Youth Leadership Council

SEPC stands apart from other youth service providers because youth are directly involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs through its Youth Leadership Council (YLC). Through the YLC, SEPC is able to improve intercultural understanding between its diverse participants by having young people of different backgrounds work together on community goals.

“So what’s this all about anyway?”

The Youth Leadership Council of the Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative is the youth voice in the Collaborative's collection of youth serving agencies. We work with the Collaborative, in the community, through our Teen Lounge and through partnerships with other youth activist groups to build programs and projects for youth in Southeast Philadelphia that promote youth leadership, environmental justice and fun.

The YLC currently works with the Philadelphia Orchard Project and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to sustain our community orchard on 8th street. The YLC also partners with the Philadelphia Urban Food and Fitness Alliance (PUFFA) to advocate for accessibility to and nutrition of school breakfasts and lunches, along with improving access to built environments that allow for safe physical activity.

The members of the YLC meet every Tuesday at the Houston Center, which is at the corner of 8th and Snyder Streets. The adult staff members are there as support when they meet and as coordinators during the rest of the week.

“All work and no play…”

…is not the motto of the YLC! Members of the YLC also plan regular field trips and activities. Since members make their own agenda, they also choose where they want to go and what they want to do. Past activities include multiple movie nights, a trip to Hershey Park, a weekend in NYC to visit youth from another teen lounge and a trip to a pumpkin patch to pick their own pumpkins. Future trip ideas include ice skating, bowling, a trip to the Camden aquarium and a trip to Washington, DC.

	Check out pictures from when the YLC visited KHCC teens in New York City!
Also check out pictures from their trip to the pumpkin patch!

“Alright, I’m into it. How do I get in on this?”

If you are interested in joining YLC, contact Laurel Casciato at 215.468.1645 ext. 201. All interested youth are asked to complete a peer interview prior to acceptance into the YLC. When you stop by the Teen Lounge, Laurel will be able to give you an application and give you a little more information on what we do.