This is the first in a new series focusing on Temple faculty who engage with research or practice in the community. Our first article is by Dr. Barbara Ferman of Political Science. She is the recipient of the inaugural Faculty Award in Community Engagement (2023). This award recognizes a faculty member who has done exemplary work to make meaningful change in Philadelphia communities impacted by historical disinvestment.

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Soon after arriving at Temple in 1992 as an associate professor in Political Science, I began looking for ways to bridge the university-community divide. Those efforts came to fruition in 1997 when I received grants from the William Penn and Philadelphia Foundations to launch the University Community Collaborative, a media based social justice initiative for high school students.

Since then I have raised over $10 million from local and national foundations, and local, state, and federal governments. Beginning with one afterschool program and one part time staff person, the Collaborative now offers a continuum of after school and summer programs, credit bearing internships, media production, and paid employment.  An amazing staff of four full time people and 10-15 part time college students work with approximately 75 high school aged youth each year. 

Building civic engagement with a social and racial justice framework, the Collaborative supports high school aged youth in identifying problems that impact them and their communities, investigating root causes, exploring ways to address the problems, and reaching out to adult allies to help scaffold their work. Using film, podcasts, workshops, and various art forms, participants have addressed issues including: the school to prison pipeline, youth homelessness, the impact of tax abatements on school budgets, environmental racism, youth in foster care, racial profiling, and gun violence, among others.  They have presented their work to Philadelphia City Council and school board members, and state legislators.

Beyond Philadelphia, they have conducted workshops in Harrisburg, Washington DC, Chicago, Minneapolis, at the United Nations, and in South Africa.  The work is geared towards raising awareness among other youth and advocating for policies, programs, and practices that better serve the interests and healthy development of young people.

Through our programs- VOICES, POWER Social Justice Internship, and POPPYN, an award-winning youth produced TV news show- we have worked directly with over 4000 high school aged youth and, through film screenings, school and community-based workshops, and activist campaigns, reached an equal number of youth and adults.

We have also employed several hundred Temple students as program facilitators and media educators. Combining political education, exposure to social movements, and media training, our programs prepare participants to engage in social change work through raising awareness among their peers, increasing the visibility of issues, forging larger coalitions, and working with decision makers.

Programming is carried out by the Leaders Corps (LC), a deeply passionate and committed team of college students who are trained and paid to facilitate small groups of participants.  Operating on Temple’s campus, participants have access to faculty, staff, and students as well as media labs, state of the art classrooms, and library facilities, all of which enrich the program experience. 

Being on a university campus also helps to demystify higher education and develop confidence in pursuing post-secondary education. Over 85% of participants go to college, many with scholarships. And, many of them take their social justice orientation onto the college campuses, getting involved in issue campaigns and organizations like Black Student Union, immigrant rights, and student government.

Similarly, many former Leaders Corps members are now working in social justice, education, and nonprofit organizations.While our programs are not the only factor in these educational and civic outcomes, research has demonstrated connections between participation in social justice programs/activities and academic achievement and high levels of political and civic engagement into early adulthood (Ginwright, 2010; Rogers & Terriquez, 2013; Terriquez, 2015). 

Our long-term goals revolve around developing social justice leaders who will take their training into the nonprofit, public, and private sectors where they can influence what policies and decisions are made, and how programs and services are delivered, with an eye towards what is fair and just for all residents. We have created a leadership pipeline within our own organization; many former participants have become part of our Leaders Corps.  All the full time staff were LC members when they were in college and three began as program participants.  Many former LC are also working in nonprofit, advocacy, and educational positions. 

The work of the Collab has been recognized and cited in news media, academic literature, and public and academic forums. The Collab has won numerous awards for community service, community engagement, social justice reporting, and youth reporting. Many of our youth produced films have garnered awards as well. 

The Collab has also informed my teaching and research.  Incorporating lessons from running the Collab and watching the staff and college students engage with participants, I have diversified my teaching to include experiential learning classes as well as other practical based courses where students create their own nonprofits, participate in efforts to disrupt the school to prison pipeline, and address issues of gun violence. 

I have worked with academic partners from anthropology, education, journalism, learning science, media studies, psychology, social work, sociology, and youth development.  I have partnered with community residents, leaders, and educators on research projects, activist campaigns, and pedagogical endeavors. These collaborations have significantly expanded my academic knowledge base and my understanding of the human condition. I am deeply indebted to my partners and supporters on this enlightening and humbling journey. 

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