City Year recruits passionate 18-25 year olds to work on a full time but voluntary basis in inner city schools.

This week we reached a recruitment milestone of having received the 500th application to serve with us.

City Year CEO, Sophie Livingstone said:

“This is fantastic.  It shows that more and more young people are passionate about helping to transform the lives of children in disadvantaged communities. 

“Despite all the negative messages and stereotypes we hear about young people today, we believe there is a huge reserve of untapped potential within London’s youth.

“There is a very willing and very able generation of young people that are up for giving something back to their communities. They up for being challenged out of their comfort zones, want to be good citizens and want to inspire children as role models and mentors.

“Many of our applicants are taking a break from education or they are postponing future careers because they feel drawn to make a difference.

“The Government should be optimistic about the level of interest we are receiving because it tells us something positive about the appetite for a more ambitious National Citizen Service programme.  We think young people want to go on serving their communities as they grow into their late teens and twenties – and they should be recognised for it.”

City Year Recruitment Manager, Eric Mtungwazi said:

“City Year London is still quite new, so to have received 500 applications to join the programme is incredible.  We are finding that really bright, talented and inspiring young people are looking for something unique to do and City Year offers that opportunity.  Our policy is to intentionally recruit a diverse mix of people to join our team and we think 18-25s are attracted to an organisation that offers the opportunity of meeting new people from different walks of life.

“No other organisation can deliver the double-barreled impact of transforming the lives of children, but also developing the confidence, skills and career prospects of the people that join us.

“City Year is growing fast so we need more recruits every year.  We look for passion, teamwork, resilience, ambition, professionalism and leadership.  Young people that can demonstrate these qualities or have potential to grow as leaders will have a great experience joining City Year.”

On a visit to Sebright Primary School, Hackney where a City Year team volunteers full time, Children’s Minister, Tim Loughton MP said:

“City Year is a brilliant organisation. It recruits fantastic young people and unleashes their idealism and passion to help children at school. I am very impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the corps members. They are clearly having a big impact on the schools they are working at.”

City Year now has 80 full time corps members serving in schools across inner London.  During our latest recruitment cycle, we received five applications for every single place available on our team.

 NOTES TO EDITORS:

This September City Year started its second academic year working in London schools.  The charity was first established in 1988 in America where it operates in 21 cities across the US and has the backing of President Barack Obama.  City Year London currently works in ten schools in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Islington, Brixton, Tottenham and Westminster.  It has 80 ‘corps member’ volunteers working in schools or on civic engagement projects.  City Year plans to grow rapidly across London and then expand into other areas of the UK in the next two years.

As well as the amazing experience working in a school, City Year volunteers also receive more than 300 hours of dedicated leadership development and coaching, £100 per week for expenses, eligibility for £1000 Citizen Service Award and all travel expenses are covered. All of our corps members are matched to a mentor from one of our corporate sponsors.  But more than all of this, our volunteers benefit from a life changing experience working with idealistic and dynamic colleagues in a superb team environment.  Volunteers make friends, build relationships with professional networks and gain a cutting edge in today’s competitive labour market.

City Year London’s major funders include: The Private Equity Foundation, Credit Suisse, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Goldman Sachs Gives, MAN Group Charitable Trust, The Mayor’s Fund for London, SHINE, TowerBrook, v, ARAMARK, National Grid and Barclays Capital.

For more information please visit our website or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

For media inquiries, please contact Lee Bailey on 07785710936 or Alex Lowen on 0207 014 2690.  We are happy to arrange interviews with any of our staff or volunteers.  Media access to the schools we work in can also be arranged by us with prior consent of the head teacher.  We have a photo library on a Flickr account found at   http://www.flickr.com/photos/cityyearlondon/

City Year recruits passionate 18-25 year olds to work on a full time but voluntary basis in inner city schools.

This week we reached a recruitment milestone of having received the 500th application to serve with us.

City Year CEO, Sophie Livingstone said:

“This is fantastic.  It shows that more and more young people are passionate about helping to transform the lives of children in disadvantaged communities.

“Despite all the negative messages and stereotypes we hear about young people today, we believe there is a huge reserve of untapped potential within London’s youth.

“There is a very willing and very able generation of young people that are up for giving something back to their communities. They up for being challenged out of their comfort zones, want to be good citizens and want to inspire children as role models and mentors.

“Many of our applicants are taking a break from education or they are postponing future careers because they feel drawn to make a difference.

“The Government should be optimistic about the level of interest we are receiving because it tells us something positive about the appetite for a more ambitious National Citizen Service programme.  We think young people want to go on serving their communities as they grow into their late teens and twenties – and they should be recognised for it.”

City Year Recruitment Manager, Eric Mtungwazi said:

“City Year London is still quite new, so to have received 500 applications to join the programme is incredible.  We are finding that really bright, talented and inspiring young people are looking for something unique to do and City Year offers that opportunity.  Our policy is to intentionally recruit a diverse mix of people to join our team and we think 18-25s are attracted to an organisation that offers the opportunity of meeting new people from different walks of life.

“No other organisation can deliver the double-barreled impact of transforming the lives of children, but also developing the confidence, skills and career prospects of the people that join us.

“City Year is growing fast so we need more recruits every year.  We look for passion, teamwork, resilience, ambition, professionalism and leadership.  Young people that can demonstrate these qualities or have potential to grow as leaders will have a great experience joining City Year.”

On a visit to Sebright Primary School, Hackney where a City Year team volunteers full time, Children’s Minister, Tim Loughton MP said:

“City Year is a brilliant organisation. It recruits fantastic young people and unleashes their idealism and passion to help children at school. I am very impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the corps members. They are clearly having a big impact on the schools they are working at.”

City Year now has 80 full time corps members serving in schools across inner London.  During our latest recruitment cycle, we received five applications for every single place available on our team.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

This September City Year started its second academic year working in London schools.  The charity was first established in 1988 in America where it operates in 21 cities across the US and has the backing of President Barack Obama.  City Year London currently works in ten schools in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Islington, Brixton, Tottenham and Westminster.  It has 80 ‘corps member’ volunteers working in schools or on civic engagement projects.  City Year plans to grow rapidly across London and then expand into other areas of the UK in the next two years.

As well as the amazing experience working in a school, City Year volunteers also receive more than 300 hours of dedicated leadership development and coaching, £100 per week for expenses, eligibility for £1000 Citizen Service Award and all travel expenses are covered. All of our corps members are matched to a mentor from one of our corporate sponsors.  But more than all of this, our volunteers benefit from a life changing experience working with idealistic and dynamic colleagues in a superb team environment.  Volunteers make friends, build relationships with professional networks and gain a cutting edge in today’s competitive labour market.

City Year London’s major funders include: The Private Equity Foundation, Credit Suisse, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Goldman Sachs Gives, MAN Group Charitable Trust, The Mayor’s Fund for London, SHINE, TowerBrook, v, ARAMARK, National Grid and Barclays Capital.

For more information please visit our website or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

For media inquiries, please contact Lee Bailey on 07785710936 or Alex Lowen on 0207 014 2690.  We are happy to arrange interviews with any of our staff or volunteers.  Media access to the schools we work in can also be arranged by us with prior consent of the head teacher.  We have a photo library on a Flickr account found at   http://www.flickr.com/photos/cityyearlondon/

PT cram has to be one the things I remember most from BTA. It proved that even in public all the new corps members had thrown away their inhibitions and allowed themselves to nuzzle into the big red jackets (metaphorically, not just because it was cold). It was hilarious. It reminded me somewhat of my days in air cadets, except as cadets we’d have been disciplined because of the constant giggling.  My tokens from that session are the bruises on my thighs, the result of passionate power lunges. I am sure we’ve all experienced that at City Year.

The first week in at Evelyn Grace Academy started off a little bit rocky. We are a brand new team in a brand new school, although I feel that we’re beginning to find our feet now. Strangely it feels as if we’ve been a team for much longer than 3 weeks. This is incredibly positive and I know that Team Pride will experience an array of positive outcomes over the next 7 months.

“Too many young people are not receiving enough intensive one-to-one tutoring or mentoring guidance to nudge them back on track.  Teachers need extra support so that they can really focus on those young people that have slipped behind. Everyone has the potential to succeed in their exams but some young people need more personalised help and positive role models to keep reminding them of the importance of doing well at school”.

 Read the full story here.

by Valarie Osei-Kuffour

I have been with City Year London for two weeks now as part of the Success team at Gladesmore Community School in Tottenham and I can truly say it has been fantastic. Actually one of the first things that struck me when I arrived at the school was how polite the students were. On my first day in class they were coming up to me and saying things like: ”Good morning Miss”, “Are you new Miss?”, ”Do you need any help Miss?”. I couldn’t believe how polite the students were!

On a day-to-day basis I support a mixed group of students in the year groups of 7 up to 10. Initially I was scared I wouldn’t be able to help the students properly with their literacy or science, but I was surprised by how quickly all the information I had learnt at school came flooding back to me (although, admittedly, in the first week I learnt more from the students than the students learnt from me!). It’s amazing to see how much rapport my team and I have built with the staff and the students of Gladesmore in the short space of time we have been there.  Even though I’ve been a corps member for little more than two weeks it feels like it has been months.  Long may it continue!