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Netter Center for Community Partnerships

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Empowering high school students through speech and debate
Renee Liu standing outside of the Netter Center office with arms crossed

Speech and debate enriched Renee Liu’s personal and professional development. Now, she partners with two West Philadelphia high schools to bring tailored, long-term speech and debate programs to local students based on school-identified needs.

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Empowering high school students through speech and debate

In an internship through the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, third-year Renee Liu developed a comprehensive afterschool speech and debate program that responded to needs identified by students and faculty in two West Philadelphia high schools.

3 min. read

Students reflect on finding community at Penn
Six images of students enjoying a sense of community on campus.

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Students reflect on finding community at Penn

For rising first-years, transfer students, and returning students, building community at Penn can take shape in myriad ways. Three undergraduates share how they’ve developed their sense of belonging at the University, offering empowered perspectives on finding one’s place on campus.

3 min. read

Partnering with local digital leaders to promote violence prevention
(from left to right): Social media creators Manny 215 [Manny Clark], Prince Dre, Fis Banga, and Ant Brown on stage with facilitator Tamara Russell at the Creators for Community Safety Summit. Brown is speaking and holding a microphone. The slideshow in the background reads: "Panel: Violence Prevention and Conflict Resolution"

(From left) Social media creators Manny 215 [Manny Clark], Prince Dre, Fis Banga, and Ant Brown on stage with facilitator Tamara Russell at the Creators for Community Safety Summit. Brown leads the content creator team that is developing the CUREiculum campaign set to pilot at select Philadelphia public schools this fall.

(Image: Courtesy of the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication)

Partnering with local digital leaders to promote violence prevention

A team of Philadelphia-based content creators is collaborating with Penn public health experts to develop a comprehensive anti-violence campaign tailored for youth across the City, with youth-focused workshops and educational materials to be piloted in select Philadelphia public schools this fall.

5 min. read

Penn filmmaking class shares the stories of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods
Two students take video of archivist holding up newspaper clipping.

Student filmmakers Harper Prentice and Hosaena Tilahun interviewed Alisha Davis, a former history teacher who has served as the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Hyperlocal Heritage archivist since August 2025. As part of America 250, Davis has been surveying collections held at Parkway Central Library and identifying archival materials for digitization, use in programming, and preservation.

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Penn filmmaking class shares the stories of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods

Graduate and undergraduate students in Alissa Jordan’s course partnered with community organizations to create five short films that touch on education, archiving, and grassroots organizing in Germantown, Northeast Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia.

3 min. read

Penn’s community engagement progress at the turn of the century
An elementary school student (left) and Penn affiliate (right) are interacting while the student writes in his booklet, in a classroom setting.

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Penn’s community engagement progress at the turn of the century

The third installment in the limited series “Chapters of Change” explores how Penn has led community engagement efforts in public education, economic development, and neighborhood prosperity during a time of widespread change in the nation’s cities.

5 min. read

2025 PEP, PIP, and PSP winners: Where are they now?
nirby pip prize winner working on a laptop in a field

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2025 PEP, PIP, and PSP winners: Where are they now?

Nearly a year after being awarded the 2025 President’s Engagement Prize, President’s Innovation Prize, and President’s Sustainability Prize, the recipients—now alumni—provide updates on their projects.

3 min. read

2025 President’s Engagement Prize recipient: LensBright
The two members of Lensbright looking at a camera with a student in a classroom.

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2025 President’s Engagement Prize recipient: LensBright

Spearheaded by two 2025 President’s Engagement Prize recipients, LensBright expands upon an existing Penn student-led art mentorship initiative at Sayre High School in West Philadelphia with the aim of connecting under-resourced youth with hands-on art immersion, practical learning experiences, and industry networking opportunities.

2 min. read

Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion
Two workers in a lab working on cooling structures.

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Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion

Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.

5 min. read