An estimated 344,091 children are living in the city, and the odds are often stacked against them. Consider that since 2015 there have been 201 fatal and 1,241 nonfatal shooting victims who were 17 years old or younger, according to the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. Adding to that dismal stat is the fact that academically, just about a third of third graders in Philadelphia public schools are reading at or above grade level.
For our youth to succeed, they have to be equipped with the tools and resources to do so. Here are some local organizations that can use your help supporting children in Philadelphia.
Beds For Kids
Beds For Kids is a program through One House At A Time that provides bedding and other essentials for children living in poverty. Families receive donated bed sheets, pillows, bedtime books, stuffed animals, and toothbrushes, all of which help kids develop healthy sleep habits.
The organization is now soliciting new pillows, twin-size sheets, blankets, and comforters. Other new and gently used items that are needed are listed on the donation guidelines page.
Drop-offs can be made directly to its warehouse in Huntington Valley or at its partner locations. You can also donate funds online or purchase an item from its wishlists.
Creative Resilient Youth
Creative Resilient Youth (CRY) is an arts-and-leadership collective for teens centered around mental health injustices and inequities. Although its parent organization, the Creative Resilience Collective, sunset in 2023, the mission of healing through art and design continued as remaining resources were funneled into youth programming.
CRY has organized art exhibitions, workshops, and emergency care for youth. The organization is currently fundraising to increase staff and develop future programming.
Fab Youth Philly
Do you know a teen in need of an after-school or summer job? Fab Youth Philly provides workforce development opportunities for teens.
Its initiatives include training teens to be lifeguards, Little Library stewards, and Play Captains for the Playstreets programs in Kensington and West Philly.
Philly ASAP
After School Activities Partnership (ASAP) utilizes chess, debate, drama, and Scrabble to provide safe activities to enrich students after the school day and develop their skills in strategy, teamwork, public speaking, literacy, and arithmetic.
If you’re affiliated with a school, library, or community meeting space interested in hosting a club, ASAP is available.
Philly Bridge & Jawn
These kids can make more than a PB&J. Philly Bridge & Jawn (PB&J) teaches youth in Kensington how to cook while connecting them with other kids and local support organizations. Students also get to learn how to work in a restaurant.
Rock to the Future
If you have an instrument that hasn’t been played in a while, consider donating it to Rock to the Future. The free music program promotes youth and economic development through the arts. Instruments, food, and transportation are provided to all Philly youth who participate in its programs around the city.
YEAH Philly
Youth Empowerment for Advancement Hangout (YEAH Philly) supports teens in West and Southwest Philly who have been impacted by violence or who are considered to have violent histories. Aiming to break the cycle of violence, YEAH Philly works with its youth to develop their leadership skills and give back to the community. These youth learn peer mediation, run a free neighborhood grocery market, participate in workshops for skills such as carpentry, and land internships.
