Community Engagement

Klein students give back to the Philadelphia community—and the world.

Klein College of Media and Communication believes in bettering ourselves and the community around us. As part of a global university like Temple, that community stretches well beyond the borders of Main Campus and Philadelphia’s Broad Street. Through community outreach programs, community-engaged research, volunteer opportunities and many more initiatives, Klein College aims to positively impact our neighborhoods and the world around us.

Our Initiatives

Here, you’ll find a listing of current community engagement initiatives at Klein College. Faculty and staff work closely with area organizations to create these initiatives and identify future opportunities.

Community Initiatives

Amplify!

Amplify! was an idea generation party centered around advocacy work hosted at Klein College in November 2021. The purpose was to generate ideas and innovative ways to address some of the challenges shared within the community like misinformation and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. All university students across the city were invited to attend. 

Community Scholars and Senior Scholars

Community Scholars and Senior Scholars is an effort out of Temple University to directly engage community-based residents over the age of 50 and alumni by allowing them to audit select courses for noncredit throughout Klein College. This includes courses in advertising, crisis management, global communication, journalism and more.

The COVID Vaccine Project

The COVID Vaccine Project with the Katz School of Medicine and Temple’s College of Public Health was established through two grants to reach ethnic and underserved communities across Philadelphia with COVID-19 vaccines. The grants came from

  • the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and 
  • the city of Philadelphia’s FEMA funding. 

Klein College staff developed outreach efforts and designed advocacy campaigns to reach diverse communities across Philadelphia with vaccination clinics.

Germantown Info Hub

Germantown Info Hub is a free resource to share information and stories of, and for, residents of the Germantown neighborhood in Philadelphia. This is a collaboration between a community advisory group, students and faculty at Temple and Jefferson Universities, and media partners.

Kensington Voice

Kensington Voice is a community-driven news initiative with stories produced by students and local community members weekly. The paper explores existing and potential solutions to problems facing the heart of Kensington. It is focused on amplifying traditionally underserved voices, illuminating the neighborhood’s challenges, complexity and resilience. 

Philadelphia Neighborhoods

Philadelphia Neighborhoods reports in and on underserved and underreported communities throughout Philadelphia. Every semester, journalism students report on a beat in the city to cover stories that are not typically highlighted by mainstream media.

The Resolve Philly Partnership

The Resolve Philly Partnership agreement includes student reporters working collaboratively across outlets as well as with Broke in Philly representatives in order to craft stories that speak to both Broke in Philly’s mission and the college student experience. The end results are stories titled “A Year Online” by Natalie Kerr and Tyler Perez and “College Decision Day” by Tyler Perez, Haajrah Gilani, Eden MacDougall and Rosie Leonard, published in The Temple News’ longform section.  

Nonprofit Initiatives

Donation Drives

Donation drives are implemented throughout the year including annual commitments to the following initiatives. 

  • Back-to-school supply drive for North Philadelphia Community Centers or schools every August.
  • Winter coat drive for North Philadelphia shelters during October and/or November.
  • Food drive for Cherry and White Pantry during November and/or December.
  • Toy drive for Shriners Hospital held in December.
N. Philadelphia Canvassing with Tree House Books

North Philadelphia Canvassing with Tree House Books is a partnership with a local nonprofit organization dedicated to improving every child’s access to books. Volunteers canvas the North Philadelphia community, spreading the word about Tree House Books’ programs and building relationships with our resident neighbors in the 19121 and 19122 ZIP codes.

Philly Police Athletic League

Philly Police Athletic League (PAL) is a partnership where Temple provides $1,000 scholarships to PAL students. Klein College has hosted events on campus and will be creating the video for PAL Day at City Hall this year. Klein will be piloting career activity in several PAL centers this spring. In addition, Don Heller, senior vice dean at Klein College, serves as the chair of the scholarship committee.

High School Initiatives

Klein College High School Summer Media Workshop

Klein College HS Summer Media Workshop is a tuition-free, two-week summer program designed to prepare the next generation of digitally and urban-trained journalists through hands-on training, field reporting, and experiential trips within Philadelphia. Historically, this workshop is open to any student living in Philadelphia entering grades 11 or 12.

Klein Futures Pathway Partnership

Klein Futures Pathway Partnership is a program aimed at building direct connections between Philadelphia high school students interested in communication arts, design, digital media and writing with local, trained college-aged peers who can aid in education and mentorship toward college and relevant career paths.

KYW Newstudies Program

KYW Newstudies Program gives high school students the opportunity to learn news writing, reporting, ethics and interviewing skills from anchors, editors, reporters, station managers and guest speakers. Students then research, write and record news stories about their school and community. The students’ reports will air on KYW Newsradio. Students apply to the program; approximately 75 to 100 are selected. The majority reside in the Philadelphia community.

Partnership with Dobbins CTE High School

The “Creating the Future” symposium is an event organized by members of Philadelphia Youth Media Collaborative (PYMC) where high school students, college students and industry professionals come together to collaborate, create, engage and share with one another within the world of media and communication. The event is hosted annually.

PYMC Youth Set the Stage

Youth Set the Stage is an organization under the umbrella of PYMC. YSTS is dedicated to amplifying youth voices through media and art. The inaugural YSTS event occurred in June 2019 at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, bringing together live music, performance, video, networking and youth voices in a youth-led showcase of those working for social change in Philadelphia's neighborhoods and beyond. Sherri Hope Culver is a major influencer of this group and has ties to various youth media organizations and initiatives throughout the country.