Philadelphia’s students have settled into their classrooms, and alongside them is a new cohort of AmeriCorps members, serving as City Year student success coaches, embarking on their year of service. Before stepping into schools, these young adults completed City Year’s Service Learning Institute (SLI), the two-week training in early August that serves as the introduction to their academic, relationship and civic responsibilities development for school-based service.
Throughout the year, they continue to receive coaching and training to strengthen their practice with students and to develop themselves personally and professionally. The start of the school year is our first look at the next generation of civic talent entering Philadelphia’s schools and, eventually, our city’s broader workforce.
Each year, up to 150 young adults, ages 18 to 25, choose to serve with City Year Philadelphia as student success coaches. They mentor and tutor students, support teachers, and help create conditions for positive school environments and engaged learning. They serve because they believe in our city and students. Their service also highlights something impactful. Philadelphia’s long-term civic strength depends on us investing in early-career professionals who understand and respect our neighbors and communities, and are ready to lead.
Our education, healthcare, nonprofit, public and corporate sectors rely on young professionals who have firsthand experience supporting students and families. These are roles that also require teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills; competencies that many employers across sectors consistently say they are challenged to find. While our student success coaches help uplift school communities, their service is also a workforce development strategy that builds civic capacity, strengthens communities, and prepares them for careers across sectors.
Since 1997, our nearly 4,000 City Year Philadelphia alumni have moved into education and public service, nonprofits, and corporate roles across the city, region and beyond. They are teachers, policy makers, business leaders and other cross-sector professionals who understand how families, neighborhoods and systems interconnect. They bring a civic orientation that strengthens workplaces and communities. Their City Year of service gives them a foundation of experience that positions them to lead, innovate, and build strong relationships in the next steps of their careers.
We have an opportunity to build on this momentum even more by supporting City Year service and other AmeriCorps service experiences through clear, coordinated pathways that can strengthen our city’s civically engaged workforce. We propose three actionable next steps in joining us in this work:
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- Build coordinated cross-sector partnerships among schools and colleges, nonprofits and government, corporate sponsors, and other employers to align training, expectations, and opportunities.
- Connect City Year student success coaches to roles across sectors and formalize hiring pathways (see here: the City of Philadelphia’s recognition of “Other Preference Points,” such as service, as a relevant professional experience).
- Invest in service alumni retention through fellowships, apprenticeships, and early career roles that keep civically engaged talent in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is already a leader in developing civic talent. Now is the time to go further by strengthening the pathways to recruit and keep this talent to serve and grow in our schools, communities and workforce. Join us in advancing a pipeline of civically engaged talent that reflects the potential of our city and the young adults who choose to serve it.
The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.
INVESTING IN OUR YOUTH
