Written by Ben Marshall, City Year Boston Admissions Coordinator

Ben and his travel buddy, Ari

How does a guy who has spent the last few years living out of his car, pushing people out of trees (don’t worry, just zip lining), and traveling from country to country end up working for City Year? I get that question a lot whenever I talk to my friends from around the world. The answer is simple. I believe in their message, and if I believe in their message, I will help them succeed.

I told myself at a young age that I would spend my professional life working for companies that are trying to create a better society. Whether mentoring under-achieving middle schoolers in my home county of Suffolk, England or teaching inner city kids about the outdoors and the environment, I feel that I have stayed true to that goal. I also ran a summer school in Geneva, Switzerland that brought together children from, Iran, Israel, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the United States to teach them about other cultures, creating a unity between them that surpassed nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. I guess that’s how I landed in Boston and at City Year.

I believe in City Year’s message…

…and if I believe in their message, I will help them succeed.

Being the new guy at an organization like City Year is certainly a peculiar experience. Walking in on my first day through a morning greeting, participating in a dexterity check when I wasn’t wearing black or white socks and had no belt or name tag, watching people wave their hands instead of clapping, and “bringing it in for a break” (which means “lets all have a cup of tea” where I’m from!) certainly left me with a lot of questions that needed answering. So I thank all of the Boston Recruitment Department for helping me through my first two months at City Year. I’d like to let them know that starting and ending my days standing in a strong circle with them just feels right, and I look forward to many more.

I do not know how long I will stay at City Year as I have the whole Southern Hemisphere to explore, but I do know that I will leave a better person for having been a part of such a fantastic global organization. I hope that I may even help it grow one day. City Year Edinburgh, anyone?

Thanks for having me, City Year!