PITW #90

By Lindsay Gray, corps members serving on the CSX Team at Turner Elementary School

Putting Idealism to Work #90-Constantly Put Yourself in Other People’s Shoes – “Moccasins” Everything.

"The essence of City Year is found in the Native American prayer, “Great Spirit, grant that I will not criticize my brother or sister until I have walked a mile in his or her moccasins.” What would the world be like if everyone truly walked in each other’s moccasins? It would be a truly “aware” world of justice and peace. The practice of identifying with someone else is a powerful tool for social change — and it is a key element of good leadership. When planning anything, first conduct a “moccasins” exercise — challenge yourself to be in tune with the unique people and environment you are working in."

I really love this PITW. Mostly because I know that for myself, it is something that I can always work towards. Imagine, truly mastering the art of NEVER criticizing someone without first looking at things through his or her eyes—that is a skill, if you ask me. Empathy is an idea that seems simple in theory, but in practice takes, well, practice. This year, I have been in numerous situations in which I had to make a conscious effort to see things from a different perspective, and it has not been easy. I never realized how much of a challenge it is to truly put yourself in someone else’s shoes, especially when you disagree with them.

 One of my teammates brought up a great point; our team works better if, instead of being critical, we are first concerned.

If a teammate is late to service, ask why before getting upset with them. If you feel like someone dropped the ball in a certain area, find out what happened and try to help instead of badmouthing them. Like the PITW says, “the practice of identifying with someone else is a powerful tool for social change – and it is a key element of good leadership.”

Putting Idealism to Work #128

By Maureen Dizon, corps member serving at Winston Education Campus


It’s 6:35am. I glance in the mirror before catching my bus to make sure my uniform is presentable. Honestly? For a moment I think my uniform is not particularly becoming.

There! I said it. However, then I realize it goes without saying that my service is not about whether my shoes fit. That’s why I always consider:

PITW #128: Take Enormous Pride In the City Year Uniform.

At the very least, my uniform makes it easy to get ready for a powerful day of service on those cold, dark mornings. And at the very most? Well, to borrow a phrase from my students, the City Year uniform is “doin’ the most.”

It is the most visible part of City Year’s culture. The vibrant red of our jackets allows us to naturally stand out in a crowd. The uniform unites us as a corps: a group of 140 red jackets is a powerful image! And though corps members change over the years, the uniform stays the same.

My uniform is what allows community members to address me by name and thank City Year for the work we do. When I feel like perfect strangers are gawking, I know it’s due to curiosity—and hopefully a vested interest after I tell them what City Year is all about. And regardless of who I am or what team I serve on, students recognize my uniform and know instantly that they can feel safe in my presence.

I know when I wear my uniform I represent not only myself, but City Year as a whole. It is a constant reminder of the commitments I have made to my students, my team, my community, and national service. I realize it is both an honor and a privilege to wear it each day. So I do so with spirit, discipline, purpose, and pride.

It’s 6:37am. Clad in my fresh and clean uniform, I’m ready to serve.

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!

Putting Idealism to Work #79

By Alex Gebhart, corps member serving at Springarn High School.

PITW # 79:

“It’s Never What We Say, It’s Always What We Do.”

This is how leaders are judged.

 This P.I.T.W speaks to me because I always strive to make action my major method of change. In fact, my need to take action is the main reason I chose to do a City Year.  City Year is organized to be an “Action Tank,” meaning that we can get results and build support by demonstrating them. By using our deeds instead of just words, we prove that each and every corps member is useful to the children and communities we serve. Yes, how we are heard in our service matters, but it is our actions and presence that we make that will have a lasting impact. I know that once I am done with City Year, my words and name will evaporate quickly, but the results of my service will last much longer.

2010-2011 Washington, DC Corps gathers after Unity Rally on the steps of the Mayor's Office Building

Ripples

by Jenna Lykes, Corps Member serving on the CSX Civic Heroes Team

"Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of these events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation. . . .It is from numberless diverse acts of courage . . . [and] ... belief that human history is shaped. Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

- Robert F. Kennedy, Day of Affirmation Address

University of Capetown
Capetown, South Africa
June 6, 1966

Every morning, in our first circles, we have the opportunity to share either a "joy" or a "ripple" with our team. A "joy" is simply something that made you happy, while a "ripple" is an example of an action or service that has reached other people.

I had an awesome ripple recently. We painted college logos at Hart Middle School on December 4th for our service day. I spent some time there touching up and finishing murals. I was working on the Harvard University mural during the school day when a student came up and poked me. She thanked me for painting Harvard, her future school, on the wall. She told me all about her career plans and the books she was reading outside of class. It is always a wonderful reminder that the ripples we send forth day after day are helping to build a wave of change.

For a complete list of City Year Founding Stories Click Here

Putting Idealism to Work # 96

By Lauren McDade, Corps Member serving at Springarn High School

Choosing just one way of “Putting Idealism to Work” is challenging. Like good quotes, there are many PITWs I could count as my favorites. If I have to narrow it down to one that encapsulates my motivation and drive within City Year though, the top spot has to go to PITW #96, “Civic Engagement, Not Traditional Politics, Is City Year’s Vehicle for Change.”

In May 2010 I graduated from Towson University with a BA in Political Science and as an undergraduate I did everything from canvass for a candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates to frequent DC more for political protests than sight-seeing. By junior year I was growing weary of the ways one is usually engaged in politics and was first introduced to the concept of “civic engagement,” or individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern, in an elective class for my major. From that point on I decided to channel my love of politics into civic engagement rather than traditional partisan politics.

I had already decided I wanted to do a year of service after I graduated when I first learned about City Year. I was visiting Boston when a red jacket on the train caught my eye and through the magic of Google I found myself quickly enamored with an organization who’s mission was to build democracy through citizen service, civic leadership, and social entrepreneurship. This in addition to City Year’s unique focus on education, the policy area that I had already decided to focus my career on, and I knew I had found my match.

I began my foray into political science with my sights set on the hallowed halls of the Capitol Rotunda and views of the Washington Monument. Now I spend my days debating the merits of healthier cafeteria food with my 9th graders who have little use for the national politicking in their hometown outside of how it effects what they’re having for lunch that day. Though my interest in more traditional forms of politics hasn’t gone away, I’m grateful that my service year has already shown me how I can be engaged while being focused around politics for people rather than just politics for sport.

Squashing the Squishy...My Favorite PITW

By Gabby Fish serving at Stanton Elementary School

Even during some of the toughest days on the job, there's one PITW that often comes to mind and allows me to take the action neccessary to find a solution in a difficult situation.

Putting Idealism To Work #66: Do Three Squishy Things a Day

 You know you are truely leading when you do at least three things a day that make you uncomfortable

When I first started City Year, nearly everything seemed to be a "squishy moment." From learning how to do PT moves during Basic Training Academy, to having to wear a uniform everyday for the first time in my life. There were many times I was pushed far beyond my comfort zone.



Corps Members learning how to do PT at
Basic Traning Academy.

 Ever since starting our service in school, however, those once squishy times at Basic Training Academy harden in comparison. At school, squishy moments for me sometimes happen on a much more personal level, and usually when dealing with students behaviorally or academically.

A thought came to me today, and in my four months of service thus far, it seems to hold true: I learn the most from my experiences which are the "squishiest" of them all. What was once squishy, like learning all the PT moves, is now comfortable, and what is right now squishy, like calling a student's parents about their behavior in class, will one day also be comfortable. Keep challenging yourself and pushing your limits. Stepping into the "squish" at least three times a day is definitely the best and fastest way to grow.

Putting Idealism to Work # 127

PITW#127



Embrace Change!



City Year is always changing, like sand beneath our feet. That’s good. Learn to love change. Change is what keeps the organization moving forward. The ancient Greek idea of torsos is at work at City Year: a boat is at sea, and to survive the journey without docking the boat, the crew must fix and replace every board, one at a time, while at sea; by the time the boat returns to the harbor, it is a completely different boat; but of course, it is the same boat. Every year there is new change to be embraced- the growth of the corps, new locations, and new ideas!



Thoughts from Brendan Ori Corps Member serving at Kimball Elementary School:

The people in my life know that in the face of difficulty, adversity, and change, my advice and attitude has always been simply to “embrace it.” Anyone, everyone, and I, regardless of circumstance, should just embrace it. It appeared to those who know me best that I was using “embrace it” as a sort of running joke. However, I knew deep down that there was more truth to it than I could ever explain. PITW #127 Embrace Change! is my favorite because it put into words what I truly believe. Every single one of our Corps Members finds themselves in the midst of change- new job, new school, new friends, new attitudes, and new home. By embracing these changes, you fully allow yourself to buy into the service that we perform. Those who fight change are going to struggle and many opportunities for growth and success will pass them. The ones who embrace this change are the ones who make a difference, grow individually, and have the best experience possible.

Putting Idealism to Work #160

PITW #160


Seek to have a hard head and a soft heart.

Having a hard head means being mentally tough, courageous, disciplined, and persever-ent in the face of obstacles. All great endeavors and all social change require people with hard heads. As Robert F. Kennedy said to a group of young South Africans, “The world demands the qualities of youth—not a time of life, but a state of mind, a temper of the will, quality of the imagination, the predominance of courage over timidity, and the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.” At the same time, a hard head is best accompanied by a soft heart, by compassion, empathy, and understanding. A soft heart means being emotionally available and supportive to those in need. All social change also depends on people with soft hearts. Both qualities require the other. A hard head without a soft heart can lead to cruel-ty or a survival of the fittest mentality. A soft heart without a heard head can be overindulgent, condescending, and even patronizing.


Thoughts from Corps Member Jon Ragsdale serving at Winston Education Campus:
We are at a critical juncture in our nation's history. Amongst other issues, the achievement gap in education is widening.Quite frankly, the burden to solve these crises falls on the shoulders of my generation and the ones to follow. The tremendous growth under way in City Year and AmeriCorps as a whole--for example, by 2014 City Year DC plans to triple the size of its corps--is a testament to the increasing idealism and awareness of America's youth.We are inspired to serve by many different thoughts, feelings, and experiences, but at the core of each one of us are these two conditions.

First, we are hard-headed: we will not accept that the issues above exist and cannot be fixed. We can change the world for the better and we will.We will succeed because of our second condition: we all possess soft hearts. We care deeply about the under-served and the victims of unjust systems, and our sympathy and deepest love goes out to them in every action we undertake.The task before us is enormous, but with hard minds and soft hearts we stand ready to serve and ready to meet the world's demands.

Introducing: Putting Idealism to Work

City Year’s Putting Idealism to Work List or PITW’s as we call them is a list of tips and techniques for getting things done at City Year.

There are 182 PITW’s at City and each one is meant to inspire and advise Corps Members, Staff and Community Members on how to make the most out of their service experience.

The City Year Washington DC Blog is introducing a new Blog Post Category entitled “PUTTING IDEALISM TO WORK” where current City Year Corps Members will Spotlight their favorite PITW and discuss what it means to them.


For more information on City Year Culture please vist:  http://www.cityyear.org/culture.aspx



Enjoy!