Many college graduates in the Philadelphia region love the city, but few have the resources to stay here. The job market is competitive, and the living is expensive. Philly Fellows is an organization that is hoping to increase the numbers of college graduates who stay in the city by getting them involved in social work. Philly Fellows places Philadelphia-region college graduates at non-profit organizations in the city. Each “fellow” works forty-hour work weeks at a year-long placement. In addition to a stipend, they receive housing, health insurance, and an education award to alleviate some real-world woes.

Haverford graduates Matt Joyce and Tim Ifill founded the program in 2004 with the goal to connect graduates to Philadelphia. They combined elements from various service organizations, such as CityYear and AmeriCorps, and tailored them to fit the needs of Philadelphia.

The fellows receive opportunities to network and speak with civic leaders to gain a support group in Philadelphia. Ifill hopes it will “convince them and help them to stay in Philadelphia’s non-profit sector.” According to Ifill, staying in Philadelphia is the important part. Of the fifty-five thousand students who graduate from area colleges each year, only twenty-nine percent choose to stay in the city. Ifill and Joyce hope that their program will help to increase those numbers.

“There’s no reason Philadelphia shouldn’t be at the top of every young person’s list after graduation,” Ifill says. The ideal fellow is an academically gifted campus leader with some background in the non-profit sector. A fellow should have the ability to communicate well with everyone, especially since diversity is the backbone of the fellows.

One fellow is Shera Kenney, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Philly Fellows appealed to her because it is in tune with the needs of a young adult. She is looking forward to living in a new neighborhood in Philadelphia while meeting new people and making positive changes in the city and furthering her career. “I hope to get some solid hands-on work experience working for a worthwhile cause,” Kenney said. Ifill feels that the inaugural class of fellows fulfills all their original requirements.