City of Philadelphia

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What we do

The Office of Public Engagement (OPE) enhances community outreach and engagement in Philadelphia. We empower residents to connect and make City government accessible to all, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard.

Our office oversees:

OPE partners with the Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service, Office of Immigrant Affairs, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, and other key offices to carry out our mission.

Our initiatives like the Black + Gold Series help foster cross-racial dialogue to promote mutual understanding between diverse communities in Philadelphia.

Connect

Address	City Hall Room 115 Philadelphia, PA 19107
Email	public.engagement@phila.gov
	Phone: (215) 686-2181
Social	Facebook

Get news and updates from the Office of Public Engagement and the offices and commissions it supports.

Events

Sep

23

Event

Civic Saturday PHL

12:00 pm to 2:30 pm

City Hall Courtyard
Event

Civic Saturday PHL

September 23, 2023
12:00 pm to 2:30 pm, 3 hours

City Hall Courtyard
map
A strong democracy depends on strong citizens and a strong civic culture to thrive. We are at a crossroads in a time when our democracy, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, civil rights and human rights are under siege.
Join the Philadelphia Commission for Women, the City Commissioner's Office, the Mayor's Office of Youth Engagement, the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women, the League of Women Voters and the Mayor's Internship Program for Civic Saturday Philadelphia when we celebrate civic engagement on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at City Hall Courtyard from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
If you plan to go:
- Hydrate or BYO--water will be provided
- Wear comfortable clothes
- Use sunscreen
Sign up here: bit.ly/CivicSaturdaysPHL

Sep

27

Event

A Hope That Lights The Way Screening at Temple University

5:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Event

A Hope That Lights The Way Screening at Temple University

September 27, 2023
5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, 3 hours

Join us for a special screening of our new documentary, A Hope That Lights The Way, on September 27th at the Temple Performing Arts Center.
Along with the screening of the film, we'll engage with the filmmakers, featured community organization leaders, and the Temple Univerisity research team that made this film possible.
A Hope That Lights The Way is both a documentary and a community-based engagement process that uncovers and elevates the powerful stories of impact and success in overcoming the many challenges of gun violence.
The documentary features community leaders and organizations, or “Hope Dealers,” who are committed everyday to violence prevention and intervention initiatives. A Hope That Lights the Way shines a light on these community-based organizations from all over the City paving the way to a safer Philadelphia.

RSVP for the free event: bit.ly/TempleHTLW

Oct

18

Event

Goal Setting

6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Virtual

Event

Goal Setting

October 18, 2023
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, 2 hours

Virtual
map

Join us for our monthly Civic Engagement Academy Learning Series.

This month we'll be covering Goal Setting. Come and learn how to set the right goals for guiding your work.

RSVP at https://bit.ly/CEATrainings

See all events

Posts

Post

The Black + Gold Series

February 14, 2022

Post

Celebrate Asia Festival: A candid conversation with one of the event’s organizers

September 2, 2023

Post

Generation Action: Millennial and Gen-Z Philadelphians Lead the Way Forward on Anti-Violence Efforts during Gun Violence Awareness Month

July 14, 2023

See all posts

Press Releases

Leadership

Romana Lee-Akiyama

Executive Director

(215) 686-2645

romana.lee-akiyama@phila.gov

Executive Director of the Office of Public Engagement. Lee-Akiyama joined the City in March 2020, initially serving as Director of Multicultural Affairs at the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) before being promoted to Deputy Director in December 2020. Lee-Akiyama’s work in OIA has led critical engagement with constituent groups across immigrant communities in Philadelphia, creating cultural and immigrant integration programming that engages a diverse audience and facilitates bridge-building across different ethnic and racial groups. Also, she established and currently facilitates a City-wide and cross-departmental strategy group focused on addressing AAPI-focused hate and violence. Lee-Akiyama is a mission-driven leader who brings more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to the role. Before joining the City of Philadelphia, She most recently worked at Eisenhower Fellowships from 2016 to 2020, where she led key strategic initiatives to drive global engagement across the network of 1,600 Eisenhower Fellows in more than 110 countries. Lee-Akiyama holds a BA in International Relations from Tufts University and both a Master of Social Services and a Master of Law and Social Policy from the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College.

More +

Staff

Name	Job title	Email	Phone #
Jeanette Bavwidinsi	Director of Office of Youth Engagement	jeanette.bavwidinsi@phila.gov	(215) 686-2159
Octavius L. Blount	Coordinator for Mayor's Office of Black Male Engagement	octavius.blount@phila.gov	(215) 686-0811
Saptarshi Dutt	Communications Coordinator for Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement	saptarshi.dutt@phila.gov	(215) 686-7507
Amanda Gamble	Chief Service Officer for Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service	amanda.gamble@phila.gov	(215) 686-3684
Jovida Hill	Executive Director of the Commission for Women	jovida.hill@phila.gov	(215) 686-2154
Reverend Naomi Washington-Leapheart	Director, Faith-based and Interfaith Affairs	naomi.washington.leapheart@phila.gov	(215) 686-2191
Eric Westbrook	Director of Mayor’s Office of Black Male Engagement	eric.westbrook@phila.gov	(215) 686-0332

Name

Job title

Phone #

Jeanette Bavwidinsi

Director of Office of Youth Engagement

jeanette.bavwidinsi@phila.gov

(215) 686-2159

Octavius L. Blount

Coordinator for Mayor's Office of Black Male Engagement

octavius.blount@phila.gov

(215) 686-0811

Saptarshi Dutt