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by Rebecca Kern
You've decided to take a gap year after graduating high school and before attending college, but how do you choose a program? Price is one important factor that can help narrow down the options for gap year students. AmeriCorps programs can be affordable options for a gap year since they provide a living stipend, health benefits, and an educational scholarship at the end of the service. City Year is one of the largest programs run by AmeriCorps and involves a 10-month commitment to working in high poverty communities and school districts across the country.
Currently there are 1,550 City Year participants, ages 17 to 24 -- known as corps members -- serving in 20 cities nationwide, says Rob Gordon, City Year's chief brand officer and senior vice president for civic leadership. Four days a week, corps members serve as tutors, mentors, and role models, and lead after-school activities. The members work in elementary, middle, and high schools that tend to have a high percentage of students off track for high school graduation, poor student attendance, poor student behavior, or below-average performance in math or English, Gordon says. Every Friday corps members participate in a leadership development program or complete a day of service in their community, Gordon says. Some corps member teams teach in the classroom Tuesday through Thursday, and then work on Saturdays to run leadership development programs for middle schoolers, known as Young Heroes, and for high schoolers, known as City Heroes.
[Read 7 Questions to Ask When Considering a Gap Year.]
Costs:
City Year is one of the largest programs run by AmeriCorps. All corps members receive a living stipend of about $900 to $1,000 per month, after taxes, to pay for housing and food. They receive a cell phone from
Benefits:
Weiss says living in a three-bedroom apartment with four other City Year members on a small stipend and food stamps in
New York's Washington Heights neighborhood has been a life changing experience. "Not
only do I work and live in low income areas, but I am a low-income person as well. I've learned a lot about [managing] the money
I do have and really budgeting." Kate Carlow, 18, from Cheshire, Conn., who is working in
an elementary school in Queens, N.Y., during her gap year, says she never realized she could live on so
little until she had to during City Year. Weiss also says she's learned to manage her time, getting up at 6 a.m.
to get to work, and not returning home until around 6 or 7 p.m., four days a week. Both Weiss and Carlow say
they're going to continue volunteering throughout their lives and want to continue to work with kids, especially in college.
Weiss will be attending
How to apply/deadlines:
City Year programs last from late August or early September through mid-June. People can apply at CityYear.org and have to send in two recommendations, write several essays, and participate in several interviews. In 2009, nearly 8,000 people applied for the 1,550 positions. However, Gordon says there will be 1,800 positions available for the 2011-2012 year. There is a rolling application process, with four separate deadlines of Nov. 30, Feb. 15, April 15, and May 31, according to the website.
Available on Amazon.com:
Why Boys Fail: Saving Our Sons from an Educational System That's Leaving Them Behind
Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College
Copyright © U.S. News & World Report
AmeriCorps City Year For Students Taking Time Off Before College