City Year New York

Last updated on December 2, 2008

An 'action tank' for national service, City Year seeks to demonstrate, improve, and promote the concept of national service as a means of building a stronger democracy. City Year unites a diverse group of young people, ages 17 to 24, for a year of full-time, rigorous community service, leadership development, and civic engagement. City Year's vision is that one day, the most commonly asked question of an 18-year-old will be: "Where are you going to do your service year?"

Description:
City Year was founded on the belief that young people can change the world. City Year’s vision is that one day a year of service will become an opportunity for and common expectation of every young person. City Year supports this vision in four primary ways:

Full-Time Youth Service Corps
City Year’s signature program, the City Year youth service corps each year unites more than 1,400 young people age 17-24 for a demanding 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.

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 site, 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 addition to serving the Johannesburg community through high-quality service-based community projects and after-school programs, City Year South Africa has also helped its City Year corps members realize a brighter future through excellent placement rates in professional employment, apprenticeships, and universities.

History:
City Year was founded in 1988 by Michael Brown and Alan Khazei, then-roommates at Harvard Law School, who felt strongly that young people in service could be a powerful resource for addressing our nation's most pressing issues. Over the years, City Year has been built on the belief that one person can make a difference, and with the vision that one day service will be a common expectation - and a real opportunity - for citizens all around the world.

Contact people:

Itai Dinour, Executive Director , (212) 675-8881, (email)
Drew Curtis, Civic Engagement Manager, (646) 452-3634, (email)
Dupe Ajayi, (212) 675-8881, (email)

Office fax number: (212) 647-9744

Address:

20 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010
(See a map)

Web Site: http://www.cityyear.org/sites/new_york/

Be the first person to offer feedback on this organization!
Post a volunteer reflection to share your experiences with other volunteers!