Youthful force at Philadelphia City Hall aims to make big changes

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There is a youthful force behind Philadelphia City Hall.

Shania Bennett is the youngest person in Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration, proving age is just a number when it comes to making big changes.

At 16 years old, Shania graduated high school by being dually enrolled at the Community College of Philadelphia.

At 19, she graduated college from Penn State Abington.

Then at 18, she became the youngest committee person elected for the 48th district.

At 24, she never thought she'd be in the hallowed halls of City Hall.

Despite this, Shania is now leading the Office of Youth Engagement, which is a deeply personal mission for her.

In this case, Shania's age is helping her relate to the city's youngest residents.

"It's very paramount for our young people to feel connected to this administration," she said.

As a teen, she founded her nonprofit Reach for Peace, which was aimed at mentoring at-risk teens through basketball.

Then in 2022, Shania lost her brother to gun violence.

"I never really thought that it would be a knock on my front door. So at first, I thought 'I can't do this anymore. I'm too upset.' But honestly, it fueled my fire," she said.

"So that people wouldn't keep experiencing what my family has experienced."

Shania emphasized the importance of proactive rather than reactive programming at the Office of Youth Engagement.

That includes safe spaces for teens and preparing them for various careers.

This month, the officer is holding a job fair that will also help teens get the proper documentation for their applications.

"Young people need something to do, what better opportunity than to put money in their pockets, to empower them, and put themselves on a pathway of economic success," said Shania.

It's a path Shania is already on.

Now, she's studying for the LSATs.

"Even though I didn't see this for myself, I want to empower the next young person to come up and rise in their community and say, 'I don't know how I'm going to be the difference, but all I know is that I want to be different from what I see, and what's in my environment,'" she said.