Assistant Professor Hernando Perez, PhD, MPH, Dept. of Environmental and Occupational Health, was a participating member of City Week Philadelphia, the pilot event organized by local members of City Year, "an action tank for national service, demonstrating that service is a means to build a stronger democracy. As the City Year mission states, an 'action tank' is both a program and a 'think tank'--combining theory and practice to advance new policy ideas, and bring about major changes in society. Founded in Boston in 1988, City Year now has programs in fifteen locations across the country, as well as in South Africa."
City Week Philadelphia involved approximately a dozen Philadelphians sharing dormitory space in West Philadelphia for the week of July 24-30. Each member of the event worked daily during that period with 20 children to help explain the process of applying to college. Every evening, City Week participants met for dinner discussions with a key member of the city's infrastructure: for example, the Managing Director, the Health Commissioner, the editor of the Philadelphia Daily News.