Raise your Hand If You Are A Hero

By Alex Gebhart, corps member serving at Spingarn High School

 

One of the many fantastic programs at City Year is the Young Heroes Program. This program was started because of a student at a service site, who asked “Why can’t I be a part of City Year?” This led to corps members creating the Young Heroes Program.

The Young Heroes Program is made up of a diverse group of middle school students that want to make a difference in their communities, united under the ideal that people can make a difference no matter their age. The Heroes are led by corps members (like me!), and by high school students that are leaders, mentors, and role models as Junior Team Leaders. Heroes participate in service-learning activities on Saturdays designed to help them tackle tough issues in their neighborhoods and make a difference.

City Year DC is proud to have its own Young Heroes Program of 115 Heroes and 20 Junior Team Leaders divided into teams named after the Greek gods.

 I proudly serve as one of the team leaders for Team Athena, and am very excited to watch my team and the Heroes Corps grow through the next few months. Heroes is part of the reason I decided to serve with City Year, and I am so glad to be a part of the program.

City Year DC’s Heroes Program recently began with an outstanding Opening Ceremony on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with PT, opening speakers, and the swearing-in pledge.

Their first official day of service was last Saturday, as the teams explored the “Middle School Generation” and worked to ensure the safety and engagement of playground equipment in the DC area.


The first day was a great start and the teams left successful, feeling empowered and ready for more!