This week is AmeriCorps Recognition Week (March 11-16), a time to reflect, appreciate, and celebrate the incredible work done by AmeriCorps Members (ACMs) across the nation. Among these dedicated individuals are those who serve with City Year Kansas City, a United Way Impact 100 organization, committed to supporting students and schools in underserved communities.
“We deploy 18 to 25-year-olds for a year of service in the highest need, most under-resourced schools in Kansas City Public Schools,” said Kate Zeilon, Managing Director of Impact at City Year Kansas City.
The City Year Kansas City AmeriCorps program is a ten-month program with rolling admissions and Members receive a monthly stipend, health insurance, and professional development support including mock interviews, job shadowing, mentoring, and assistance with resume and cover letter creation, and more. ACMs also receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award at the end of their service year, to be used for eligible student loans or tuition payments.
Maggie Schlink, a City Year Kansas City AmeriCorps Member (ACM), has a long-held passion for education which led to her second year in the program.
“I came back for a second year, really, just because of my kids. It’s been a great experience and I absolutely love the relationships that I formed,” Maggie said. “Being able to be a role model and an advocate just means a lot to me and I think it’s helped me grow and really challenged me to step out of the box.”
City Year’s data shows that students’ grades are higher with an ACM supporting them versus someone who doesn’t have this level of support. They’re more likely to have fewer behavior referrals and higher attendance. The program is increasing the rate of students who are graduating from high school, which is the organization’s ultimate goal, following City Year’s Whole School Whole Child model which encompasses three buckets of how they are supporting students: attendance, behavior, and course performance. Additionally, kids that work with City Year are four times more likely to graduate from high school. Attendance improves, on average, by at least ten percent in the school year and half of focus list students improve their English skills and match grades.
“You need to make sure that all parts of the student are being taken care of, that you’re leaning into their social emotional skills. You’re making sure that you’re supporting them and coaching them through their behavior and how they show up at school, making them feel important,” said Kate.
Through this program, City Year is creating lifelong advocates and change makers for students in our community. “I know I’m making an impact whenever I’m in class, and I’ve got lines of students saying, ‘Miss Maggie. Miss Maggie, what can I help you with?’ It’s times like that where I’m like, ‘Okay, yeah, this is good. Like, this is what I should be doing,’” shared Maggie.
As we celebrate AmeriCorps Recognition Week, let us not only acknowledge the remarkable contributions of AmeriCorps members but also recognize the importance of service as a catalyst for positive social change. If you are interested in getting involved in City Year’s AmeriCorps program, visit here.