Being neighborly

Most of us have heard the saying, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” That sentiment rings true across all areas of our lives, but none more so than in our local community. 

Temple’s Good Neighbor Initiative encourages students to get to know their neighbors and get involved in the community. The initiative promotes volunteer opportunities in North Philadelphia, introduces students to the North Central Special Services District (NCSSD), and promotes awareness of trash and recycling collection days. In addition, Temple’s Office of Sustainability distributes recycling bins to students living near campus at the beginning of each academic year.

With a large concentration of Temple students choosing to live west of Broad Street, the district aims to mitigate their impact and address concerns of longtime residents.

During the times of year that see the most student activity, such as in July and August when students are moving in and out of rental units, Temple’s administration along with the NCSSD takes extra measures to address these issues, including securing additional trash pickup days by the city, arranging for bulk trash removal, strategically placing dumpsters for convenient use by students, refocusing ODAAT efforts, and communicating with students and their parents about proper garbage disposal through email and social media messaging.

Building relationships

Jakki Young has called this neighborhood home for nearly 30 years. During that time she has watched the community evolve as more students move into the area. As the block captain, Young works with all of the residents to keep the sidewalks along the 1800 block of Willington Street clean and in order.

The fact is that when neighbors are engaged in positive collaboration, everyone wins—and the good news is that there are many opportunities to get involved through the district. Take a look at those mentioned below, and feel free to reach out to us if you have ideas of your own to add.