Norris Square, Philadelphia

The history of NSNP began in a small row house located at 2141 N. Howard St., in the West Kensington section of North Philadelphia. This area is called "Norris Square" and surrounds the large Norris Square Park.

Through initiatives like City Searchers and the Park Patrol, NSNP and the Norris Square community helped young people take an active role in cleaning up their neighborhood and strengthening civic culture. The NSNP gardening program was launched by staff and neighborhood residents including Iris Brown and Tomasita Rivera who used their Puerto Rican cultural knowledge as the foundation for their greening projects with adults and children. Working collaboratively with residents, they have established a series of remarkable green oases in sites that were once abandoned lots or areas of heavy drug use in the West Kensington area of Philadelphia.

NSNP is located in the 19122 zip code which is home to more than 7000 Latino residents, comprising over 1/3 of the local population. Most NSNP families and youth live in an economically challenged area between Lehigh Avenue on the North, Berks Street on the South, 5th Street on the West, and Front Street on the East. Median income levels in this area are significantly lower than those in other Philadelphia neighborhoods.