Philadelphia’s Service Plan unveiled

Posted by on October 10, 2010

Nutter announces SERVE Philadelphia plan

SERVE Philadelphia will make it easier for Philadelphians of every age to volunteer and support both public and private sector efforts to engage volunteers in ways that have the greatest impact, Mayor Michael Nutter said last week in releasing a comprehensive plan to dramatically increase service and volunteerism in the city.

Philadelphia is a member of the Cities of Service coalition and is one of 10 cities across the country that launched citywide service plans in September.

SERVE Philadelphia is the product of an eight-month assessment and consultation process that engaged a diverse group of service experts, nonpro?t organizations, schools, colleges, private sector partners, public agencies and every day citizens.

Nutter said that SERVE Philadelphia has three main goals:
— Create or elevate volunteer opportunities that impact educational outcomes and contribute to community vitality;
— Make it easier for citizens of every age to volunteer; and
— Support both public and private sector efforts to engage more volunteers in ways that have the greatest impact.

“As Philadelphians, we have always been committed to helping our fellow citizens.  I am deeply proud of the ethic of service that permeates our city,” Nutter said.

“Whether it’s our network of 6,000 block captains dedicated to supporting their communities, the outpouring of volunteers for Philly’s Annual Spring Clean-Up, the generosity of City government employees who tutor children on their lunch hour or the thousands of citizens who volunteer regularly in support of issues they care about, Philadelphians have always found meaningful ways to help one another.  SERVE Philadelphia will build on this great tradition by strategically engaging volunteers to make Philadelphia a safer, greener, healthier and more educated city.”

Chief Service Officer Catie C. Wolfgang said she believed SERVE Philadelphia “will bring about an increased commitment to service and volunteering across the city.”

“It is clear that Philadelphians are ready to jump in and support the initiatives outlined in the City’s plan and I very much look forward to working alongside them in making Philadelphia one of the best cities in the country to serve.”

SERVE Philadelphia includes five impact initiatives designed to promote the Mayor’s top education goals, specifically increasing the city’s high school graduation rate to 80% by 2015 and doubling the percentage of college graduates from 18% to 36% by 2018.

These initiatives include:
— Graduation Coach Campaign – The Graduation Coach Campaign calls on adults to commit to helping the young people in their lives earn a high school diploma and succeed in college and careers.   Through http://www.phillygradcoach.org, citizens can pledge to support the Campaign by becoming a coach, an anchor agency or a partner/sponsor.
— College Access Writing Clinics – The College Access Writing Clinics initiative will engage college student volunteers from five partner institutions of higher education to serve as writing tutors at monthly citywide writing clinics as well as regularly scheduled clinics in the Philadelphia Youth Network’s school based Student Success Centers.
— Public Service Areas – The Managing Director’s Office is leading an effort to focus and coordinate service delivery in four areas of the City that the Police Department has identified as having high rates of crime.  The project will team City agencies with non-profit and for-profit entities who will work with local residents to develop partnerships, leverage resources, and manage volunteers to strengthen the capacity of local community groups to revitalize their neighborhoods.
— Volunteer Afterschool – Volunteers will be recruited and prepared to provide engaging afterschool activities in libraries and recreation centers with a limited volunteer base.
— Green Philly, Grow Philly – Volunteers will be recruited to support Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s ambitious plan to plant trees in parks, recreation centers, schoolyards, libraries and other public spaces across the city.

SERVE Philadelphia also includes five cross cutting initiatives designed to increase the City’s overall capacity to engage more volunteers in ways that have the greatest impact.
These initiatives include a Strategic Volunteer Impact Advisory Group, the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council, the Citywide Volunteer Impact Challenge, and a Volunteer Recognition Program.

The Mayor also announced the launch of http://Phila.gov/Volunteer, a website, phila.gov/volunteer, will specifically promote service initiatives outlined in SERVE Philadelphia while also enabling citizens to review a wider range of volunteer opportunities designed to have a positive impact on the city.

Too view the full plan, go here.

http://www.phila.gov/volunteer