Finding What You Love in Daily Life: Global Engagement in Philadelphia

Nadia Sumner|November 12, 2021

Free Use Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

It is a bright shining summer day in the ‘City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.’ As someone walks around and moves in the crowd, they see people bustling through Center City to get to parks and cafes. They notice the long list of visitors waiting to take pictures under the Love Statue. Along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, they see the 90 international flags that embody different populations of people that are represented in the city.¹

In November of 2015, Philadelphia became America’s first World Heritage City. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) appointed Philadelphia as a “Designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.”² This designation is because of the international significance of Independence Hall and the many historic and cultural landmarks located all over the city.³

Friends Select’s motto is ‘In the City and of the City.’ Philadelphia as an international city signifies that part of Friends Select students’ experience in the city is as much global, as it is local. Students and faculty have different perspectives on why young people should engage with topics of their interest on a global scale.

Friends Select Upper School History Teacher Spring Greeney says global engagement is instrumental because environmental challenges are global and who bears the brunt of the burden is deeply unequal. Aside from inequality, Spring believes that people in the US “suffer from a poverty of imagination or an individualistic mindset.” The environmental challenges present in today’s day and age “will require a global and collective response,” she says.

Corey Becker ‘22 explains that as a global society, “anything that happens of any significance anywhere in the world impacts the entire rest of the world.” With the Internet, people all over the world are more interconnected than before. There is a lot of information and issues to cover at every level from local to international. He shares that the importance of “striking that balance” is a good thing to do to have a better understanding of the world and one’s personal community.

Simone Singler ‘22 believes it is essential to engage globally because “everyone is so engaged with our community that we forget about the outer communities and the bigger communities we are a part of.” She continues to stress that it is critical to “stay present in the bigger picture and not get so zoomed in on just Friends Select or just Philadelphia…[because] all the issues within Philadelphia are a part of larger issues.”

There are opportunities within Friends Select to connect to course material on an international level. This year, Spring teaches a fall semester course Global Environmental Politics. Spring’s hope for the class is that it helps students learn how environmental policy is made at the local, state, national, and international levels. Especially when exploring the complexity of international diplomacy and how “making decisions at a certain scale when environmental problems oftentimes don’t fit into neat political [boundaries]”.

Spring’s Global Environmental Politics class is not the only opportunity to engage globally at Friends Select. There are three main language courses taught: Mandarin, Spanish and Latin. There are English course offerings like The Post-Colonial Writer elective, English 10:World Literature, and the Caribbean Voices elective, to name a few. Even Instrumental Ensemble explores music genres from all over the world. The curriculum at Friends Select extends beyond the school walls.

Philadelphia has many organizations that connect the local with the global, including Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI). CDI’s David Buckholtz, the International Youth Program Manager, shares his thoughts on the importance of global engagement of students within Philadelphia. He expresses that global engagement is important, “especially shoulder to shoulder with mentoring, [because] it is keen on addressing factors like diversity and workplace disparities.” He continues by proclaiming that the benefits of international interaction early on “really shape the foundation of your career and your professional walk of life.”

Margaret Smith, Friends Select’s Director of City Curriculum says, “It’s hard to overstate the many ways our current world is globally connected, whether you are looking to understand the history or the future of globalization, there are resources here in Philadelphia to help you do that.”

Outside of Friends Select, there are many Philadelphia-based organizations students can get involved with to dive deeper into their interests on an international level. If someone is interested in Politics, Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI) can be a possible resource. Citizen Diplomacy International is a nonprofit organization that works with Philadelphians to promote diplomacy through global interpersonal connections.

In CDI they offer Citizen Diplomat Academy (CDA), which has STEM innovation and Social Entrepreneurship programs for high school students. They are also available as an informational resource. David Buckholtz mentioned that in the future CDI would like to send Philadelphia students to other sister cities around the world.

Another resource is the SouthEast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition (SEAMAAC), which is a nonprofit organization that aims to support immigrants and refugees in Philadelphia by providing various social and educational services.

If one is interested in culture or more arts-specific topics, these may be of interest:

The Asian Arts Initiative is a resource for individuals who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander or are curious to learn more about Asian American culture. This is an organization whose mission is to use art and creative expression as a way to explore diverse experiences through the Asian American community. It runs exhibitions, youth workshops, performances, and artist residencies, and more. On November 22, 2021, they are having a workshop called “Roti as Care, as Craft and Community.” This will include a roti-making demonstration and conversation with Pakistani and Indo-Guyanese mothers and daughters about identity and history.⁴

In West Philadelphia, the Middle East Center is part of the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences. It is an informational center that provides resources and programming about the Middle East along with program-specific major courses. The center brings lecturers, panelists, authors, political figures, and more to provide information about various topics within the center. For example, on October 19, 2021, there was an event hosted by the Middle East Center that had the new director of the Middle East Center give a talk about the importance of Science in the Middle East.⁵

Village Arts’ motto is “supporting the voices and aspirations of North Philadelphia through art.” Village Arts is an organization that aims to amplify voices in North Philadelphia through arts-based expression in conjunction with connecting with the youth, families and preserving Black heritage.⁶

Taller Puertorriqueño is known as “el Corazón Cultural Del Barrio” which translates to The Cultural Heart of Latino Philadelphia. Taller Puertorriqueño is an organization that uses art to represent and connect Puertorican Philadelphians and others within Latinx Diaspora. The goal is to preserve Puerto Rican and Latinx culture through art, and educational programming.⁷

Philadelphia Folklore Project is an organization with the goal of sustaining culture, heritage, and diversity within Philadelphia. They put on various projects, art exhibitions, and workshops. On their website, they have many artists one can discover and learn about.

As a unique and diverse city, there are many opportunities to deep dive into one’s interests in and around Philadelphia. All of the resources provided above have websites so that one can get involved or understand more what each organization has to offer. These organizations are only the beginning of connecting with people from all over the world. Global involvement is one way one could possibly discover more about oneself and the intricate world they live in.

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