This spring was another unconventional semester for CPI. Rather than our normal course, we convened a group of Citizen Planners to help us create engagement materials for the comprehensive plan update. We received 72 applications for this opportunity- thank you, interested alumni! We could only select 12 members for this group, but we want to underscore that there will be more opportunities to come!  

Kiasha Huling, Erme Maula, Nadia Elena Montes, Raven Green, John Chin, Frances Conwell, Mason Carter, Amanda Vaden, Derrick Pratt, Crystal Morris, Ulicia Lawrence, Sasha Mendez, Kadafi El-Kardah.

Collectively the group brought skills in development of engagement materials, event planning, disability access, engaging influencers, seniors and youth, language access, racial equity, work with justice impacted individuals, digital access, and specific religious/cultural perspectives. 

Stay tuned for a report of their recommendations later this summer.  

On May 11th, Citizen Planners attended the Kensington Derby & Arts Festival. Before the derby, CPI Advisory Board Member Nic Esposito spoke about how the event’s founding is a great example of grassroots community building for an RCO. We were also joined by Jeff Carpineta who, along with Nic, is a former board member of East Kensington Neighborhood Association (EKNA). The weather was beautiful, the costumes were inspiring, and the food was delicious! Thank you for talking with us Nic and Jeff! 

Congratulations to Philadelphia Folklore Project (Mia Kang) and their sub “We Win from Within” (Christopher Rogers) on being selected as our storytelling consultant. They are tasked with writing a guide for storytelling as a tactic for the Comprehensive Plan update. This includes documenting best practices for collection, sharing with the public and management of stories through a variety of media and methods; guidelines for interviewing, both in-person and remote, transcription, archiving, recording equipment and data management; executing a pilot story collection activity/event, and developing training materials for this tactic. We’re lucky to have such thoughtful partners! 

Hiring Update

We received 274 applications for the new Program Specialist, whose work will be focused on community engagement strategies and implementation during the comprehensive plan update project and beyond. This will bring the number of CPI staff to four! Thank you to all that helped us spread the word about this opportunity! We have started scheduling interviews.

RCO Registration Info Sessions 

RCO registration and renewal is now open. If your RCO is due to renew, you will receive a separate e-mail, but you can check your expiration year here. Whether you’re due to renew or not, please take the time to review your listed primary contact information and let PCPC know of any updates.   



PCPC will be holding two information sessions (June 12th at 6:00 PM, and June 20th at 12:00 PM, via Zoom). Existing RCOs should only register for one of the sessions. You can register here. The sessions will provide a quick refresher on RCO rights and responsibilities, share out information on recent updates to regulations and registration procedures, and offer an opportunity for RCOs to share their experiences with virtual and hybrid meetings or other RCO issues. 

Amanda Vaden (Fall 2021) calls herself a navigator. She discovered her path when she began to understand the impact of trauma on economic development in her community. After that discovery, she made it her mission to address this issue. Read more about Amanda's story!

Congrats CPI Alum Kiasha Huling!

Kiasha Huling has moved into the executive director role of Food Moxie, which works to elevate food and land justice issues in Northwest Philly. 

The University of Orange is hosting a symposium commemorating the 20th anniversary of "Root Shock" by Dr. Mindy Thompson Fullilove. The event explores displacement's impacts and remedies, featuring scholars, activists, and artists.   

Friday, June 7th |10am-noon ET | Zoom   

Urban Strategy in the Present Tense Webinar 

The Drexel University College of Media Arts & Design is hosting their Urban Strategy in the Present Tense Webinar! During the next episode, they will be joined by Karen Black, Adriana Abizadeh & Darlene Burton to discuss the Kensington Corridor Trust. 

Tuesday, June 11th | 4-5pm | Webinar

Check out the Quality Jobs Program, a grant opportunity for eligible businesses creating new full-time employment opportunities that pay a living wage and include health insurance benefits for Philadelphia residents.

Learn How to Apply Targeted Universalism through a Community of Practice

Targeted Universalism offers pathways to operationalize and increase belonging.

Seed Collaborative and the Belonging Lab, in partnership with the Othering and Belonging Institute, are thrilled to offer an opportunity to join a Community of Practice (COP) for people from government, NGOs, foundations, academia, B-corps, or social impact orgs who want to take a deep dive into understanding and implementing Targeted Universalism.

The Rail Park is offering a Three Mile Vision Walking Tour! During the tour, attendees will be guided along the city’s streets, traveling through Philadelphia’s former industrial center, once referred to as the Workshop of the World. Attendees will see public works of art, industrial remnants, and wild urban ecologies as they look above and below them, peering into and learning about the unique sites that are a part of the vision for the Rail Park. 

June 8th and 22nd | 10AM-12PM EST | 27th and Pennsylvania

PhilaPHDC is celebrating 60 years of serving the residents and neighborhoods of Philadelphia! In their newly released 2023 Annual Report, you can see highlights of their work, and also the impact they’ve made over the last 60 years.  

Join Philadelphia Parks & Rec for an open volunteer workday on the second Saturday of every month to restore Philadelphia's natural areas. Workdays rotate to a different park every month and offer hands-on experiences with ecological restoration projects around the city.

June 8th  | 10am-12pm EST | Tacony Creek Park 

Women’s Way is hosting their next virtual Closing the Gender Wealth Gap Forum! This session’s topic is about building community wealth. What current models exist for building collective assets, community ownership, and positioning citizens and neighbors as key decision-makers? Let’s dive into strategies of equitable economic development. This event will be streamed in both English and Spanish. 

June 12th | 4-5:30 PM EST | Virtual 

The City of Philadelphia is hiring 11 positions to support the newly launched Resident Service Delivery Initiative!  

Take a look at the blog post for information about the initiative and links to the job postings, which are located across the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, the Office of Innovation and Technology, and the PHL Service Design Studio.  Apply by: June 9, 2024

The Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) is hiring a Community Resource Corps (CRC) Program Manager!

This role is responsible for the overall management and success of the Community Resource Corps (CRC) AmeriCorps Program. The Program Manager will work closely with the Director of Community Resources to implement CRC initiatives, manage partnerships, and oversee the development and execution of program strategies.  

The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation is hiring an Executive Director! 



The incoming Executive Director will play a key role in guiding Bartol’s mission of supporting community-led and community-serving arts education programs and teaching artists. 

The Tyler School of Art and Architecture is hiring a Director of Temple Contemporary!

This position is an uncommon opportunity for an individual to bring progressive leadership to a contemporary gallery in a school of art and architecture with nationally ranked programs situated within a research university, Temple University. 

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia is hiring a Community Development Research Analyst and a Community Development Economic Advisor! 

The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is seeking a full time Percent for Art Rebuild Project Manager! This role will manage the process to commission permanent, site-specific public art installations at City owned sites as part of Rebuild renovations. Applications are due June 28.

Consider making a tax-deductible contribution! Click "support this project" on the CPI page on the Philadelphia City Fund website.

Donations will go towards scholarships, printing Citizens Toolkits, increasing support for CPI alumni, and expand CPI programming beyond the biannual course.