Obama Administration reaches out to Philly neighborhood leaders

An Obama Administration official traveled to Philadelphia to urge city officials and community leaders to get people involved in new federal programs.

Michael Blake is Deputy Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.  He says this is a key moment for the Obama administration to distribute information about new programs and engage young people.

“Who’s going to be that young adult that young brother or sister that you engage with that you are going to bring into the fold right now and train them up right now?” says Blake.  “How do we train people and empower people collectively.  I don’t take for granted this moment.”

Blake says some programs are for small businesses, and making sure people know about them is one of the key’s to the nation’s recovery, but telling people about them is becoming more and more difficult because there aren’t enough people on the ground to spread the word.