The Urban Affairs Coalition and its network of program partners provide youth with access to safe havens, education, and jobs.

Our work includes:

• Violence prevention programs, making it possible for children to learn that they can have safe, productive and joyful lives
• Access to school choice, allowing parents and communities to have a say in how and where their children are educated
• Work-readiness, paid summer internships and job placement programs, providing children and young adults who begin life at the bottom of the economic ladder a chance to climb higher

How We Work

• We organize policy agenda related to positive youth development and galvanize program partners around youth-specific issues, activities, and service delivery gaps
•  We promote innovative program development and pursue funding opportunities to develop new youth programs that meet existing and emerging needs
•  We provide ongoing support to a cohort of our existing youth-serving program partners to help them improve quality through technical assistance
• We provide youth-serving program partners with resources and information on best practices, and provide opportunities for program partners to collaborate to leverage funding

We Work To

• Improve program quality and impact of youth-serving grassroots nonprofits and program partners through targeted individualized technical assistance, administration of organizational health self-assessments, and providing individualized organizational health and development coaching
• Provide performance management services via Efforts-to Outcomes (ETO) software, outcomes measurement, and one-on-one technical assistance 
• Offer group capacity-building workshops, resources, and information on best practices via Coalition U courses and a special Lecture Series facilitated through our monthly Program Partner meetings
• Deliver high-quality "signature" programs of and resources from the Coalition e.g., our Summer WorkReady youth employment programs and the Philadelphia Charter School Directory

Primary Focus Areas

• Education, Employment, and Pathways to the New Economy
• Aged-out and homeless/ foster care populations (serving special needs populations)
• Health and life skills education
• Youth safety/ violence prevention
• Mentoring (with a focus on African- American males)

Youth Employment

UAC’s Youth Division offers youth and young adults ages 14-24 summer and year-round job opportunities that provide career exposure, resume and interview preparation, wardrobe-outfitting services, on-the-job mentoring, “soft" and hard skills training, paid summer internships and a practical understanding of the working world.

• Work Experience Program
• Summer Career Exploration Program/ Internships
• Service Learning: Nu Sigma’s Summer Enrichment and Employment Project
• Transitional Job Placement Services for the Coalition's youth clients

Please note that the Coalition’s Summer WorkReady recruitment and selection process begins on or after April 15th every year. Additional information, application materials, and guidelines may not be available until this time. Eligibility varies with program and income guidelines. Any parent or youth with further questions may contact the citywide WorkReady Philadelphia Hotline at 267-502-3742 or via email to youth@workreadyphila.org.

For Employers

The Coalition is seeking to expand our network of employer-partners. If you or an employer you know of may be interested in serving as a UAC employer-partner to support career exploration and workforce development for multiple youth and young adult populations, please contact the Youth Division Director.

For further information on summer internships, please visit http://www.workreadyphila.com.

For More Information Contact

Farrah Samuels, MSEd
Director, Youth Division
1207 Chestnut Street, 4th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-851-1713
Email: fsamuels@uac.org