City Year was founded in 1988 as a national service program to unite young adults from diverse backgrounds for a demanding year of full-time community service. City Year has grown from 50 corps members in Boston to more than 3,000 members serving in 29 US cities, as well as in South Africa and the UK.
City Year helps students and schools succeed by delivering holistic support to students,classrooms and the whole school. Drawing from 30 years of experience in human and youth development, City Year is committed to supporting the development of both students and AmeriCorps members.
Diverse, trained teams of eight to 12 AmeriCorps members serve full time in schools as student success coaches, who partner with classroom teachers to help students cultivate key social, emotional and academic skills that are important in school and in life—whether that’s mastering fractions or learning to work in teams. AmeriCorps members tutor students one-on-one or in small groups; help students stay focused in class; organize school wide events designed to enhance school culture and climate; and run afterschool programs.
Partnering with The Lynch Foundation
The Lynch Foundation is proud to have supported City Year almost from its founding year, starting in 1991.
An equity-based approach is one of the key values of The Lynch Foundation. This same approach is the cornerstone of City Year’s work, which made for a natural, long-termpartnership.
The Foundation’s sustained support over nearly three decades has ensured:
- An integration of social-emotional skills into academic intervention under the supervision of AmeriCorps guidance
- Improvements in social, academic, and attendance metrics in partner schools
- A doubling in proficiency rates in English and tripling in math proficiency in partner schools