One Month In: Philadelphia Youth Commissioner-Elect

Philadelphia,

This past month has been absolutely amazing. Obviously, the first week of my tenure as Philadelphia Youth Commissioner-Elect was packed—you can read all about that here. But, after that was filled to the brim with new and exciting experiences that I embarked on with a promise of dedication to serving Philadelphia’s youth.

That started with joining the City of Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Office of Youth Engagement Culture Shifters Collaborative first meeting, where I serve as a Liaison. There, I and so many amazing high school students from across the City had a long conversation with Mayor Jim Kenney. Students asked about his dedication to the City, how he plans to spend his last year, and what the youth means to him and his administration. Mayor Kenney is very candid—he spoke with honesty and truth, and told us how it is.

I was honored to have been on the youth panel of Youth Creating New Beginnings’ second annual Youth Talk Heavy event, alongside Miya Ingram, Kaheem Bailey-Taylor, Alexis Carter-Stewart, D. Williams (Philly’s Motivation), Isaiah “Minister Zay” Thomas, Parkway Northwest student Destiny, and Jude Husein, all of which are accomplished, respected, and known contributors to change in the City. I was grateful to share space with them. Another panel followed, this time with current and potential elected officials like Drew Murray, Anthony Bellmon, Sam Oropeza, Terrill Haigler (Ya Fav Trashman), Derek Green, Nicolas O’Rourke, and Abu Edwards. I let them know that students and youth across the City are ready to get skin in the game when it comes to Philadelphia’s local public government and organizations and helping the youth, and how I’m working on what it will take to #BridgeTheDivide between the youth and local government, but also between political parties in Philadelphia to ensure true collaboration and multi-partisanship.

When I got to meet Councilmember Kendra Brooks and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, I stressed the same points. At City Hall, I, students from the BOLT Youth Leaders Fellowship, and students from PA Youth Vote—with Tim Brown as our guide—wrote letters to her, our district Councilmembers, and one more of our choosing. To Brooks and Clarke, I highlighted the importance of and my gratitude for their attention to the education of young Philadelphians. And Oh, the same for Philadelphia’s creative community. At the DAO, I asked Krasner how his children feel about his political decisions and the decisions he’s made as District Attorney, to which he replied candidly and sincerely. We discussed the importance of getting people that need public defenders adequate and fair lawyers, too.

I visited The Treehouse—the Headquarters of Ryan Harris’ organization As I Plant This Seed—with the Youth Leader Fellows of PhillyBOLT where we got to tour the space and the new recording studio that was created for participants and alums to use as they please. During our conversation, he told us of his dedication to the youth of Philadelphia and how he raised $30,000 for The Treehouse. I was truly inspired by that dedication and was able to secure a $10,000-value gift of free and discounted services from WGMCorp./JLVWII, which was supported by their #InvestInCreators campaign, and will be used to kickstart the careers of those who use the studio.

Dr. Watlington, the Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, personally invited me to join the District’s Strategic Planning Process Steering Committee, and I attended my first meeting with the Committee. We’re, in part, responsible for shaping the District’s future under its new leadership. We discussed the Transition Team Report and some takeaways from, threats of, and priorities for it. I joined a group of parents, teachers, administrators, and other people with education connections in the District. We were able to collaborate and have candid conversations about how to move the District forward.

Back in City Hall, we had our inter-Commission Elections, where I was able to ascend to Vice-Chair of Communications for the Commission. My experience as an entertainment industry executive, and as a changemaker in Philadelphia in many capacities, will allow me to bring new and fresh perspectives to the Commission on its public social media platforms and connect with its communities. Until my full admission to the Commission, Commissioner Doha Ibrahim will serve as Acting Vice-Chair.

Then, BOLT had its first meeting for the Youth Advisory Board, where I serve. Our job as the Board is to inform the programs that BOLT has created to support grassroots leaders—the School for Grassroots Leadership, the Youth Leaders Fellowship, and the Community Rising programs.

And to cap off this last month, I reconvened with the Culture Shifters Collaborative to discuss ways to celebrate youth in Philadelphia now and for years to come. Between the Culture Shifters Collaborative and the Philadelphia Youth Commission, Philadelphia is finding ways to ensure that youth-led organizations are at the forefront of our community and that we’re honoring the youth leaders, putting them on the pedestal, and allowing the leaders of tomorrow to inform our today.

Don’t worry, I won’t be a Youth Commissioner-Elect for much longer. The Confirmation Ceremony is coming soon, and I can’t wait to officially get to work for youth across the City of Philadelphia. Thank you.