18 new Youth Have the POWER (internship)!

18 high school juniors and seniors are currently interning with the UCCP through our innovative POWER Internship program. The POWER Partnership Schools this semester are Parkway North West, Parkway West, Bodine High School, Science Leadership Academy, and Elverson Military Academy. This batch of POWER interns are already outdoing last year’s group with their heated political discussions and leadership drive. In the past five sessions, the youth have explored Temple University’s campus, learned about and reflected on the systems of Power and Oppression in larger society and everyday realities, and organized and facilitated a Social Justice leaders panel with amazing Philadelphia educators and activists including Sandrine Dupiton, founder and editor of Change X magazine, Barbara Bungy, Youth Testing & Prevention Services Program Coordinator in the Pediatric/Adolescent HIV/AIDS Program at St. Christopher's Children's Hospital, Gary Browne, former CityYear volunteer, current LC member and college student and Liz Grinaldi, Executive Director of the Village of Arts and Humanities. After the holiday break, students will begin to choose which social problem they want to tackle, but so far they have really appreciated the space to discuss their thoughts about larger political and social issues that affect their lives. As one student shared gratefully, "I love to voice my opinion, and here, we get to just TALK!"

Stay tuned for their projects next semester. POWER internship is currently recruiting students for its Spring Internship cycle. Contact alisonhuxta [at] yahoo.com to get your students involved.