Series aims to bring young Philadelphians more fully into the fold

A series aimed at bringing young Philadelphians together is kicking off Friday.

State of Young Philly features 22 events, including quizzo, a walking tour of Chinatown and a crash course on running for elected office, through Nov. 22.

Nick Marzano, one of the organizers, said he’s hoping it’s much more than that, though. He wants State of Young Philly to not only connect the city’s millennials, but also encourage them to vote in next year’s mayoral election.

“I know that’s not sexy. We want to make it so,” said Marzano, president of the civic engagement group Young Involved Philadelphia. “With every event, we’re going to be talking about this as gearing up voters so that they feel more informed, they feel more enfranchised and they feel more confident going to the polls in May.”

Another goal of the series, he said, is to get participants talking about how to convince Philadelphia’s young residents to stay in Philadelphia. In a recent survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts, half of the city’s 20- to-34-year-olds who were polled said they expected to leave Philly in the next five to 10 years.