Embracing your inner "civic tool"
civ-ic tool noun 1 a: A City Year corps member who gets overly excited about service. b: A City Year corps member who follows City Year rules to an excessive amount ie; refuses to leave a circle without breaking even if its not an official “circle,” ostracizes others for breaking City Year rules, wears their name tag high and to the right even when off hours.
See:
At City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley we often joke about how we are such nerds about our service. Its hard not to get excited when you spend 50+ hours a week serving a community and you feel that you are making a difference.
I encourage all of the City Year corps members out there to embrace their “civic tool-ness” and make it a part of their everyday service.
City Year Service Forum for College Students - Jan 7, 2010
Join us for City Year’s Service Forum for College Students on January 7, 2010 in New York City, Philadelphia or Washington, DC.
- Meet current corps members, alumni and staff
- Talk to other people interested in making a difference
- Learn about City Year’s work addressing the national dropout crisis in public schools.
- Engage in a leadership workshop
- Travel to one of our service locations to meet a team of City Year corps members and observe after school service with children.
- Learn about the application process and how to become a City Year corps member.
Space is limited, please R.S.V.P. on Facebook:
Every 26 seconds a student in America drops out of a public high school. City Year corps members are working with kids in schools to meet this challenge head-on.
Are you up for the challenge?
Bert's Take on Applying Early to City Year
Young people are increasingly psyched about giving back and making a difference.
Over the past year or so, interest in programs like City Year has skyrocketed. Applications to City Year tripled last year! That’s great news for all of us.
On the flip side, increased applications + limited slots = increased competition for those that want to serve.
That brings us to the point of this post…. the benefits of applying early to City Year.
Meet City Year corps member Bert Rivera! He’s 23 and a recent college grad from Chicago. He currently serves as team leader in a middle school in Los Angeles.
Last year, Bert submitted his application by the Nov. 30 deadline.
Check out his video to get his take on applying early to City Year.
Ready to apply now? START HERE.
Looking for more information?
If you are just hearing about City Year for the first time check out cityyear.org or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
More questions? Contact Recruitment or visit our Virtual Open House.
Below are some more quick links.
Do you know a 17 to 24 year old that wants to make a difference next year?
Please share and reblog generously!
Mission Serve Launches on Veterans Day - Uniting Civilian and Military Service: Event to Stream Live at 2pm Nov 11
(Blog post inspired by Colonel Rob Gordon, Senior VP, Civic Leadership, City Year)
Dear City Year Community,
On this Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11th, ServiceNation, in partnership with Blue Star Families and Student Veterans of America, will host an event at the Washington, DC campus of George Washington University.
Beginning at 2pm, we will inaugurate ServiceNation’s MISSION SERVE, an initiative that will unite civilian and military service in an effort to promote service as a defining ethic in American life. You can watch the event streaming live at 2pm by clicking the image to the right.
We are especially pleased and honored by the recent news that Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States, and Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States, will address our 1,500 person audience. Please share their inspiring PSA below and tune in at 2pm for the event.
City Year is one of four major conveners of ServiceNation. As one of the conveners, City Year helped to lead the effort to bring together almost 250 organizations to become what we now call ServiceNation, a coalition that promotes the cause of service and helped to mobilize the support for the successful passage of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.
ServiceNation also boasts 50 organizations, of which City Year is one, that lead the effort to unite the civilian and military service sectors, with an emphasis on partnerships to help veterans and military families in need.
City Year staff and City Year DC are playing a lead role in organizing and executing this event. We will feature Tim Mahoney, a City Year Boston alum who is also an active duty Army sergeant, and will be on stage to tell his story and introduce Dr. Biden. The event will be carried by MTV and covered by news media, so please watch for it in the coming days.
Want to give back to our Veterans? Here are some tips from ServiceNation and Blue Star Families:
On this Veterans Day, as with other national holidays honoring courageous leaders before us, I urge you to recognize the sacrifice made by our veterans, active duty soldiers and military families. Through an innovative program, “Operation Appreciation,” by Blue Star Families (one of our partner organizations for the event), you can support our nation’s military families by sending along your heartfelt thanks, solidarity or encouragement.
You may choose to the write the card to a parent, spouse or child of a military member, or to a veteran of the armed services. In the wake of the Ft. Hood tragedy, you may also write a special note of thanks and support to a family member in the Ft. Hood community. This is your opportunity to let America’s military service community know how much you appreciate all that they continue to sacrifice everyday.
To participate:
- Write a card (any type of card will do) targeted for:
- Parent of a service member
- Spouse of a service member
- Child of a service member
- Veteran
- Write the corresponding number for the recipient (1. for Parent, 2. for Spouse, etc.) on the envelope by the address line.
***To send a note of condolence to someone in the Ft. Hood community, write Ft. Hood on the envelope.*** 3. Mail the card, in an unsealed envelope, to BLUE STAR FAMILIES, PO BOX 1906, Chesapeake, VA, 23327
