WE SPONSOR PROGRAMS TO EMPOWER, ENGAGE AND EDUCATE YOUTH
BRIDGING THE GAP
CCCEEC, Inc. is taking action to close the academic achievement gap with high-quality after-school and out-of-school programs. Through partnerships with the School District of Philadelphia and community-based organizations, we offer an extended learning environment that reinforces and enhances the importance of lifelong learning. Each signature program is complete with an instructional Guide for a teacher, lesson plans, and ready-made projects. With each program specific skills are developed including critical thinking, goal setting, problem solving, decision making, and public speaking.
JUNIOR DOCENTS
Docents provide group learning experiences in the form of climate tours. This long-standing program offers teens a paid “internship” that can be six-weeks or six-months in length. When the training is complete, students advance to the next level. Junior Docents get to share what they have learned with audiences of all ages by conducting environmental tours down the trails of Cobbs Creek Park. The goal of this program is to promote a continued interest in science and environmental-related careers.
WE, THE PEOPLE CIVIC EDUCATION
How do we empower young people to have choice and voice in a society that is becoming increasingly divisive? We answered this question with a program
that furthers our mission for academic achievement and youth leadership. We, The People – Elevating Student Voice Through Civic Education has evolved into one of our most successful programs. With a youth-centered focus, this nonpartisan civic education pilot is engaging 85 students to positively impact more than a thousand of their peers in eight high schools in West and Southwest Philadelphia.
WPYEJC YOUTH COUNCIL
The West Philadelphia Youth Environmental Justice Council (WPYEJC) started in 2020 as a summer program. Students from nine different high schools learned how poor air quality, pollution, and unhealthy waste were impacting their community. So, they formed a youth council to advocate for environmental issues that concern them. Today, the program is a pilot at Motivation High School where WPYEJC student members are learning how to conduct a sustainability audit, write a sustainability action plan, and transition their school building into “green” best practices.
WATERSHED FELLOWS
The Delaware River is the source for drinking water for 13 million people living in the region. As a member of the Alliance for Watershed Education, every year CCCEEC, Inc. offers a local college student a 12-week summer Fellowship. This longstanding program is specifically designed to promote careers in the field of environmental education. The Fellow works alongside the organization's nationally certified educator to focus efforts on an individual Capstone Project, which is presented to other Fellows at a Summit event at the end of the program.
ALLEYS GREENING
Philadelphia faces unique challenges when it comes to health and safety issues in certain neighborhoods, and especially in West Philadelphia. CCCEEC, Inc. believes that every citizen has the right to live in a clean environment. Alley revitalization is a viable urban development strategy to create healthier communities. Our Alleys Greening program is sponsored by State Senator Anthony H. Williams. So far 55 alleyways in West Philadelphia have been cleaned with a plan for long-term maintenance.