High School / Pre-College

Our community service major allows compassionate young adults to join together and make meaningful contributions to the greater Philadelphia region. The program helps students find their role as socially responsible citizens of the world, while stimulating their desire to continue giving back after they return home. Whether you are passionate about keeping families off the street or interested in touching a child's life, our daily service projects will expand your understanding of human relations.

The program combines hands-on experience with need-to-know facts. Each week will begin with an introduction to an issue such as poverty, homelessness, disease or hunger. The program leader and guest speakers from local universities and community nonprofit organizations will familiarize students with the sites they will visit and examine how these issues affect the local community and the world at large. You will challenge yourself at various locations in and around Philadelphia. Whether serving lunch in a soup kitchen, reading to a young child or sharing a smile with a person in need, you will make a positive impact.

Recognize. Commit. Act.

The Community Service major will let you experience the front lines of community activism and today’s most important social issues:

• Children’s shelters and orphanages
• Poverty and hunger
• Soup kitchens
• Food distribution centers
• Educational facilities
• Nonprofit organizations
• Homelessness
• Health, advocacy and community

Last summer we were pleased to work with the following organizations:

• Philabundance
• Northlight Community Center
• Keystone Hospice
• JCC Stiffel Senior Center
• CampPALS
• Bala Retirement

At the end of the session, students will work together to plan a fundraiser for a local charity of the group’s choosing. It’s your event from start to finish, and its success will depend entirely on your efforts!