The School District of Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia YMCA (GPY) will expand programs for the 2025-2026 school year thanks to a collaboration with the District’s Office of Strategic Partnerships and the Office of Student Engagement and Achievement. Starting in the fall, students at Philadelphia High School for Girls, High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), Girard Academic Music Program, and William C. Longstreth will have the opportunity to participate in the Youth Civic Engagement (YCE) program. South Philadelphia and CAPA students will have the opportunity to participate in Teen Workforce Development (WFD). Y Achievers will launch in Roxborough High School to support students’ postsecondary readiness, financial literacy and life skills.
“This expanded programming with the Greater Philadelphia YMCA is an example of a strong community partnership that can support student academic achievement and help students prepare for postsecondary success,” said Tony B. Watlington, Sr., Ed.D., superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia. “As we become the fastest improving, large urban school district in the nation,I look forward to our continued partnerships and accelerating academic progress for all students.”
“The YMCA staff created an environment for our students that allowed them to think outside the box. The YCE program empowered our students by showing them their voice matters and allowing them to feel heard in a world that often silences their voice. By building confidence, students developed their own mindset to present to the PA Convention in Harrisburg. The enthusiasm and excitement they brought back to Roosevelt was incredible,” said Kristen Heifet, Principal at Roosevelt Elementary School. “Our graduating students are eager to implement this in their high school careers while our returning students have already been asking when the programming will be starting.””
During the 2024-2025 school year and 2025 summer program, 72 District students participated in weekly programming through YCE, WFD and C2L-PHL.
“There are approximately 200,000 teenagers in Philadelphia who represent an enormous opportunity for our collective future. Few things can better ensure their success than broadening their educational horizons, getting them involved in the community, and preparing them for the job market. Youth development is at the core of our mission at the YMCA, so we’re very excited to see what our expanded partnership with the School District of Philadelphia can accomplish,” says Shaun Elliott, President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia YMCA.
YCE is designed to provide an immersive experience that helps students actively engage in and advocate within our systems of government. The weekly program launched in February 2025 at Roosevelt Elementary, Overbrook Elementary, John Barry Elementary, and Vaux Big Picture High School. As a culminating experience, students participated in the four-day PA Youth and Government Conference (YAG) held in the Pennsylvania State Capitol building, where they joined 600 peers from across the state to debate policy issues, build consensus, and appreciate the value of diverse viewpoints. To prepare, they also took part in a shopping experience to receive three sets of business attire for conferences and career events.
In addition to YCE, GPY currently offers Teen Workforce Development (WFD) at Murrell Dobbins Technical High School, Roxborough High School, and Horace Furness High School, with these schools set to return next year to serve rising sophomores and incoming freshmen. WFD, launched as a pilot program in January 2025, supports students in grades nine through 12 by helping them become career-ready through the development of essential career skills, financial literacy, and social-emotional support. Looking ahead to the 2025–26 academic year, WFD programming for 9th graders will expand to CAPA and South Philadelphia High School. South Philadelphia HS will also offer Y Achievers — a longstanding YMCA program focused on postsecondary readiness, financial literacy, and life skills.
Through the City of Philadelphia Extended Day, Extended Year partnership, GPY provides programming at Edward Gideon School, Juniata Park Academy and will be expanding to Tanner G. Duckrey School for the 2025-2026 school year and also 14 Out-of-School Time programs as District locations