Jessica Blatt Press is a writer in PhiladelphiaJessica Blatt Press is an award-winning journalist and editor whose work has appeared in O: The Oprah Magazine; Glamour; Redbook; Parents; The New York Times; The Philadelphia Inquirer; Scholastic; Seventeen; and more. As a LEDE Fellow of the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN), Jess created Citizen Teen, a journalism mentorship program for Philly high school students that made history when 100 percent of its pilot cohort had work published by SJN’s prestigious “Story Tracker” — making them the first known high school students in the world to do so.

Jess is particularly passionate about youth, education, mental health and the intersection of all three, and is inspired by stories of people uplifting communities in meaningful ways. She serves on the board of The Bullhorn News, the independent, student-run newspaper of the School District of Philadelphia, and was in the inaugural cohort of journalists to receive training from The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting.

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Stories by Jessica Blatt Press:

“What Do You Need?”

In light of federal funding cuts affecting those most in need, the Patricia Kind Family Foundation is calling all donors to join a new collective supporting Philly’s small, hardworking nonprofits

By Jessica Blatt Press
The Citizen Recommends

Party with a Purpose

The annual gala for the American Association for Cancer Research is your opportunity to help end cancer once and for all

By Jessica Blatt Press

Let’s Scale These Ideas

Meet the three groups that will pitch their ideas to funders and supporters at the first-ever Ideas We Should Scale Showcase at the Linc on November 13

By Jessica Blatt Press

Who Are this Year’s Citizens of the Year?

Our search for the next crop of local heroes is well underway — and we need your input!

By Jessica Blatt Press

How to Help Schools, Students and Teachers

Donate food or money for uniforms, share your expertise, provide reading help and more ways you can support schools in Philadelphia

By Jessica Blatt Press

Which Philly Ideas Do You Want to Scale?

We asked local do-good orgs to tell us why they want to grow, in our search for three presenters for the first-ever Ideas We Should Scale Showcase — the response floored us. Now, we want your input.

By Jessica Blatt Press
Citizen of the Week

Collie Turner, Heroic Gardener

The horticulturist created an urban garden on an abandoned Northeast Philly lot to heal the land and community members like her beloved late grandfather: veterans

By Jessica Blatt Press
2025 Rad Awards

Dr. Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia doctor is working with colleagues to make treatment breakthroughs that are changing lives — and are poised to change the world

By Jessica Blatt Press

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