Join us!

Attend Run for Something

On Monday, May 9, 5:30 to 7 pm, The Philadelphia Citizen hosts Run for Something at the Fitler Club Ballroom, gathering political changemakers to discuss building and supporting the next generation of leaders. The event is free, please RSVP here.

Connect WITH OUR SOCIAL ACTION TEAM


Got politics?

Every generation needs leaders. Are you one?

New Leaders Council Philadelphia is training young leaders to make lasting impacts on their communities and guide Philly into the future. You can learn more and support their work here.  

Run for Something is recruiting and supporting young diverse progressives in an effort to lower the barriers to politics and ensure a sustainable democracy for our future. You can volunteer to talk to potential candidates and voters, and support their organization with a donation here. 

Get Involved

Engaged citizens strengthen democracy

One of the founding tenets of The Philadelphia Citizen is to get people the resources they need to become better, more engaged citizens of their city.

We hope to do that in our Good Citizenship Toolkit, which includes a host of ways to get involved in Philadelphia—whether you want to run for a committee seat in your voting district, get those experiencing homelessness the goods they need, or simply go out to dinner somewhere where you know your money is going toward a greater good.

Find an issue that’s important to you in the list below, and get started on your journey of A-plus citizenship.

Vote and strengthen democracy

Stand up for marginalized communities

Create a cleaner, greener Philadelphia

Help our local youth and schools succeed

Support local businesses

The Citizen Recommends

Run for Something

Meet changemakers who have shaken up politics as usual — and want to inspire Philly to do the same

The Citizen Recommends

Run for Something

Meet changemakers who have shaken up politics as usual — and want to inspire Philly to do the same

BY Lauren McCutcheon

May. 04, 2022

Print

Established. Elite. Entrenched.

There are many ways to describe the politicians still running things at every level of U.S. government. There are also many things we can do about changing this stale paradigm. (One of them is to vote on May 17.)

On Monday, May 9, 5:30 to 7pm, The Philadelphia Citizen will gather four agents of political change to talk about inspiring, building, supporting — and becoming — a new generation of elected leaders. Meet us at the Fitler Club ballroom for an inspiring exchange of ideas.

Join us for this free event, Citizen executive editor Roxanne Patel Shepalavy will lead a conversation between the audience and:

  • Amanda Litman, co-founder and co-executive director of Run for Something, a nonprofit that recruits young, diverse candidates for office. Litman has also worked for Hillary Clinton, Charlie Crist and Barack Obama. She is the author of Run for Something, a Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself, the host of both the podcast by the same name and the podcast Battleground.
  • Isaiah Thomas, Philadelphia City Council Member At-Large, graduate of the News Leaders Council, champion of civic education, proponent of rent stabilization, opponent of policing by racial profiling and a longtime youth basketball coach.
  • State Representative Joanna McClinton, Democratic leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the highest-ranking African American and woman and Black woman to serve in the General Assembly’s 244-year history. Representative McClinton is a former public defender and current champion of people wrongly accused of crimes, proponent of universal pre-K, advocate for state participation in indigent defense, and a staunch supporter of job opportunities for all.
  • Scranton’s Mayor Paige Cognetti, is an Independent who ran for and won her office with the unofficial campaign slogan “Paige Against the Machine” and, like McClinton, is the first woman to serve in her role. Cognetti was a staffer in Obama’s Treasury Department, earned an MBA from Harvard, graduated from Philly’s New Leaders Council, and is committed to pragmatic reform, education, infrastructure and local businesses investment.

This event is free — and essential to anyone ready for leadership change that starts right here, right now.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PANELISTS

Making History in Harrisburg

Where’s Our ‘Paige Against The Machine’?

Ideas We Should Steal Festival 2020: Hope Matters

Run For Office in Philly

 

Run For Something panelists (L-R) State Rep. Joanna McClinton, Amanda Litman and Mayor Paige Cognetti

The Philadelphia Citizen will only publish thoughtful, civil comments. If your post is offensive, not only will we not publish it, we'll laugh at you while hitting delete.

Support Your Local Journalism. "With your help, we can be the antidote to the failures of big media, the bitterness of national politics, your post-election malaise and the confusion about what to do now" - Roxanne Patel Shepelavy, Executive Director, The Philadelphia Citizen. Button that says Give that leads to a donation page for end of year fundraising. Your gift will fund independent, local journalism and solutions for Philadelphia.

Be a Citizen Editor

Suggest a Story

Related Stories

Advertising Terms

We do not accept political ads, issue advocacy ads, ads containing expletives, ads featuring photos of children without documented right of use, ads paid for by PACs, and other content deemed to be partisan or misaligned with our mission. The Philadelphia Citizen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and all affiliate content will be nonpartisan in nature. Advertisements are approved fully at The Citizen's discretion. Advertisements and sponsorships have different tax-deductible eligibility. For questions or clarification on these conditions, please contact Director of Sales & Philanthropy Kristin Long at [email protected] or call (609)-602-0145.