Iron Sharpens Iron Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations

Matthew George is the Business Development Manager at Germantown United CDC and founder of I Love Thy Hood. In this mini episode, he discusses his goal to clean up his corridor in Germantown and all that he has done so far to make it happen.

About Germantown United CDC

Germantown United CDC is a community-based nonprofit organization serving Northwest Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood. Our work is centered on commercial corridor revitalization and community economic development. We offer programs that support the local business community and neighborhood residents. Our mission is to promote and facilitate the revitalization of Germantown and its business corridors through a sustainable, creative, and community-driven approach to economic development.

About I Love Thy Hood

I Love Thy Hood seeks to educate the community on the importance of keeping our cities and streets clean. With the splash of an orange trash can, we strive to enrich residents and neighborhoods alike with more options of recycling and waste management while bringing everyone together to help those in their hood.

TRANSCRIPTION (via Otter.ai)

Accra Zuberi is the Outreach and Partnerships Manager for University City Arts League. Accra discusses the process of creating art pieces with participants to really think about how we work together as a community, how we are making connections, and the goal of neighbors experiencing peace together.



About University City Art League

The University City Arts League is a non-profit organization dedicated to intergenerational education and cultural enrichment in the arts. Their primary goals are:


To provide a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds to experience the arts
To encourage and support the development of the arts
To bring the arts to the community through partnerships and educational outreach

TRANSCRIPTION (via Otter.ai)

Lizette Lewis is a Project Manager at New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC). In this mini episode, Lizette discusses giving healthcare workers access to resources to take back to their communities.



About New Kensington Community Development Corporation

New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) is a different kind of nonprofit. We are community-driven, trauma-informed, and equity-focused.

We provide a wide range of services—real estate development, housing counseling, small business assistance, corridor cleaning, workforce development, nutrition education, community health resources—to residents and businesses across the Kensington, Port Richmond, and Fishtown neighborhoods of Philadelphia. We offer housing services city-wide. NKCDC advances social equity & economic empowerment by nurturing and creating opportunities for residents to live in, and actively shape, their neighborhoods of choice. NKCDC advances social equity & economic empowerment by nurturing and creating opportunities for residents to live in, and actively shape, their neighborhoods of choice.



TRANSCRIPTION (via Otter.ai)

Gloria Maria Cartagena Hart aka "Smooches", Commercial Corridor Manager at New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) discusses healing through trauma with Leon and De'Wayne and why she goes by "Smooches."



About NKCDC:

NKCDC advances social equity & economic empowerment by nurturing and creating opportunities for residents to live in, and actively shape, their neighborhoods of choice. NKCDC uses a strategic combination of real estate development, community engagement, and people-centered direct services to ensure all of our neighbors can remain—and thrive—where they choose to live. Whether we are building affordable housing or helping residents build their wealth, we pledge to promote equity, stability, and safety in all we do, with a sharp focus on those most at risk of being displaced.

TRANSCRIPTION

(Transcript by Otter.ai)

Pam Bridgeforth is Managing Director of Camden Repertory Theatre and former Director of Programs for the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations. In this mini episode, Pam talks with Leon and De'Wayne about building community and poetry.




About Camden Repertory Theatre


Camden Rep was founded by Desi P. Shelton, a Camden, NJ native, in 2005 and initiated their inaugural season in August 2006. While working on her MFA at Sarah Lawrence College, Desi noticed the urban female voice was missing from the theatrical canon. Upon returning to Camden, residents began building on her premonition expressing to her they were not welcome at the local university venues and did not have an artistic home nor outlet in Camden, thus leaving their stories untold. This prompted Desi to begin Camden Rep. After encouragement from her Executive Director at the Walt Whitman Arts Center, Pamela Bridgeforth, she branched out and launched Camden Rep initially under the umbrella of the Walt Whitman Arts Center. In 2008, the organization stepped out on faith, clipped their wings, and began soaring independently.


The main stage season operates from September-June utilizing the summer months to focus on training and developing serious pre-professional young artists. These young artists also prepare for college auditions and receive assistance with the application process. Although the focus is on Camden City youth our success has attracted students from the entire Camden County region. The company also conducts intergenerational arts workshops during the summer where artists range from 8-80.

Since 2006 Camden Rep continues to successfully make monumental strides: touring in Panama; creating an alliance with Bridgeton’s Youth to Youth; assisting students in obtaining scholarships to two of the top music programs including Oberlin Conservatory and Berklee College of Music in addition to Florida A&M, Morgan State University, University of the Arts and Temple University.


Camden professional and community artists and the citizens are the primary focus of the work of Camden Rep. However the high artistic aesthetic continues to attract people from the Delaware Valley because minority artists can consistently obtain and develop their work at the company.


Transcription: https://otter.ai/u/0yr1r-KWepSP72EUGm6bAucaqpY

In this mini-episode, Iron Sharpens Iron hosts Leon and De'Wayne interview former Philadelphia poet laureate, Trapeta Mayson. She reads from her original poem, "In Spite of It All"