PHILADELPHIA — Carly Pourzand’s first day as the director of community-driven impact at the Penn State Center Philadelphia in April was not her first day on the job. She has been deeply invested in Philadelphia communities for more than a decade as an agent of change and advocate for communities. She said she will continue this work in her new role with the center.
“What I love about working for the Penn State Center Philadelphia is our direct proximity to grassroots social movement work in Philadelphia and our commitment to a participatory approach, working alongside community members to address our city’s most pressing issues,” Pourzand said.
The Penn State Center Philadelphia creates opportunities for University faculty, staff, students and alumni to explore the complexities of the urban experience in support of community-based learning, knowledge exchange, mobilization of research and education designed to advance public good.
One of the center’s community partners is the 215 People’s Alliance Education Fund.
“Carly has played a pivotal role in the development of several initiatives with us including El Comité de Trabajadorxs de Restaurantes, Peoples Growing Project and the People's Kitchen which are all projects that intersect racial, worker, food, land and economic justice,” said Madison Nardy, director for 215 People’s Education Fund. “Our work has spanned public education, fighting against gentrification and displacement, advocating for fair banking practices, food justice, workers’ rights, ending mass incarceration, sanitation and democracy protection.”
Eréndira Zamacona said through an interview via email with assistance by Google Translate that she began working with Pourzand in 2020 on the People’s Kitchen.
“This project was impactful because the COVID-19 pandemic was just starting and we began cooking more than 250 meals a day for people who had lost their jobs,” said Zamacona. “We also worked with community members to grow the community garden together which allows families to assist in working the land they harvest from.”
The Coalition for Restaurant Safety and Health (CRSH) collaborates with the Penn State Center Philadelphia to protect workers in the community. Natalia Nicastro, director for CRSH, said she works with the Pourzand to provide information, education, technical assistance to Philadelphia workers.
“Restaurant work is a profession for many immigrants where their mental health is unnecessarily on the line. Workers deserve a good job, including a regular schedule, paid sick leave, a salary that provides for their families, opportunities to grow, time for joy and rest,” Nicastro said. “The Restaurant Worker Committee focuses on developing tools and strategies to stop unfair working conditions for immigrant workers, particularly women, through the development of their leadership as organizers. We dream of having a strong group of survivors who can support a worker who is being harassed by holding employers accountable.”
Pourzand and Kristen Goessling, director of participatory action research for the Penn State Center Philadelphia, co-direct the center. Pourzand said their focus is to continue deep relationship-building in Philadelphia communities to establish initiatives that may not happen otherwise.
“My role at the center is to ensure our commitment to a community-driven engagement strategy, providing support to community members while also making the results of research and practice accessible to Penn State stakeholders who are interested in learning about social movement-based models of engagement,” Pourzand said.
To learn more, visit the Penn State Center Philadelphia, a service of Penn State Outreach.