And so it begins

For those of you reading this who do not already know, I have dedicated a year of service with a non-profit organization called City Year. Our mission is to help put an end to the drop out crisis by working in various cities where the drop out rates are the highest. My year of service is happening in the city of Brotherly Love, good ole Philadelphia. I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity to serve and am looking forward to what this year has in store for me.
This past week has been insanely busy with basic training academy. I have been commuting to the University of Pennsylvania in University City every weekday to attend our training sessions from 8:15am-5:45pm. Needless to say, it's been a long week.
We've spent this time team building with our Journey Teams. (These are the teams that we will meet up with once a month to discuss progress. It is comprised of people from different service teams so we can discuss our trials and tribulations without feeling too judged by the team we serve with everyday.) We have also been attending sessions about various aspects of City Year from the history of when it all started (1988 in Boston, 1997 in Philly), to Alumni and student panels, to Unity Rallies, where we really experience the culture of City Year.
It is impossible to describe the culture of City Year to someone who has not experienced it. To many onlookers, we may appear as a weird group of people doing exercises in public areas, but we are more than that. We are a group of people who have come together to end the drop out crisis in America (and in South Africa and the UK) because we truly believe in the power of young people. We know that by showing our unity to others they too will understand the power of young people. I know it sounds corny, but everything is really starting to click.
This past week during one of the sessions, we were introduced to an incredible opportunity. There is a Civic Engagement Team that does not work with the students on a daily basis, but instead works behind the scenes, creating and leading service projects throughout the year. It is an amazing opportunity to leave a mark on the city of Philadelphia, but in a less 'upfront' way. I decided to apply for it. I had my interview on Wednesday and find out tomorrow (Monday) if I have gotten the 'service' position on the team. (Only five first-year corps members have the opportunity to serve on this team and it will be a very unique opportunity to do this.) Here's to hoping I get it! If I don't, I will still be equally as excited to be working closely with the youth of Philadelphia. (I'll find out what school I am serving at tomorrow if I don't make it to the CE team...)
Well, there's not too many other exciting things that have happened this week, so I will leave y'all with a few facts about the drop out crisis and City Year.
•Every 26 seconds, a student drops out of school.
•Currently, the US has only an 80% graduation rate. City Year is looking to get this to 90%, which would mean that 2 million more students need to graduate each year.
•Philadelphia has one of the lowest graduation rates in PA. Some schools are as low as 57%.
•City Year was founded in Boston in 1988 and has spread to 25 locations throughout the US, including the newest this year in Tulsa, OK.
•City Year was started 5 years before Americorps and just celebrated it's 25th anniversary. Americorps will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. (So glad I'm serving during this year!)
•CYPhilly is the 4th largest corps in City Year.
Want more information about City Year? Check out CityYear.com!
Thanks for checking out my blog. I'll be trying to post at least once a week to keep everyone in the loop during my year of service.
Cheers,
Allee

First day of BTA

UPenn's campus

Experiencing Philly at LOVE park