City Year's Young Heroes Program Goes National

City Year, founded in 1988, provides young people 17-24 years old an opportunity to volunteer for a full year of service in underserved schools. The organization started Young Heroes in 1993 for middle-school youth who wanted to emulate their older peers.

Previously limited to Boston, Young Heroes is going national thanks to funding by Bank of America. The program, now in 16 cities, provides the opportunity to convene each Saturday from January to June where the youngsters learn about an important social issue in the morning, and participate in a service project in the afternoon. Along the way, they learn about citizen activism, and think about solutions to social problems such as hunger and homelessness, ageism, HIV/Aids, drug and alcohol abuse, and racism.

City Year and Young Heroes are based on the assumption that no one is too young to learn about and participate in solving social problems, and that activism, if begun early, can become a lifelong habit.

More about Young Heroes and youth volunteerism:

• Teens Team Up to Give Back (Time Magazine)
• Top 6 Facts About Youth Volunteers
• Top 10 Ways to Recruit and Engage Youth Volunteers