Civic Engagement at Penn

Civic Engagement Opportunities at Penn

Civic and community engagement is a pillar of Penn’s identity. The University’s commitment to education for democratic citizenship harkens back to Benjamin Franklin’s founding vision for the institution—to develop in students “an Inclination join’d with an Ability to serve Mankind, one’s Country, Friends and Family; which Ability… should indeed be the great Aim and End of all Learning.”  Contribute to your community and enrich your Penn experience through the following opportunities!

  • Join the Newsletter!
  • Take a Course:
      • Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) Courses feature hands-on, real-world problem solving with campus and/or community partners.
      • SNF Paideia Designated Courses are discussion-based seminars which integrate students’ personal, professional, and civic development through “dialogue across difference”.
      • Sign up for ABCS and SNF Paideia courses on Path@Penn by searching for “ABCS” or “SNF Paideia” or filtering through the “University Attribute” menu.
  • Engage in employment and/or volunteer opportunities: 
      • The Netter Center for Community Partnerships offers a myriad of workstudy, non-workstudy, and volunteer opportunities to engage with the local West Philadelphia community.  These range from STEM to arts and culture to health and wellness to sustainability and environment to voter engagement, and more.
      • Civic House offers various community engagement programs and volunteer opportunities, promoting mutually beneficial collaborations between Penn and Philadelphia community organizations. It prepares students for responsible community engagement by providing a space for critical reflection and social justice education. 
      • Penn Leads the Vote is Penn’s non-partisan voter engagement program supporting student, staff and faculty voter engagement.
  • Apply for a fellowship and/or internship program:
      • The Penn Program for Public Service is an 11-week paid internship involving an ABCS seminar, work with youth summer programs, and locally focused, problem-solving oriented research.
      • Fox Service and Research Fellowships are focused on hands-on public policy research or partnerships with nonprofit and public interest groups.
      • The Civic Scholars Program is a four-year experience integrating community engagement and scholarship. It involves a seminar, civic engagement experiences with community partners, and intentional community-building activities. Building on their community experiences and individual academic paths, Civic Scholars explore issues through a variety of lenses connected to Civic House’s Social Justice Framework. 
      • The SNF Paideia Fellowship is a 3-year program designed to cultivate dialogue and global citizenship through SNF Paideia courses, research and internship funding opportunities, fellows proseminars, and a senior capstone project.
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