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My Experience with City Year
By Anna Gergen
Last fall, I packed my bags and moved from a suburb in Minnesota to the heart of Seattle, Washington. The change was startling, but the reason was worth it. I applied and was accepted into City Year, a national non-profit dedicated to decreasing the high school dropout rate. I care passionately about superb and equal education for all children, especially within the United States, so joining City Year seemed like a perfect fit for me. Indeed, it was the most challenging but the most rewarding job I have ever had. City Year carries out its mission by sending its young adult volunteers (ages 17-25) into schools of all grade levels. I was placed in a middle school. Volunteers shadow classes and/or teachers throughout the day in order to best interact with the student. Corps Members, as volunteers are called, serve students by helping them understand directions, guiding them to behave nicely, and building relationships with them that many students simply do not build outside of school. In addition to classroom support, Corps Members plan and carry out a variety of activities and events to supplement the school's culture. For instance, I was in charge of planning a Literacy Night, in which books from the Washington Reading Corps were given away, teachers connected with parents, and several students read their short stories. Other events include volunteer days, behavior rallies, and Veteran's Day assemblies. City Year work hours are long. I got up every day at 5:30 a.m. to catch a 6:15 bus to arrive at work at 7:15 to work with children through 3:15 to finish paperwork and projects until 5:30, when I caught a bus and arrived home at 6:30. Whew. It's a lot just to type! But the connections I made with kids made all of the sweat and tears worth it. I met some truly fabulous students who just needed a little guidance to get their grades back on track. I miss these students dearly today. Recently, the majority in the House of Representatives voted to cut the budget of Americorps, a larger volunteer organization that partially funds City Year. The majority in the House originally wanted to take away all funding away from Americorps. This would have signified the death of many difference-making groups across the country. It also would have made it very hard for City Year to stay alive. I would also like to note that I got payed $700 a month to perform those 10 hour work days. Just something to think about when you're wondering where your tax money goes. Not all of it is wasted on government scandals and silly policies. Some of it does really make a difference.
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Contributor's Note
The opinions expressed above are solely those of Anna Gergen and are not affiliated with those of City Year's. For official City Year policy, please visit www.cityyear.org.
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City Year
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