IMPACT Philly is a project in which inner-city students from Philadelphia tackle social issues that they find meaningful and work toward impacting them in a positive way.

IMPACT Philly takes an empathy-driven, human-centric approach to problem solving. By using the design thinking process, students learn to create solutions based on the needs of their beneficiaries and develop an understanding of the iterative process of tackling complex social challenges like homelessness, sustainability, food insecurity, effects of childhood cancer, etc.

In a collaborative setting, our awesome student teams partner with organizations that offer programs to help communities dealing with social causes they care about. Community partners have included: Project H.O.M.E., The Ronald McDonald House, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Catholic Social Services, The USO, and many more. Post-secondary student volunteers from Jefferson University also assist the high school teams, helping them bring their ideas for impact to life.

Past projects have included (but are not limited to) creating sustainable healthy food options for inner-city families, designing and developing innovative care packages for the homeless that are housed in handmade weatherproof scarves, building after-school STEM and literacy programs for elementary school students and mentorship programs for preteens dealing with stress.

Through experiential learning, we foster the confidence and creativity needed for students to be lifelong problem solvers. The project cultivates young leaders in the community by giving them the tools to make a difference. It has also proven to increase career readiness skills by increasing basic math, literacy and soft skills such as presentation and one-on-one oral communication skills.

https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/learning-by-doing-mercy-career-and-technical-high-school/