Service Organizations Encourage Service at Home and Abroad
March 10, 2010 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Peace Corps and City Year are partnering to help recruit and train Peace Corps volunteers, City Year corps members and prepare more Americans for careers in today’s global work force.
City Year engages diverse young Americans between ages 17 and 24 in a year of full-time service as tutors, mentors and role models at 20 locations across the United States. They are dedicated to improving attendance, behavior and course performance at high-poverty schools as a way to help students stay in school and on track, and combat the nation’s severe dropout crisis.
Peace Corps mission has not changed since President John F. Kennedy established the agency in 1961: To promote world peace and friendship through three goals: (1) To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women; (2) To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served and (3) To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
This new partnership reflects the organizations’ shared commitment to the power of service to change lives, including the lives of the people engaged in service, and to the recognition that the two organization can work together to engage more people in service in the United States and abroad.
City Year and the Peace Corps will actively encourage City Year’s diverse corps and alumni, who have leadership experience in education and youth development in the United States, to apply to become Peace Corps volunteers and continue their service abroad. The Peace Corps will encourage its younger applicants to consider a year of service with City Year, and will also encourage returned Peace Corps volunteers serve American communities through staff positions at City Year. Also, the two organizations will exchange training and technical assistance materials and link City Year members with Peace Corps volunteers for reciprocal mentoring and support.
“I have long admired the team-based City Year model that equips young people with the leadership skills to successfully be tutors, mentors and role models” said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. “I look forward to welcoming many of these diverse young leaders into the Peace Corps and having them apply the skills they honed working in American communities to service abroad.”
"We are tremendously excited to partner with the Peace Corps – which was a founding inspiration for City Year,” said Michael Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of City Year. "Together we can help tap into America’s greatest renewable natural resource – the idealism and energy of America’s young people – to help City Year keep students in urban communities in school and on track here at home and to help the Peace Corps meet pressing challenges abroad.”
This partnership will begin immediately: City Year will share the Peace Corps recruitment message with the 1,550 young people currently serving in its corps, and with its nearly 12,000 alumni. The Peace Corps will encourage returned Peace Corps Volunteers to consider career opportunities at City Year. The two organizations have already begun sharing program resources in such areas as leadership development, and serving diverse populations.
About the Peace Corps: As Peace Corps approaches its 50th anniversary, its service legacy continues to promote peace and friendship around the world with 7,671 volunteers serving in 76 host countries. Historically, nearly 200,000 Americans have served with the Peace Corps to promote a better understanding between Americans and the people of 139 host countries. Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment. To learn more about the Peace Corps, please visit www.peacecorps.gov.
About City Year: City Year was founded in 1988 with the belief that young people can change the world in a positive way. It provides those ages 17 to 24 a year of full-time service, giving them skills and opportunities to change the world. As tutors, mentors, and role models, these diverse groups of leaders make a difference in the lives of children and transform schools and neighborhoods. City Year, a proud member of AmeriCorps, engages 1,550 members a year and operates in 20 cities in the United States, and with two international affiliates. City Year alumni are leaders for life, working as business leaders, educators, nonprofit managers, and public servants. To learn more about City Year, please visit www.cityyear.org.
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Contact:
Alison Franklin, City Year
617-927-2612
AFranklin@cityyear.org