The Urban Sustainability Leadership Academy (USLA) is an after school program for high school students whose primary goal is to create life-long learners who have the character, knowledge, skills and desire to continually cultivate what is best within themselves, their communities and the world at large.
USLA includes three interdependent components: 1) learning modules, 2) social entrepreneurial activities, and 3) internships. These components are structured around a central concept, urban sustainability with a focus on sustainable agriculture, horticulture and recycling. As such, all learning activities are taught in the context of running and building a youth-led urban agricultural business called Teens 4 Good, a social youth entrepreneurship program managed by the Federation.
Teens 4 Good provides a unique opportunity for experiential and contextualized learning around horticultural science, urban agriculture, entrepreneurship, and work readiness soft and hard skills through running an urban farming business.
Partners:
United Communities Southeast Philadelphia, North Light Community Center, Horace Furness High School, Roxborough High School, ARAMARK, Jeff Brown ShopRite Stores, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, Penn State University, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
Funding Source:
Philadelphia Youth Network
Locations:
United Communites @ Furness High School – 1900 South 3rd Street
North Light Community Center @ Roxborough High School – 6498 Ridge Ave