Climate Week: West Philadelphia Teach-In

PART 1: PRIORITIES AND PERSPECTIVES PANEL

TUESDAY, 9.22.2020, 4:00-5:30PM EDT

PART 2: COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS ROUNDTABLE

WEDNESDAY, 9.23.2020, 4:00-5:30PM EDT

As part of Penn's Climate Week, September 21-25, the Netter Center is organizing two Teach-Ins on West Philadelphia environmental and climate health, social justice, and the intersection of these issues. In these teach-ins, community leaders will share their perspectives on current challenges, priorities and hopes for the future.  Panelists will discuss opportunities for Penn partnerships and practical ways to engage in democratic, collaborative problem-solving that advances community health and resiliency in the face of climate change.

In “West Philadelphia Teach-In Part 1: Community Perspectives and Priorities on Environmental Health and Justice in West Philadelphia,” panelists will respond to audience questions after brief opening statements that answer the following questions:

• What do you see happening locally in relation to health, environment, and climate? What is concerning you?
• From your perspective, what are the environmental health and justice priorities of your community, right now? How do you see this shifting over the next ten years? 
• What have been some local environmental health successes and challenges?
• What roles do you see for the following entities in local environmental health, particularly over the next decade as we face the climate emergency: higher education, schools, healthcare, community spaces and organizations. 
• What other entities need to be involved? What collaborations with those entities would you like to see?  
• What does “sustainability” mean to you?  

Join us for Part Two on Wednesday, September 23rd from 4:00-5:30pm EDT to hear from local environmental health, climate action, and environmental justice program leaders in West Philadelphia.  

In “West Philadelphia Teach-In Part 2: Partnerships for Environmental Health and Justice (as We Face Climate Change) in West Philadelphia,” program leaders who confront environmental health, climate change, and environmental injustice in West Philadelphia will share their lessons learned and ideas about next steps.  

We will then transition into a participatory roundtable format where, through breakout rooms, discussion will be guided by the following prompts:

• Prompt 1: What partnerships and activities in environmental health and justice are working now? What needs developing? How do we sustain? Improve? Grow? 
• Prompt 2: How can universities work democratically and collaboratively with community partners to improve environmental health? 
• Prompt 3: What next steps need to be taken?

Get more information about this event and all of the activities of Climate Week here.