Voting in every election is our most important civic duty as Americans. Being an informed voter is just as important. These links allow you do both.
Rock the Vote "Rock the Vote's mission is to engage and build political power for young people in our country. Founded twenty years ago at the intersection of popular culture and politics, Rock the Vote is growing its team and its campaigns ... to support the tidal wave of young people who want to get involved in elections and seize the power of the youth vote to create political and social change." The Committee of Seventy "[The Committee of ] Seventy fights for more effective and efficient government, fair elections and an honest political culture. [They] try to raise public awareness about complex issues in commonsense language that non-experts can relate to", for voters in the Philadelphia area. |
Office of Justice Programs
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The Father's Day Rally Committee, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"The Mission of the Father's Day Rally Committee, Inc. (FDRC) is to promote positive action and interaction among individuals to prompt more aggressive hands on action toward resolving a range of problems confronting African Americans communities in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley." FDRC |
The Attic Youth Center
"The Attic creates opportunities for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth to develop into healthy, independent, civic-minded adults within a safe and supportive community, and promotes the acceptance of LGBTQ youth in society. The Attic is proud to be Philadelphia ’s only independent LGBTQ youth center." ATC |
Amachi, People of Faith, Mentoring Children of Promise
“Amachi” is a Nigerian Ibo word that means “Who knows but what God has brought us through this child.” "Amachi is a unique partnership of secular and faith-based organizations working together to provide mentoring to children of incarcerated parents. Faith institutions work with human service providers and public agencies (particularly justice institutions) to identify children of prisoners and match them with caring adults." Amachi, Web Site |
Hilderbrand Pelzer III"Throughout the United States, especially in the poor neighborhoods of large cities, too many public schools are failing to reach, teach, and engage thousands of struggling youths. Whether because of poor educational backgrounds, reluctance to be in the school environment, or both, they are defeated by the schools they attend. As a result, thousands of school-age youths are represented among the rising inmate population in adult prisons. .... Making matters worse is, once arrested and awaiting trial as “adults” in county jail systems across the nation, the school-age youths find themselves part of a system that fails to educate them. Hilderbrand Pelzer III is a national award-winning educator with more than twenty years of experience in the field. He has worked as a teacher, principal, and assistant regional superintendent. He uses his academic improvement model to boost student achievement and improve learning environments by redesigning schools' academic infrastructures and fixing their broken instructional programs" (Courtesy of www.hp3-unlockingpotential.com). Mr. Pelzer also served as Principal of the Pennypack School of the School District of Philadelphia, located on the grounds of the Philadelphia Prison System Campus. In that capacity he was responsible to educate inmates under the age of 18 who are required by law to attend school even while incarcerated. He also spearheaded the System's General Education Diploma (GED) program for adult inmates, and during his tenure with Commissioner Leon A. King II, succeeded in having the Prison System designated as an official G.E.D. testing site. His work at the Philadelphia Prison System was exemplary, and his thoughts on education, especially for those incarcerated are informed and visionary. |