November 20, 2019

Siria Ana Rivera – Executive Director, Providence Center

At Providence Center, we strive to be a safe haven in the Fairhill neighborhood. Our area is plagued with the highest rates of poverty, violent crime, and drug use in Philadelphia. Many of our students experience stress and trauma as a result. Stephanie is a Teen Leader who has been with us for three years. She describes what it is like to work with our students. “Sometimes when kids have problems at home or a bad day at school, they come in feeling sad or angry. We had one student being a little aggressive, and at first, I was nervous to work with him, but I started talking to him every day, and he got used to me. Sometimes we would color together, or he would hug me, and I knew that he was learning that he could trust me.”

Our Teen Leaders are great role models and mentors for younger students in our Power after school program. They connect with the students because they are from the same neighborhood and have faced the same challenges.  Again, from Stephanie. “I keep coming back every year because I have so much love for this place, and I like that I’m helping. Over time I learn what the kids like and how they like to be treated. Then when they’re having a bad day, I’m here to help.”