At the heart of the Center’s work is community-facing programming and technical assistance that is responsive to the current priorities, opportunities, and challenges arising in the Philadelphia context. We aim to increase the capacity of local community and professional leadership to be self-determining in envisioning and implementing processes to achieve positive educational, health, and well-being impacts.

As a result of COVID-19, we have expanded our urban engagement work, creating ways for faculty and students to participate in innovative responses, interventions, and research. We continue to utilize virtual delivery methods to give faculty and students the opportunity to conduct their work while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Participatory Engagement and ResearchTwo women having a discussion outside in front of a tile mosaic wall
Participatory Engagement and Research - Participatory action research and related participatory methods seek to understand and improve the world by changing it.
Faculty and Student Engagement
Faculty and Student Engagement - We engage Penn State faculty/staff and students to explore the complexities of urban experience in support of community-based learning, knowledge exchange, and mobilization.
University CollaborationGroup of ten students sitting on chair around a circle
University Collaboration - University collaboration helps develop and implement experiential curriculum for scholars, students, and community members and supports efforts to transform education policy.