From a 50-person summer pilot program in 1988, City Year has grown to over 1,000 corps members in 13 locations nationwide. Through a commitment to training, effective program development, and supportive partnerships, we are helping young people to become the next generation of civic leaders.

City Year supports young people leading the way for social change. When we first developed our leadership training, we looked at the hard skills that young people need in order effect social change. Public speaking and community service were at the top of the list. As such, corps members are empowered to voice their opinions and participate in decision making. In partnership with adults, other young people, and members of their communities, corps members renovate housing for the homeless, serve as teacher's aides in public schools, turn vacant lots into community gardens, and run after-school programs. Corps members get real experience to take serious leadership.

City Year supports young people leading their peers. Each year a percentage of our corps member take on a special leadership role we call senior corps member. These young people guide their peers by setting the tone, keeping the standards high, inspiring the team to work effectively, and managing relationships with their service partners and funders. Senior corps members also support each other at weekly support sessions--a kind of "safe zone" where the young people can collect their thinking and strategize about their work.

City Year supports young people leading younger people. Many of our service efforts focus on developing leadership in younger children. Run by corps members, our Young Heroes program engages thousands of middle school youth in service and leadership activities run by the corps members. Based on this experience, many of City Year's alumni are inspired to run youth leadership programs after they graduate.

City Year supports young people's idealism, talent, and power.
City Year staff are usually young themselves, and are often alumni of the program. Staff learn how to build strong teams that bring out each individual's strength. They are challenged to look at their own work style and to understand the work styles of others. Given our commitment to diversity, our staff must be willing, ready, and able to support young people from all walks of life. As such, staff members are challenged to look at how issues of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation impact their perceptions of young people and their work.