After spending several years as the Volunteer Engagement Manager in the Office of Civic Engagement & Volunteer Service, Jeanette Bavwidinsi recently joined the Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement as the new Director for the Office of Youth Engagement. Jeanette describes herself as “a millennial on a mission,” and brings an unrivaled level of passion and enthusiasm to her work with youth and young adults.
We caught up with Jeanette after her first week in the office to ask a few questions.
Welcome to the Office of Public Engagement, Jeanette! We hear you’re a lifelong Philadelphian. Can you tell us more about your life growing up here?
I was born & raised in Northwest Philadelphia, or as native Philadelphians call it—Uptown. I am a proud product of the School District of Philadelphia, having attended Meredith Elementary in South Philly and Masterman for High School.
There is no city in the world quite like this. No one has better people, better food, better music, better sports team, and there’s definitely no beating our skyline.
I wouldn’t have wanted to be from anywhere else.
We know you’ve literally only been in this office for less than a week, but how is everything so far?
It’s amazing! First of all, I am completely humbled to have been tasked with the opportunity to affect the lives of so many young people! Right now, I’m scheduling a lot of meetings, doing a bit of decorating (I’m big on aesthetic & vibes), and catching up on the amazing work that my predecessor, Ricardo Calderon, had been executing.
Busy, busy!
You have quite a background in working with youth. As the Volunteer Engagement Manager for the Office of Civic Engagement & Volunteer Service you led the development of the city’s annual Summer of Service Initiative, connecting young people to volunteer and service opportunities. How do you think your experience will help you in your new role?
I truly believe that there should be no age barrier for service. There are studies that have shown that young people are twice as likely as adults to volunteer—and because of that, they become more engaged and productive members of society.
When you volunteer, not only are performing a selfless act—you’re building community, learning new skills, and increasing your sense of purpose. My time in the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement & Volunteer Service taught me a lot, but one of the most valuable lessons I learned was that people are inherently good. Good people do good things if you ask them to and provide them a space to perform.
When it comes to young people, we have to ensure that we a providing spaces and opportunities for them to do good work. That is our job.
What experiences, personal or professional, led you to focus your work specifically on Philadelphia’s youth?
I grew up in a single-parent household. My mother was an educator for 35+ years with the School District of Philadelphia. I have never know anything other than watching my mother wake up every day on a mission to change a young person’s life.
Ever since I was young I’ve volunteered as a tutor in various public schools, supporting my peers in their academic endeavors. As a college student I mentored high school students in the D.C. Metro Area. During the presidential election in 2016, I recruited, led, and trained a cohort of high school girls that registered hundreds of voters, canvassed, and phonebanked.
My operating thesis is this: society ceases to exist unless we deeply invest into our young people—and if we do it for them, they will do it for the next generation. I always have, and will continue to, advocate to include young people in spaces where they traditionally overlooked—wherever they are.
I don’t know any other way.
As the new Director for the Office of Youth Engagement, how do you view your role in the administration and in the community?
My mission is to provide meaningful and measurable results on issues or policies affecting the lives of young people. I plan to do this through sustained outreach, community education, relevant partnerships, and unique programming. I’ve never been a “behind the desk” girl. I’m an organizer at heart—which means I naturally see myself as boots on the ground. It’s where I thrive.
My job is to talk to young people, and bring their hopes, concerns, questions, and suggestions back into City Hall.
What will be your priorities for your first year in this position?
One of the first things I’d like to focus on is supporting the continued growth of the Philadelphia Youth Commission & Millennial Advisory Committee. They are such important voices, and can influence some really essential policy discussions as it pertains to the future of our city.
There is also a huge election coming up in 2020. I am a civics hawk. Regardless of what end of the political spectrum you find yourself on, it is imperative that Philadelphia show the country how engaged, educated, and invested our young people are in the health of our democracy by turning out in record numbers to vote.
I also think it is paramount that we continue to address the safety concerns of our young people as it pertains to gun violence. We must do our best to find practical and sustainable solutions to combat this issue. I look forward to working with our Office of Violence Prevention to amplify their efforts.
Do you have any longer-term goals for the Office?
Besides New York City, Philadelphia is the only other big city with an office specifically dedicated to engaging young people. That is super cool to me. With a platform like this, the sky’s the limit on what we can do.
I hope to one day be able to provide a blueprint to other cities looking to create a sustainable structure for engaging young people. I would like to see every young person in this city have a working knowledge of where to find the resources they need to achieve their goals. I would also like for every young person to have a deep understanding of the function of municipal government and how they can affect change within it.
When young people see government work effectively, it leads them into lives of public service. That’s how democracy works. That’s how our institutions survive and evolve.
That’s why I’m here.
The Office of Youth Engagement is housed within the Office of Public Engagement. How do you see yourself and OYE working with the other Offices and Commissions that are part of the Office of Public Engagement?
I am beyond pumped to start collaborating with other City departments and commissions on how best to lift up the voices and needs of young people from their unique lens! Again, there isn’t a space that exists where a young person can’t learn from, contribute to, or glean valuable information from being a part of the conversation.
There is so much that can be done—and I look forward to connecting across sectors to figure out the best ways to solve these issues.
What are three fun facts that Philadelphians should know about you?
I don’t know how fun these facts are, but here goes…
- I am the daughter of an immigrant. My father is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That is why Philadelphia’s vibrant and selfless immigrant community is near and dear to my heart.
- I love the arts! All of them. For years I attended New Freedom Theatre, Pennsylvania’s oldest African-American theater. While there, I sang, dance, acted, and learned a lot about being comfortable and proud of who I am and where I come from.
- I’m sort of ambidextrous—I can use both hands to write and I can pick up things with my feet. Please don’t judge me.
