City+Year

=Give a Year. Change the World. =  media type="youtube" key="dUPcUpmmdNo" height="344" width="425"

Year Founded: 1988.
== City Year is a service learning experience that teaches it's volunteers how to become leaders to those who have no one to look up to. In the course of ten months, 17 - 24 year olds have the opportunity to build leadership skills, and mentor the nations at risk youth though community service. These mentoring actives include tutoring, after school programs, & school vacation camps. These programs give students not only an outlet to create and learn, but also cultivates their own social, and leadership skills in a positive manner. == =History=

City Year was founded by Michael Brown and Alan Khazei in 1988. They began in a crime ridden Boston, Massachusetts. They both had a strong belief that service to the community was a powerful tool, and slowly began taking on the nations most pressing issues. Initially, corps members focused their efforts on community rehabilitation, beautification of neighborhoods, and developing community awareness in Boston. Over the years, the organization has expanded, opening sites in 18 cities throughout the U.S. After hurricane Katrina in 2005, City year opened up a site in Louisiana to help Louisiana Corps. Their motto was "Here to Serve, Here to Stay." == = = =Youth Leadership=

City Year has three programs designed to build leadership skills to students on the elementary, middle school and high school level. **Starfish Corps**: (Grades 3RD-6TH) After school activities that stimulate the imagination, and reinforce academic lessons learned through the day. Activities include writing letters to city council members about neighborhood improvements, planting school gardens, and painting murals. **Young Heroes**: (Grades 6th - 8th) Every Young Hero is placed on a diverse team of 8-12 middle school students from all over the city and suburbs that is led trained Volunteer Team Leaders, many of whom are also City Year corps members. Saturdays begin with the Young Heroes gathering together in the morning to participate in team activities and a special training on that day’s social issue topic. In the afternoon, teams split up across the city to do community service projects that address the issue they learned about that morning. Past Saturday topics have included Hunger & Homelessness, Global Climate Change, Aging and the Elderly, Youth Violence, and Disability Awareness.(cityyear.org) **City Heroes**: (High school) Every City Hero is placed on a diverse team of 8-12 high school-aged youth from all over the community that is led by trained Volunteer Team Leaders, many of whom are City Year AmeriCorps members. On weekend retreats, City Heroes gather together to participate in special trainings on a social issue and to learn the leadership skills that can be used to address the issue. City Heroes participate in panels, discussions, debates, simulation games and other fun, interactive activities to explore their ideas and create solutions to the issue at hand. Past topics have included "Hunger & Homelessness," "Youth Violence," "Racism and Prejudice," "Social Movements," and "Perceptions of Youth in America." On service days, teams fan across the city to do community service projects that address the issue they learned about during the retreat. Both City Year AmeriCorps members and City Heroes design their service days.City Heroes is not a drop-in program, so students must attend consistently for the 6 months that the program is in session. (cityyear.org) =Locations =

Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Detroit, Little Rock / North Little Rock
Los Angeles, Louisiana, Miami, New Hampshire, New York, Greater Philadelphia, Rhode Island San Antonio, San Jose / Silicon Valley, Seattle / King County, Johannesburg South Africa Washington, DC

Assessment
 The overall effect of City Year is extremely apparent. Within the first few years of the initial program, then Gov. of Arkansas, Bill Clinton, took notice at the change that was happening in Boston. Once made President, he helped turn it into am eighteen city network. Also other programs such as Americorp's not only work closely with City Year, but also has been modeled from it. Also this program gives at risk youth a safe haven from bad influences, while helping them build leadership, and academic skills.

Contact Information
** City Year Headquarters **287 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA 02116 p. (617) 927-2500 f. (617) 927-2510 =References =

[|City Year]