Karla Mota hectically runs back and forth through the Youth United for Change office carrying stacks of statistics. Hurrying to finish up her day’s work before she heads home, Mota, 17, understands the importance of her and her fellow youth leader’s assignments. Mota attends Kensington CAPA High School and has been a leader with Youth United for Change for the past two years, trying her best to improve the high schools in her community.

One can find many problems …

The streets of Kensington can be unsafe and uncertain. Police sirens often blare as they race down Kensington Avenue. Drug deals occur on many corners, and worst of all, children are often left unattended on the streets, leaving them in danger.

But after the rape of an 11-year-old girl in Kensington, parents are …

With fresh-cut flowers as the centerpiece, each table is set up neatly for four customers.  The guests pour in, after patiently waiting, to sit down and enjoy a delicious meal.  Like any restaurant, the Saint Francis Inn volunteers hustle to make sure each and every guest leaves full and with a smile.

Carlos Gonzalez is one individual who constantly leaves the …

The Philadelphia school system has a laundry list of problems. Overcrowding, attendance, dropouts, literacy, lack of extracurriculars and cutbacks that lead to music and arts programs being dropped are just some of the complaints against inner-city schools. Effects last after public education. Twenty-two percent of Philadelphians are functionally illiterate.

There are optimists.

“We just had a kid taken away in handcuffs today,” says James Williams, principal of the  Culinary Arts High School in Kensington. “So many kids are returning …

Wearing a neon green hat to match the color of his shirt and plaid shorts, Clifford Reynolds addressed the crowd with a look of sincerity and hope.  As he spoke through the microphone, his words echoed more than to just the crowd standing in front of him, but to the community at whole.

“We’d like to thank everyone for coming out and showing your love.  …

It was a bright and warm Saturday afternoon in Kensington. A week after the attack, family, friends and neighbors gathered in McPherson Square Park to show their support for the victim and to celebrate the 11-year-old girl’s return from the hospital after being raped on her way to school last Tuesday.

“Let’s dedicate ourselves to making sure that nothing like this ever happens again,” Mayor Michael Nutter said at the event. “And through this …

The recent news about an 11-year-old girl being raped in Kensington has almost everybody in Philadelphia talking. Some people cannot get over the horror that was inflicted on such a young child and others are talking about the manner in which the attacker was caught.

Jose Carrasquillo, the alleged assailant, was chased and beaten by two local men and some  are wondering whether the men have been charged with a crime. In fact, the police described their actions as a citizens’ arrest and gave them more than $11,000 for their actions.

Police have described Carrasquillo as a …

Empty 40-ounce bottles of Old English make a loud cracking sound as they roll down Kensington Avenue.  Devoured bags of Doritos and old, worn-out clothes pile up on the corners of the streets, while people stroll by ignoring the massive amounts of trash that is building up around them.

Many people of Kensington have lost hope.  In an area, which suffers dramatically from massive …

Philadelphia has long been an esteemed beer city dating back to the colonial times. Taverns and pubs were meeting places for revolutionaries. The tradition of immigrants finding community in pub life continued throughout the industrial boom – and not just in Brewerytown. In the late 1800s, there were over 100 breweries in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. In 1906, Weisbrod & Hess finished construction of their brewery, and as …

Mendez Homes and Investments has been renting and selling affordable homes to Philadelphia residents for the past four years—and doesn’t see things stopping anytime soon.

“We’re affected by the economy, but it’s still a great place to live,” says Maria Mendez of Kensington.  Mendez has been operating as a broker for Mendez Homes and Investments for the past four years.

Calling upon local artists from around the northeastern Philadelphia area, Mendez wanted to create an office in which the community felt welcome.  Coming from a Latino background herself, she first began her business by reaching out to the Latino community.  It was then …