Need in Deed’s community partners bring the “real world” into the classroom.
Every year, we invite individuals from local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and higher education and health institutions to step into Need in Deed classrooms across the city. Bringing “real world” insights and expertise, Need in Deed community partners field students’ questions, listen to their ideas, and help them think about solutions to the issues they care about.
Because the students in each Need in Deed classroom identify the issue they want to explore and address through service projects, we make community partner matches accordingly, calling on a wide array of individuals and organizations in any given year, from staff of the city’s Water and department to police community liaisons, curators from the Zoo, neuroscientists, staff from Project HOME and the PSPCA, museum exhibit specialists, mental health advocates, art therapists, and representatives of an antiviolence campaign.
We also call on community partners as we explore with our teacher partners ways to improve teaching and learning or to understand issues that affect students and schools.
Need in Deed community partners listen to the students’ questions and honor their unique interest in an issue.
Need in Deed staff work with community partners to help them understand the issue that the students have chosen, the angle they are pursuing, the grade level of the class, and the teacher’s curricular goals.
Each year, the individuals who serve in this way gain appreciation for the enormous potential of the city’s young people. Stepping inside the schools, they see both the challenges that teachers and students face and their remarkable achievements.
These are some of the organizations whose leaders and staff have recently shared their experience, knowledge, and perspectives with Need in Deed classrooms and our teacher partners.
ACE Mentor Program
ACLU
Alice Paul Institute
Angels in Motion
ArtWell
Back on My Feet
Bennett Compost
Broad Street Ministries
CeaseFire PA
Center for Hunger Free Communities
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Violence Prevention Institute
Clean Air Council
Clean Water Action
Community Health Partnerships
Cradle to the Grave (Temple University Hospital)
Discovery Center
Educating Communities for Parenting
EMIR Healing Center
Fairmount Water Works
Free Library of Philadelphia
Get Healthy Philly
Helen Gym, City Council
HIAS PA
History Hunters, Johnson House
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Japanese American Citizens League
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
Keep Philadelphia Beautiful
Mazzoni Center
Mending Spirit
Mental Health Partnerships
Minding Your Mind
National Museum of American Jewish History
Nature PHL
New Sanctuary Movement
Northwest Victims Service Center
PA House of Representatives, Rep. Brian Sims
Penn Museum
Pennsylvania SPCA
The Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia Research Initiative
Philadelphia Districe Attorney’s Office
Philadelphia Education Fund
Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Police Training Academy
Philadelphia Police Department
Philadelphia Water Department
Project HOME
Rutgers University, Camden
School District of Philadelphia, Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness
School District of Philadelphia,Office of Sustainability
Sleeping Mat Project
Soil Generation
Sunrise Movement
Temple University Katz School of Medicine
Thomas Jefferson Hospital, Maternity Care
Thomas Jefferson Hospital, Mindfulness Institute
Tree Philly
Up Against the Law
Valley Youth House
Village of Arts and Humanities
William Way Center
Women in Transition
Women Organized Against Rape
Need in Deed accepts new members of the teacher network from March through June annually.