UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Keystone Community Partnerships is collaborating with the Borough of Philipsburg, located in Centre County, to offer “Second Saturdays” — a series of events designed to connect community members, business leaders, stakeholders, educators and youth and share their vision for the future.
Keystone Community Partnerships is a Penn State Outreach initiative that aims to build and foster respectful and sustainable collaborations between Pennsylvania communities and the University.
“Second Saturdays” kicks off on March 14 with “Easter Gras” and will continue the second Saturday of each month through Aug. 8.
Easter Gras — March 14
“Easter Gras” activities will take place in the businesses, shops and restaurants in downtown Philipsburg. Penn State Health’s Lion Mobile Clinic will be on site throughout the day offering free walk-up healthcare screenings, alongside several other nonprofit organizations.
The day-long celebration will culminate with a presentation for the community led by graduate students selected to be Keystone Community Scholars and students from Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District at 4 p.m. at the Rowland Theatre on Front Street.
"Building the bridge"
Keystone Community Partnerships Director Jamison Malcolm led the steering committee that began the planning for “Second Saturdays.”
“Our team ventures out into communities across the commonwealth to meet with stakeholders who share with us their challenges, assets and priorities. We take this information back to the University and find the faculty, staff and students who are content experts in that area and help to build the bridge,” said Malcolm. “When we met with community leaders in Philipsburg, the first thing they told us they wanted to accomplish was to find a way to support young people who call Philipsburg home and figure out what they need to live, work, thrive and stay in the community. This led to the development of a survey that we distributed to students within the Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District.”
Keystone Community Scholar Rachel Layvey said in recent decades, community leaders, youth and the Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation have pointed to two persistent challenges in their community: a school district aiming to overcome the challenges of being under resourced, and an economy that is attempting to become more resilient.
“Young people describe feeling eager to leave, citing limited job opportunities and few welcoming spaces designed for teens,” Layvey said. “Keystone Community Partnerships has launched a long‑term collaboration with Philipsburg to better understand what young people need to thrive and how the town can build toward that future.”
Michele Crowl, director for Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania, said her team is excited about participating in “Second Saturdays” and expanding their reach with the opportunity to serve teens in the Philipsburg area.
“We envision creating consistent programming in Philipsburg that offers high school students a welcoming third space to hang out, build skills, explore hands-on projects and learn about the many thriving local businesses and career pathways in the region,” Crowl said. “By connecting fun, real-world STEM experiences to local employers and life-sustaining careers, we hope to help young people see a future for themselves right here in their own community.”
Spring schedule
“Second Saturdays” is currently scheduled for March 14, April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11 and Aug. 8, with tentative plans to continue through the fall.
Learn more about Penn State Keystone Community Partnerships by visiting the website.