Strong Partnerships, Shared Vision, Mutual Accountability
North10 Philadelphia works to improve life outcomes for community members of the North Philadelphia Hunting Park-East Tioga community so current residents and future generations live happy, healthy, and civically engaged lives.
Who We Are
History, Mission, Vision, & Leadership
What We Do
Programs, Community Services, Capital Projects, & Plans
Get Involved
Volunteer, Donate and Support Hunting Park-East Tioga
By the Numbers
POPULATION
The Hunting Park-East Tioga population is 6,340, with 30% of the population being under 19 years-old.
POVERTY
40% of Hunting Park-East Tioga residents live in poverty, while 20% of the residents live in extreme poverty.
EDUCATION
95% of the students in Hunting Park and East Tioga attend public schools, with 71% of students graduating high school.
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
The median household income for residents in Hunting Park-East Tioga is $21,547 per year. The median household income in the US is $59,039 per year.
North Philadelphia neighbors get prepared for emergencies
On June 20, 2018, residents from the Hunting Park and East Tioga neighborhoods joined North10, Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management to engage in a highly informative workshop on emergency preparedness.
OEM’s Community Resilience Coordinator, Emma Giardina, began the workshop by gauging the participants’ knowledge of Philadelphian’s level of readiness for handling disasters that could befall the city.
Attendees later learned what supplies they should have in their households’ “Go Bags”. The OEM distributed free Go Bags, portable charging stations, and USB flashlights to each participant, as well as literature and planning documents.
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The workshop was quite positively received by all who attended. Residents expressed an interest in continued learning around how neighborhoods can coordinate preparedness efforts. Additional training is being planned.
African-American teachers push messages of affirmation, success at Philadelphia school
Our partners at Bethune Elementary in North Philadelphia, Principle Jamina Clay-Dingle and her staff, are being recognized for their efforts to recruit black men at Bethune. In comparison to a national average of 2%, about 30% of Bethune’s teachers are African-American men. Read more here.
(Photo credit: NBC News)
North10 Welcomes New Community & Educational Partnerships Manager
North10, Philadelphia is excited to expand our team with the best and brightest in the industry.
Kaiya Harris is a native “Jersey Girl” who was born, raised and educated in the city of Asbury Park, NJ. A natural-born educator, she earned a degree in Public Health with an emphasis on Community Education from the Richard Stockton College of NJ. After leading community health education initiatives in South Jersey schools, she began a career in education that flourished for more than 10 years in some of New Jersey’s most challenging urban school districts.
Her love of community and passion for teaching and training later led her to championing community-based population health education and advocacy within the city of Camden, NJ. Kaiya has also worked in faith-based community engagement for over a decade. She is now the Founder of “God In Justice.org”, a faith-based nonprofit organization whose aim is to equip individuals and churches to engage their communities through civic participation, advocacy and social action.
We look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnerships within the community and we look forward to Kaiya’s great work.
Contact her: Kaiya@north10phl.org
Liberty Motel Purchase by North10 Profiled in Philly Inquirer/ Daily News
By Jacob Adelman
“For years, the Liberty Motel at Germantown Avenue and Westmoreland Street was a magnet for drug use and prostitution in the North Philadelphia neighborhood served by the Lenfest Center, a hub of educational and athletic programming for area teens and children.
Now the center has closed down the motel after buying the property, with plans to redevelop the site as part of a mixed-use project that backers hope will help revitalize the surrounding commercial corridor…”
Photo: SYDNEY SCHAEFER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER, Inquirer
North10 Philadelphia Hosts Youth-Focused Community Event
On Tuesday, April 10, 2018, North10, Philadelphia hosted a Vision Board Party/ Community Meeting. Our objective was to gain insight into the minds of the younger members of our community, whose voices are often left out of important discussions. We invited Hunting Park community members ages 12-30 to join us for the party, which offered music, prizes, and food, to share their vision for the future of Hunting Park.
Key themes:
- Safety
- Financial security
- Better educational options
- More playgrounds and spaces for children to gather
- Empowerment
- Respect for the community
We gathered over 40 Vision boards from community members, each serving as valuable information to inform our strategic planning for the neighborhood. Attendees also shared their thoughts in an open forum in which they were invited to ask questions about North10.
North 10 Welcomes Gov. Tom Wolf to the Lenfest Center
On March 14, 2018, H. Chase Lenfest and North10, Philadelphia welcomed Gov. Tom Wolf, State Senator Sharif Street, City Council President Darrell Clarke, and members of the Hunting Park/ East Tioga community to the Lenfest Center to discuss closing the former Liberty Motel.
Members of the community shared the stories of their efforts to have the motel shut down over the years and the impact the motel has had on the surrounding community. There have been at least 20 reported homicides, 116 arrests for prostitution, and over 1800 calls to the police reporting problems at the site from 2004-2014. The purchase of the motel, and the subsequent closing and securing of the building, has already improved the neighborhood according to local residents.
Amelia Price, the commercial corridor manager for Called to Serve CDC, and Officer Marcus Salas, of the 25th Police District, have spent several years working within this neighborhood to try to bring an end to the nuisances inside and surrounding the motel. Price has been working closely with the merchants on the 3400-3600 blocks of Germantown Avenue, especially, on efforts to improve the corridor with support from the Commerce Department and now, North 10.
In a 2015 guest column for WHYY, Price wrote of her partnership with Salas and another police officer, Gary Sinclair:
“They sacrificed the time to go out in the field with me weekly to engage with the merchants and neighbors of the community for open and honest dialogue. On each occasion, they listened to the community’s concerns and complaints, took notes, and advised them of what they plan on doing to help — and they have acted upon their promises.”
Gov. Wolf listened intently as each person shared their perspective and connection to the community and the work to close to motel. Principal Clay-Dingle gave a heartfelt reflection on what the students of Bethune have had to cope with and manage, going to school directly across from the motel. The Pickenses shared the difficulties they and other community members have experienced over the years. And Clarke and Street also shared their thoughts about what the community needs and where it is headed.
Working in partnership with community stakeholders, we envision a transformation for a community whose members have long hoped for and worked towards making a reality.
WHYY Reports on Bethune Elementary’s Black Panther Trip
North Philly students ‘lost for words’ after seeing themselves in ‘Black Panther’
It’s field trip day at Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School in North Philadelphia and the hallways are packed with 273 kids getting ready to board buses.
But the students are not going to the museum or the zoo. They’re going to the movies to see Marvel’s new superhero film, “Black Panther.”
Read more here.
(Image: Kyrie Greenberg/for WHYY)
Bethune Elementary Students Attend ‘Black Panther’ Premiere
Students of Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School (3301 Old York Road) were so excited when they found out they would be going to see the blockbuster Marvel movie, Black Panther!
The school’s principal, Jamina Clay-Dingle, wanted to raise money to cover the cost of transportation for the students, many of whom live in areas affected by poverty. She created a GoFundMe campaign to raise $1,250 for buses to take the 5th through 8th graders to the movie.
“The students said it was great to see an African American featured in a Marvel Comic book. They were also excited about the technological advances and how warfare translated into power,” shared Herman Douglas, a 7th grade ELA teacher at Bethune who escorted the 273 students to the movie viewing. He said that, for him, the movie reminded him of Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and their commitment to empowerment and giving back to their communities. He noted that they also received a donation of over 300 T-shirts for the students and parents to wear to the event.
After sharing the fundraiser information with the North10 team, Michelle Taylor, Director of Community Partnerships & Strategy, took to social media to spread the word and solicit donations. Within an hour, the goal had not only been met, but surpassed by more than double! Clay-Dingle announced, via the GoFundMe page, that because of the success of the fundraiser, the 4th grade students would also be able to attend.
Bethune Elementary, a school where 31% if the teachers are Black men (!!), is raising money to get buses to take their kids to see Black Panther. Do your thing Twitter!! Donate here if you can spare https://t.co/rDOdbZwggx
— ♈️☀️6’0 High & Rising🌙♌️ (@FeministaJones) February 9, 2018
YOU DID IT OMG THANK YOU SO MUCHHHHHH
*cries* pic.twitter.com/S9VbYMAbU9
— ♈️☀️6’0 High & Rising🌙♌️ (@FeministaJones) February 10, 2018
I know the 4th graders are going to FLIP when they find out they, too, can go to the movie!!! pic.twitter.com/tEVUQ9lh0p
— ♈️☀️6’0 High & Rising🌙♌️ (@FeministaJones) February 10, 2018
North10 is happy to support Principal Dingle and the staff at Bethune Elementary in increasing access to opportunities like these. We look forward to working with the school and other organizations and groups in Hunting Park and East Tioga on achieving similar goals.
North10 Hosts Community Meeting at Bethune Elementary
On February 13, 2018, North10 hosted a community meeting at Bethune Elementary School to discuss the recent closing of the Liberty Motel and to talk with community members about what they would like to see happen with the space, as well as the larger community.
We were interested in hearing more about what needs the community members of East Tioga and Hunting Park have and how they want to see their neighborhoods improved. There was a great discussion about job opportunities, affordable housing resources, and community spaces for socializing, educating, and working together.
Bethune principal, Jemina Dingle, opened the meeting with a few remarks:
North10 CEO, Joshua Klaris, a former principal and long-time educator, shared the mission and purpose of North10, highlighting that it is an organization created to serve as a “community quarterback”*—North10 seeks to work with Hunting Park’s and East Tioga’s local organizations, stakeholders, and community members to build a coalition and develop strategies to improve outcomes for the people there. (*Read more about the “Purpose-Built Community” model here.)
Michelle Taylor, North10’s Director of Community Partnerships and Strategy, asked attendees: “What would you like to see happen in your neighborhood and in this space? What are the greatest needs here?“
Members worked in small groups to come up with lists of ideas. Some of the responses included:
- Senior Center
- Community Center for Teenagers
- Community Shared Workspace
- Health Center
- Grocery Store/ Supermarket
- Library
- After-school Center
- Skating Rink
- Gym/ Fitness Center
- Employment Resource Center
- Adult Education Center
Council President, Darrell Clarke, attended the meeting and shared a few words with the group. He thanked Chase Lenfest for his investments into the Lenfest Center and into North10 and he thanked the community organizations and members for showing up and working together for the betterment of their neighborhoods.
Several organizations were represented at the event including: Called To Serve CDC; Hunting Park RC/ NAC, Hunting Park United, Nicetown-Tioga Improvement Team, Lenfest Center, Lenfest Center Parent Committee, Temple University School of Medicine, EARTHs, Inc., Blessings, Inc. youth organization, the Office of the Council President, the City of Philadelphia, and, of course, Bethune Elementary School.
Over the next 10 months, North10 will work with a steering committee, comprised of several of the organizations mentioned above, to develop a strategic plan for the development of the area that houses the former Liberty Motel, Carmen’s Skating rink, and the associated open lots. We received a grant from the Commerce Department to work on this plan, so we assembled a steering committee of community stakeholders who are invested in the neighborhood’s future.
The steering committee met for the first time on January 17, 2018 and we have developed the following timeline:
North10 would like to thank everyone for attending and spreading the word about the event. It was inspiring to see and feel so much energy in the room. We look forward to working with community members and organizational leadership to develop a vision and strategy for these neighborhoods.
North10 Hosts Community Meeting in Hunting Park 2/13/18
North10, Philadelphia invites you to join us for a community meeting to learn more about our organization and to discuss recent developments with the Liberty Motel and Carmen’s Skating Rink. We want to hear from you, the community, and learn your ideas for what you would like to see happen in your community. This will be a time to learn more about how you can become involved in shaping the future of your community, so we invite you to join us at Bethune Elementary on February 13, 2018.
North10, Philadelphia lo invita a unirse a nosotros para una reunión comunitaria para conocer más acerca de nuestra organización y para analizar los últimos desarrollos con Liberty Motel y Carmen’s Skating Rink. Queremos saber de usted, la comunidad, y aprender sus ideas sobre lo que le gustaría que sucediera en su comunidad. Este será un momento para aprender más sobre cómo puede participar en la configuración del futuro de su comunidad, por lo que los invitamos a unirse a nosotros en la escuela primaria Bethune el 13 de febrero de 2018.