"We are City Year. We are a diverse corps of young idealists
who dedicate a year to changing the world.
Every day, we put on the Red Jacket and make a difference
for children, schools, and their communities..."
City Year Brand Manifesto
I remember the first time I laid eyes on the City Year brand manifesto. Upon completing my reading of the manifesto, I remember feelings of competence, positivity and strength running through me, promising me a tough, albeit bearable journey as I attempt to change the lives of inner city youth. I remember thinking that nothing could possibly stop me from completing my year or service except for myself. I was ready to give a year and change the world.
Why did I join City Year? To tell you the truth, it was somewhat unintended. As the date of my graduation from Cornell University loomed closer, I was faced with a harsh reality: I have nothing to do! Though I knew that I wanted to take a gap year between my undergraduate years and grad school, the details were not fully ironed out. Don’t get me wrong, I placed a great deal of thought and action into my gap year plans. However, after being denied a 1year research fellowship because of lack of funding and a rejection from Teach for America (I’d like to think because I was so awesome!) I humbly retreated to my dorm room and licked my wounds (ate a pint of Cherry Garcia ice-cream while simultaneously downing a bottle of Barefoot Merlot….memories). Then, the clouds parted and I was notified of City Year. I was drawn by their mission of decreasing the high school dropout rate and the opportunity to put my idealism to work.
August 1st 2011 marks the first time I sat in one place with 144 fellow City Year Chicago corps members who shared the same vision and passion as I did. From then until November 30th, I was served with City Year, meeting new people, working with vulnerable students, and proudly associating with something bigger than myself. I served faithfully, but then made a decision that cut my term of service short. I have no regrets though. After all, City Year changed my life by teaching me valuable lessons about myself and the world around me.
1) Education is the most pressing social issue of our time – granted, City Year didn’t teach me this lesson per se, but it reinforced it. The fact that there are so many children who are denied a quality education is something that we as citizens should not accept.
2) All it takes is a few passionate individuals to make a difference – I learned this quickly. The task of single-handedly fixing a broken education system is an impossible one. Changing one student for the better is not.
3) Teamwork is key – I like to work alone. I sometimes feel that too many cooks in the kitchen spoils the meal (or however that saying goes). Conversely, not having enough cooks in the kitchen can be equally disastrous. Cooking and chef analogies aside, I learned that being a team player is important for nearly all tasks.
4) You must be self-sacrificing – City Year required me to sacrifice a great deal (time with family, leisure activities, etc). For change to occur, you must put yourself second to the goal.
5) It’s a big, big world – And I should add, a very diverse one. Though I treasure my Cornell experience and my semi-sheltered upbringing, I also treasure the chance I had to leave my personal bubble and see how the other side lives. I have seen turf wars, heard gunshots, listened to my 14-15 year old students’ tales of survival in a violent and dangerous neighborhood. In sum, I now know. And knowledge is power.
6) Real bad decisions have real bad consequences – this final lesson has shaped my life the most. Despite my passion and my resolve to work with my students and my team, all it took was one bad decision to force me from the organization. The lesson here, rules exist for a reason. You don’t have to agree with them, but you have to follow them.
Again, City Year changed my life. I may not be finishing up my year, but that’s alright. After all, I have my entire life to serve. I have taken what I needed from the organization and the various lessons learned will make me a better person in the long run. I encourage you, my fellow civically-minded Millennials to serve your community in any way that you can. Be it City Year, Americorps or just volunteering in you neighborhood, know that you can make a difference.
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