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Philadelphia
Community Outreach |
Philadelphia,
like each of the FBI’s local
field offices,
has a community outreach program that complements and
strengthens our many efforts to protect you, your businesses,
and your families in concrete ways through a range
of activities and initiatives.
Our recent activities include:
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We recently awarded
our annual Director's
Community Leadership Award to
Barbara Bridge, Vice President of Real Estate and
Public Affairs, Clear Channel Outdoor. Our
work with Ms. Bridge led to the creation of the
FBI
Digital Billboard Campaign, which has since
become a national partnership between
the FBI and Clear Channel Outdoor. We also awarded
the Citizens’ Crime Commission with the Director’s
Community Leadership Award for its commitment to
the FBI’s Step Up, Speak
Up campaign,
which strengthens our partnerships in addressing
violent crime in the
area.
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On March 11, 2008,
we welcomed our latest Citizens'
Academy, bringing
together a cross
section of 25 community leaders to learn firsthand
about our operations and programs, not only
demystifying our work but creating new contacts
and channels
for working together and sharing information.
We plan to begin our next Citizens’ Academy
in March 2009.
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In 1995, the Philadelphia
Division became the second major office to host
a Citizens'
Academy.
Each year we select a variety of community,
civic, faith-based, media, and religious
leaders to
participate in this eight-week program.
Participants receive hands-on presentations on
field investigations
and on the FBI's mission, policies, programs,
and procedures, along with other demonstrations.
If
you would
like to nominate an individual for participation
in next year's class, please contact Community
Outreach Specialists Natosha
R. Gale or
Tanya L. Jeter at (215) 418-4381 or (215) 418-4382,
respectively.
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The Philadelphia Division
recently hosted its first Multi-Cultural Advisory
Committee
for area ethnic, religious, and cultural leaders.
The purpose of the advisory committee
is to open
a dialogue with these leaders on key
issues so that FBI Philadelphia leadership and
FBI Headquarters community relations experts
better understand local communities. Committee
members meet quarterly
to discuss topics of interest and to
learn about our mission, protocol, and
procedures.
Among our other ongoing efforts:
- Hosting town hall meetings with various members
of the community as needed to dialogue on key issues;
- Working with our area’s youth
to share important life skills and hosting a Youth
Academy Program for young people each year;
- Holding
Community
Relations Executive Seminar Training (CREST) sessions
for community groups to improve the flow of information
so that local crime problems and issues can be better
addressed together;
- Sending
our special agents and outreach specialists into
schools, businesses, and civic meetings to explain
emerging crime and security threats and to provide
specific advice on how to prevent being victimized
by these threats;
- Supporting the graduates of our
Citizens’ Academies,
who often band together in local alumni chapters
to create crime prevention programs and other initiatives
that benefit communities;
- Serving on committees
and boards for businesses, schools, community groups,
and social and health
services and launching drives to bring food, gifts,
and toys to the less fortunate during the holidays
and other times of the year;
- Encouraging students
to become more aware of cyber safety through FBI
Safe Online Surfing (SOS)
contests;
- Partnering with the American Football
Coaches Association and its National Child Identification
Program to
distribute Child
ID kits at football games
and other events.
Visit our national In
Your Community website for
more information about our overall outreach efforts
and our work in other local FBI offices.
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