Wednesday, October 25, 2006
City Year Washington DC – Back Again for a Second Year
I want to give a first-hand account of what it’s like to serve for a year with City Year Washington, DC. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the National Service movement, City Year is a full-time AmeriCorps program , which is like the domestic Peace Corps so instead of doing service in another country, you serve here in the United States. City Year’s focus is specifically on the power of young people to make long-term improvements for our country; thus, all 1200 City Year Corps Members across the country are between 17-24 years old. This is my second year serving in DC where the goals are to improve the community, develop young leaders, and help children and youth succeed. We try to achieve these goals through the following programs: drug and alcohol prevention education; HIV and AIDS prevention education; a 15-week leadership development and service-learning program for middle school students; tutoring in math and literacy for all ages; and bringing community members together to improve schools, parks, and community centers through physical service. We have one team of corps members dedicated to each of these 5 programs.
Last year I was a member of the AOL Civic Engagement team and we organized monthly service projects throughout DC to engage local residents from different parts of the city in service. Working on and planning a service day last year at Bowen Elementary in Southwest Washington was one the best experiences I have had at City Year! That day I led a small project with 7 volunteers painting the school’s mascot and regulation lines on the playground’s basketball court. Before we were even finished on that Saturday afternoon, neighborhood kids and students of the school were surrounding the playground anxiously waiting to play on their new court. One of the neighborhood kids said, “Wow, this is so cool! I wish this was at my school.” I saw the Bowen students glow with pride that this was their school. Hopefully, their pride in the court and school continued after we left and led to more pride in and respect for the education they receive there. This experience, witnessing a direct positive impact on children, significantly influenced my decision to return for a second year of service.
