Some may argue that giving a service year is similar to taking a gap year. Time and again, I hear from potential applicants and concerned parents that serving a year will delay personal career goals. I would like to provide enlightenment on this concern and highlight the professional benefits of serving with City Year. One of the main reasons why I decided to serve was to make a difference while accelerating my professional growth and leadership development.

Throughout their City Year, corps members receive numerous trainings and workshops that not only improve their in-school service skills but also cultivate their talent as young leaders. Corps members have incredible networking opportunities that benefit their professional, educational and career plans. For example, City Year Boston offered a Bain & Company mentoring program for corps members and a Deloitte mentoring program for senior corps members this year. In March, City Year hosts a networking event in which friends and alumni are asked to facilitate discussion tables in over 15 fields of interest: college, graduate school, law, political science, law enforcement, non-profit and education, just to name a few. These discussions provide the corps opportunities to network, explore potential careers and brainstorm plans to achieve their professional goals.

[Rewind: Admission Coordinators Reveal Top Five Application Tips]

The skills, knowledge and tools that corps members gain throughout the year are invaluable. From professional development and leadership growth, corps members are well equipped to serve a year and then pursue ‘leadership after City Year’ (LACY) opportunities.

But if the benefits during a year of service aren’t enough, the post-service financial rewards seal the deal. City Year has strong partnerships with many educational institutions. Currently we have 46 ‘give-a-year’ partners: 38 graduate schools and eight undergraduate schools. A give-a-year partner offers a 25% to 100% tuition scholarship to qualified City Year corps members, alumni and staff. This exclusive scholarship opportunity is yet another example of how City Year can really benefit one’s future.

Whether it’s returning to City Year to serve another year, serving with another organization, returning to school to pursue a degree or hopping into a new career, City Year helps thousands of corps members succeed in their LACY plans, career goals, and professional development.

Explore our “Give a Year” Partner Schools here!

It was a cold and breezy autumn morning during first circle, when Mike McGinn, the program manager of the State Street Foundation team serving at the Maurice J. Tobin School, introduced my team to a new weekly initiative. He thought that we should get to know each other a little better, and he told us about a new interview style activity that he titled “Tell Me Something.” On the occasional Monday, McGinn will ask these questions to a corps member and the entire team will get some insight on their co-workers interests and beliefs. Fast forward to January, and I decided to ask Mike the same questions that he had been asking us all year. So, Mike, tell me something that…

You like: Boston sports- we’re the city of champions.

You don’t like: Negativity, it doesn’t help anybody when people are consistently negative.

Wish for: Free time, between my graduate classes and the duties of being a program manager I find myself with little free time. Although it makes me appreciate that much more the free moments I have.

Love: Family; I don’t need much else in my life, they have always been there for me.

[Rewind: This Winter, Kevin Developed a Certain Special Love for Timberland]

Don’t love: Violence. Sadly, too many times in this country, we see many instances of violence for no reason; America needs to come together to stop senseless violence.

That makes you smile: People that are fun. Simply put, its fun to be around fun people.

That makes you cry: [Mike looked at me with a straight face and simply stated:] Nothing, I have never cried before.

That you believe in: I believe in City Year; I believe in the power of young people, and that young people can change the world.

That you don’t believe in: I don’t believe people when they say “I can’t.” When there is a will, there is a way.

That you miss: College; it was some of the best years of my life, I enjoyed the culture and lifestyles, late nights in the library and long walks across campus.

That you fear: ‘Have you ever seen the movie “The Strangers?”‘ I am afraid of Babyface. [I have not seen that movie and do not know what he is talking about.]

That inspires you: Tobin Scholars, every day I come to the Tobin and they inspire me to continue the work I do.

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I definitely recommend asking these questions of anybody you work with on a daily basis; it helps to understand why someone does what they do.  Knowing that these are Mike McGinn’s beliefs, especially when he is the secretive man that he is, it helps me know that the man who leads me every day has his heart in the right place.

A video interview collection chronicling the impact that City Year Boston is having on their AmeriCorps members and the teachers and schools in which they serve. This is the first installment of a monthly collaborative project submitted by contributing corps.

PITW #66: Do Three Squishy Things A Day. BING!

1. The moment I entered the Civic Forum at the City Year Boston Headquarters, I noticed a huge group of senior corps members singing and clapping. The enthusiastic greeting overwhelmed me and it took me a moment to realize that the chant-like words and phrases were words of welcome. At the time, I was slightly taken aback as I had no understanding of what a power greeting was. Little did I know that it would become a daily part of my life for the months to come. As a member of any City Year team, we greet students in the morning as they enter the school with similar chants, high-fives and above all else, wide smiles. In the beginning, I think I felt silly, but at this point, I know I’ll do whatever, silly or otherwise, to make sure that my kids smile when they walk in the doors of my school, the Elihu Greenwood Leadership Academy.

PITW #133: Share “Ripples” Constantly- They Increase The Joy.

2. “Please share a ripple, joy or appreciation.” Everyone in our circle at a service project proceeded to talk about one of these. This is a phrase we hear all the time at City Year and a way to begin a meeting or project with positivity. A ripple is an action that has been repeated and gone on to cause further change. Joys are moments of happiness and appreciations are reserved to commemorate other individuals.

PITW #128: Take Enormous Pride In The City Year Uniform.

3. “City Year!” Those are the first words I heard when I walked into the Elihu Greenwood Leadership Academy. The kids were so excited to see us! I was confused as to why, since they didn’t know who I am. What they did recognize was my red jacket. From that one article of clothing, they were able to connect me with City Year and the service that we provide and the service that the corps brought to the Elihu Greenwood Leadership Academy last year. That immediate welcome opened the door to so many kids and opportunities. I understood that by putting my jacket on, I was representing myself, my team, the corps from the past as well as the one of the future.

PITW #158: Operate With Purpose And Pride.

4. “Spirit, Discipline, Purpose and Pride, yeah Pride.” When it was first made clear to us that performing this chant at Physical Training (PT) in Copley Square every Friday morning at 8am was a mandatory part of service, I couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. I have grown up near Boston and was self-conscious about performing in front of anyone who may have been passing through that area. When the first PT Rally approached, I was nervous, especially because I had the very first position in our team line (I am the shortest). It didn’t take me long to look upon those rallies as something to be proud of rather. I love that we look like an ocean of red, powerfully performing our moves together. I learned that we utilize PT to loosen people up and get energy levels high. We use it to reach out to the community, draw attention to our cause and start conversations with those who do notice us. What we do is important and we want people to know about it.

PITW #180: Remember That Anyone Can Discover ways of Putting Idealism To Work.

5. “This is PITW #…. BING!!” The first time I heard people around seem to scream the word ‘Bing’ in response to a Putting Idealism To Work quote, I was startled. It took me a while to become accustomed enough to refrain from jumping to the practice of saying the word ‘Bing’ (which represents the light bulb moment of an idea). I couldn’t imagine the sense of community that you could feel by sharing a simple piece of culture like responding alike to an inspiring or thought-provoking quote.

It’s not often that I get downtime to spend with my teammates who serve in different grade levels. That’s why I cherish the funny and love-able moments we have during our morning meeting time known by City Year as first circle. Check it out for yourself in the video below!

Some photos:

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? The more you’re asked the question, the quirkier the answers become. Standard super-hero powers such as flying and teleportation are gradually exchanged for less conventional abilities, such as super language-learning power, and even the latest heroic trend: putting textbooks under your pillow and absorbing entire volumes of knowledge via osmosis while sleeping.

Mr. Coleman, who works at the Jeremiah E Burke High School, has a rare superpower.  From teaching tenth grade English, to behavior management, to life coaching, he does it all. He posseses an amazing ability to communicate with students and inspire them in a way that most adults struggle to do.  His approach is didactic, disarming, and with a touch of charisma—the  recipe needed to charm defensive teenagers into listening and learning.

How does he do it? How does he reach even the toughest kids and get them to buckle down? I sat down with Mr. Coleman to find out.

Coleman: “At an early age something naturally in me became a protector of my brothers and sisters—a watchdog over them, and that has shaped who I am today. One of my approaches to dealing with the kids is really coming down to their level and straddling that line of an adult and authority figure, and almost being their pair. Not many adults can do it. And not many adults choose to do it. My relationships with the kids always seem to transcend teacher-student relationships. To tell them that I lived in these same neighborhoods, on the streets they lived on, and to tell them that I still live here now, I was in these schools, I was in these seats… I think they are able to see themselves in me. It has all been beneficial [to show them that] if you dream it and believe it, you can achieve it. And if you work hard for something, you can truly be what you want to be in life.”

Coleman: “In the inner city for the most part, it seems that there are just so many more factors that weigh into how tough your life is, and how it knocks you down. And then you start to learn about your race, and your skin color, and your background, and where you live, and what that means to the world—oh I’m from the inner-city. All of these different messages that are sent to you when you are growing up— it hurts kids. It helps them to develop this ‘less than’ mentality, or a helpless mentality, or a weaker mentality. If it’s not combatted, and you aren’t taught differently, by the time they get older there are so many years of that that they can’t break through.”

“I could imagine some of these kids that from the first grade on, weren’t really held to higher standards at home, weren’t read to, and weren’t really nurtured in certain ways. Then by the time they become 16, that is almost 10 years of that kind of mentality, and they’re expected to act differently just because they are 16. I can remember as a first grader going home, never having my parents read to me, never checking my homework. I can remember being kept back in the first and second grade. Where were the people who were supposed to be protecting me and helping me grow? I was blessed that I had a great aunt who took the responsibility of my brother and sisters off of my shoulders. That opened up my world.”

“I desire to go in and break up those negative thoughts, and those walls and those constraints and give them what the real them is—and could be—if they believe, if they work, if they have the dedication, if they have the passion, if they have the willpower. It’s like helping them to build up that strength that should have been built when they were younger.”

O’Donnell: What advice would you give to people who are working with students who have a very different background from your own?

Coleman: “The more of themselves that they are—whether it’s the happy go lucky person that they are, or the stern person that they are—and they aren’t trying to put on a front— the easier it is for the kids to recognize it and they are more willing to respect you and connect with you. The more of the authentic you that comes out, the more they will buy into it.”
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There are many unsung heroes that work the hallways in our schools. Our service at City Year is made infinitely stronger because of the indispensable support they provide.

With the next application deadline approaching – Feb 15, mark those calendars, folks – the City Year Boston Recruitment team dishes out its’ top five list on turning in a choice application to City Year. Leave us a question and we’ll respond in the comments section.

Diana Mai captures the energy and excitement at Project 351, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s community service initiative honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Ambassadors representing every city and town in the state convened in Boston for a powerful day of service. Read more here.

City Year Boston alumna Kareen Wilkinson (’03-’04/’04-’05) remains an active member of the City Year community and notes the important impact the organization had on her life: “I could view my life as having two very distinct phases, the first being my life before City Year, and the second being my life after City Year – it was that significant.”

How did you become interested in City Year?

Kareen grew up in Seattle where she developed an interest in youth development in high school, during which time she tutored other students and helped run summer parks programs for the city. Kareen went on to study biology at Pomona College in Claremont, CA, and it was during her sophomore year that she became interested in City Year when she saw a group of AmeriCorps corps members and at first wondered if she had fallen behind on a new trend: “I saw some folks in the red jacket and they were young – my age – and to be honest, I thought it was a new fashion. I thought, ‘What is this jacket that I don’t have? What is this brand, ‘City Year,’ that people are wearing around?’”

[Rewind: Last month's Spotlight on Jody Wilhelm of Calling all Crows]

But as soon as she looked City Year up, she immediately recognized it as a community of like-minded idealists as a part of which she could one day see herself serving. So with City Year at the back of her mind, Kareen finished her degree and joined the 2003-2004 Boston corps. She remembers describing her decision to serve in an email to her mother in which she wrote: “I really can’t explain why – I just have a feeling.”

How did you grow while at City Year?

Kareen served her corps year on the Milipore Young Heroes team where she enjoyed working with youth who had a desire to change the world for the better as she led them in social justice workshops, community service, and reflection. During the year, Kareen learned an incredible amount about youth, community, and herself; however, it was really her senior corps member, Jana Rosenbaum, who made the biggest impact on Kareen. As an important mentor, Jana supported Kareen and helped her to develop confidence her own abilities. Consequently, while reaching out to other organizations, asking for in-kind donations, and putting together service events, Kareen was surprised to discover that she was capable of community organizing.

As her first corps year came to a close, Kareen thought to herself, “I just don’t feel like I’m done. These [Young Heroes] are coming back next year, so I guess I’d better come back too!” In the end, it was an easy decision to stay on for a senior corps year. Not only did Kareen feel that she could take what she had learned during her corps year and use it to make the next year even better, but she was also inspired by Jana to play a similar influential role in another corps member’s life.

How has your City Year experience helped you in your current career?

After her senior corps year, Kareen worked as a Young Heroes program manager for another two years before she felt that the program was in such a place that she could leave it in the hands of a group of equally invested individuals who would then be able to take the program and run with it. Kareen then went on to earn her master’s in teaching from Harvard and recently began teaching 7th and 8th grade science in Boston Public Schools. As a teacher, she has the opportunity to share her love of science with students who have not had much exposure to the subject.

When asked how her City Year experience has helped her as a teacher, Kareen simply responded, “It’s in my blood now.” She uses City Year culture in her classroom every day – from readiness checks to call and responses – but most importantly, her time at City Year taught her how to connect with others, particularly middle school youth: “There’s so much that I do that’s rooted in how I thought at City Year…It was at City Year that I got exposed to the idea that [you should] let this person tell you their stories, and then understand what it’s like to walk in their shoes.”

We wish Kareen the best as she embarks upon her career as a teacher and continues to positively impact the lives of Boston’s students!

On a recent Thursday morning, I sat down with Steve O’Connell at the Neighborhood House Charter School (NHCS) to discuss teaching, City Year and working with youth. Steve is himself a City Year alum; he served for two years at the Agassiz Elementary School in Jamaica Plain, first as a corps member and then as a Team Leader. Steve decided to join City Year Boston because he was tired of living in the college bubble. “I wanted my time to matter,” he says. “I wanted to come back [to my hometown] and do something.”

Now, Steve is a first year teaching fellow and ELA (English) specialist at NHCS. He teaches Non-Fiction Skill Building to sixth graders and provides academic support to 7^th and 8^th grade students on Individual Education Plans (IEPs). When he is not teaching, Steve enjoys reading and playing basketball; if you go to one of the school’s basketball games, you’ll see him up front, watching the game intently and keeping score.

How is being an educator different from being a corps member, and how is it similar?

According to Steve, educators and corps members build very different types of relationships with students, although both relationships are equally “necessary, effective, valuable and fun.” As an educator, he told me, your relationship with the students is based mainly on your “ability to teach,” as well as your ability to show students that while you hold them to the highest academic expectations and standards, you also care about them as people. As a City Year corps member, you come into your students’ lives with a “history of other corps members” behind you, and your red jacket is your “ticket” to becoming a person who can be trusted automatically and unconditionally. When a student sees your City Year jacket, he or she knows, “I can trust that person, that person is safe…that person—no matter what I do right now—is going to come back in tomorrow and still care about me.”

What do you like most about working at NHCS?

“I think one of the most amazing things about this school, which I was totally shocked by when I started, is the attention that every student gets.” At NHCS, educators and administrators take each student’s individual abilities and learning styles into account. They regularly come up with new and different ways to reach through to students, and they constantly change and reassess the methods they are using. They never stop asking themselves, “what do these students need, what does this student need…what have we been doing and what is working?” If something isn’t working, then it’s “changed right away.”

Where do you see yourself going in the future?

“As I get deeper and deeper into this job and learn more about what it means to be a great educator, I’m recognizing how much I need to learn and really want to learn,” Steve said. This year, he is gaining valuable wisdom from the skilled and experienced educators around him. His goal, he said, is to become “an amazing teacher”: “I hope that five to ten years down the line I can be a teacher who has a corps member, who the corps member can learn a lot from and who can make a huge impact on students.”

Do you have any advice for current City Year corps members?

As we wrapped up our interview, I asked Steve to share some advice for current corps members. “When I was at City Year,” he said, “the most valuable thing to me was the other people. There’s this culture, there’s this uniform, there are standards, there are routines, there’s the service, there’s the work—there are all these things that make up the organization. Out of all of that, the most important thing for me was the people that I met.” So for anyone who walks into City Year, his advice is this: “talk to as many people as you can, and learn from as many people as you can, and build relationships with as many people as you can because when you’re done, all the other stuff is gone—the uniform’s gone, the culture is gone, the day-to-day grind of the service is gone, the stipend is no longer—but you’ll have spent the time and the care to really build relationships with people. There’s no better place than City Year to find amazing people.”