Mission

Norris Square Neighborhood Project promotes positive change through youth education, community leadership, green spaces, the arts and the celebration of Latinx cultures.

What We Do

NSNP envisions a community where youth and adults can positively engage one another, promote cultural awareness and preservation, and advocate for a healthier future for their neighborhoods. We aspire to connect generations and use our space to enable youth and community members to be the change-makers in their lives and the lives of their families.

With over 40 years of history serving youth in the Eastern North neighborhoods of Philadelphia, NSNP has provided thousands of youth and community residents with intergenerational gathering spaces where they can learn, grow, explore culture, and use art to communicate social transformation grounded in Latinx culture. While other urban gardening or arts and culture organizations exist in North Philadelphia, ours is the only organization addressing the intersection of food, culture, and art in the Latinx community. Our Gardens & Culture program includes:
• Semillas del Futuro (Seeds of the Future) addresses the need for arts education, creative self-expression and understanding of food systems and nutrition through utilizing a program model grounded in project based learning (PBL), service learning and intercultural learning. SdF serves youth ages 13 to 19 years old and is led by NSNP’s Education Director and supported by 2 Teaching Artists.
• Raíces de Cambio (Roots of Change or RdC), a professional development / youth empowerment apprenticeship program emphasizing food justice, youth power, and culture. RdC operates three times a year – fall semester, spring semester and summer. Each semester, approximately 4 – 6 students are selected to participate in RdC. During each semester youth learn about agroecology, urban agriculture, managing a farm stand, public speaking, and much more. RdC is managed by NSNP’s Urban Garden Manager.