields from accounting to Zamboni operations.

District students learn business and make some serious cake

Last year, Rebel Ventures made history. Its product, the Rebel Crumble — an apple-cranberry breakfast cake — became the first student-produced item to be made available in all District schools.