PCF received a request from the Village for some laptop computers. When we learned that the laptops were needed for programming and web development courses being taught over the summer, we jumped at the opportunity. The Village is an amazing place and a great resource and PCF was delighted they were teaching computer courses over the summer. All in all 10 laptops (donated by the Radnor School district) were set up on the third floor where the classes are being taught.

A little bit more about the Village of the Arts & Humanities:

The Village seeks to amplify community voices and aspirations by providing arts-based opportunities for self-expression that engage our North Central Philadelphia neighborhood, revitalize physical space, and preserve black heritage. Our 30 year legacy is rooted in artist-facilitated community building, beginning with the work of our founders Arthur Hall (Ile Ife Black Humanitarian Center) and civic practice artist, Lily Yeh. Today, we are an anchor, community-based institution of 15 art parks and 10 program buildings, and the largest provider of free arts and cultural programs to youth in our 260 sq. block target area.

The Village utilizes its $1.1 million budget to support seven arts-based programs that build neighborhood capacity, create employment opportunities, improve community health and safety, and cultivate community connections and belonging. The Village sits at the intersection of three police districts and two city council districts. Our primary service area is considered to be one of the highest crime, highest need neighborhoods in the city. Most youth attending Village programs come from single-parent households, reside in public or subsidized housing, have experienced or witnessed a violent crime, and/or have an incarcerated family member. The realities of such intergenerational poverty amount to tremendous socio-economic challenges for the 160 young black men we serve each year.

In response, The Village designs programs and projects that meet youth and families where they are in their lives, acknowledge and accept their realities, work collaboratively to build on first moments of engagement, and begin to nurture the process of self-actualization. The Village is a local and national model for innovative, responsive and relevant youth arts education. This year, The Village received the Councilman David Cohen Award for our work intersection of arts and culture with social and economic justice, and a prestigious Youth Arts Enrichment grant from Philadelphia Cultural Fund for our work with underserved teens. In recent years, we received the George Bartol Arts Education Award, Impact 100’s coveted $100k award for innovation in youth arts media, a Knight Foundation’s Arts Challenge award for innovative youth programming, and a Coming Up Taller award from the National Endowment for the Arts