President's
Message
It
Started Here
Thirty-six
years ago a few dedicated community and business leaders set forth
to level some basic inequities that they felt should not exist.
It was a period of great social chaos, gang violence was increasing,
and high unemployment rates particularly among young men of color
were an accepted standard. While most people passively watched
these events, waiting for someone to make these problems go away,
these leaders knew that they had a role to play and actively accepted
that role when they founded what is now known as Philadelphia
Academies, Inc.
They saw a
local problem and decided to do something about it. Little did
they know at the time that they would give birth to a movement
that would be replicated in thousands of schools throughout the
country. They never set out to develop a model. In fact, “school
reform” was not their focus at all. The focus was on changing
lives.
Their theory
of change was to create small learning environments that used
careers to keep public high school students engaged in their own
learning and motivated so that they would be ready to work, but
more importantly, ready to live productive lives upon graduation.
No small feat. Implicit in this theory was the belief that all
young people can learn, all young people have the right to a quality
educational experience, and all young people have the right to
a supportive network of adults that will assist them in their
journey.
This is a
rich history and a solid foundation for our future. These tenets
remain Philadelphia Academies, Inc.’s compact with the young
people we support in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia.
And, at Philadelphia Academies, Inc. we use the word right deliberately.
In many ways, we are seeking justice, or more specifically, economic
justice for the young lives that are in all of our care. To that
end, as we move forward we are intensely focused on motivating
young people through career and real-life experiences, building
networks and a caring community of adults invested in their journey,
and advocating for relevant instruction at the secondary education
level.
At thirty-six
years old, we are keenly aware of our roots and the responsibility
that we hold as the place that catalyzed a movement. But, what
matters most to us are the young lives that we’re changing
because we invested in them and because they know that they can
rely on us.
