City Year was founded on the belief that young people can change the world. City Year’s vision is that one day the most commonly asked question of a young person will be, “Where are you going to do your service year?”
City Year supports this vision in four primary ways:
Full-Time Youth Service Corps
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City Year’s signature program, the City Year youth service corps, unites 1,750 young people age 17-24 for a year of full-time community service, leadership development, and civic engagement. These young leaders come from diverse backgrounds and put their idealism to work by tutoring and mentoring school children, reclaiming public spaces, and organizing after-school programs, school vacation camps, and the Starfish Corps, Young Heroes and City Heroes programs.
Inspiring Citizen Service Through High-Impact Community Events
City Year seeks to be a catalyst – a mechanism to engage people and institutions in the citizen service movement. Events such as city-wide service days and Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day bring together thousands of people from throughout City Year communities each year to complete critical projects. These projects revitalize communities, and foster a spirit of civic engagement by and bringing together community members from all walks of life.
Leading Discussion and Development of National Service Policies and Initiatives
City Year’s vision is pursued not only through action, but also through public policy outreach and international initiatives promoting the concept of citizen service, engaging policymakers, providing leadership to Voices for National Service, and securing support for AmeriCorps. By generating new, innovative policy ideas and leading discussion around these ideas, City Year seeks to build awareness and support for citizen service among leaders and key stakeholders across the country and the world.
City Year is a proud member of the Voices for National Service and ServiceNation coalitions.
Expanding Service Opportunities Around the World
City Year aims to inspire and support citizen service across the globe to unite people from all races, religions, cultures and ethnicities in building a more just world.
In 2005, City Year launched its first international location, City Year South Africa. Located in Johannesburg, 200 corps members serve in 18 primary schools through after-school programs in literacy, life skills and tutoring, as well as service projects to reclaim and brighten school spaces. In 2010, City Year launched City Year London, where City Year service leaders deliver a full-time school program that provides academic support, mentoring and extra-curricular activities during and after the school day.
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