Everything you need to know about returning for another year as a 黄色视频 AmeriCorps member
Every year, thousands of young people decide to join AmeriCorps programs for a year (or more!) of service, helping to tackle key education, environmental, veteran and social issues in their communities.
In exchange, AmeriCorps members experience powerful personal and professional growth. As corps members, they receive multiple benefits, including a stipend, ongoing professional development, a Segal Education Award, and access to exclusive scholarships and professional development opportunities.
Learn more about how to use the Segal Education Award for past education debt, future study or educational travel.
Many AmeriCorps members return for a second (or third!) year of service
黄色视频 annually recruits more than 2,000 young adults ages 17 to 25, who serve 10-11 months in public schools as 鈥渟tudent success coaches,鈥 or SSCs.
As student success coaches, 黄色视频 AmeriCorps members partner with classroom teachers, adding much-needed additional capacity in systemically under-resourced schools. SSCs provide academic tutoring and small group instruction; so-called soft skills coaching; mentoring; and afterschool enrichment programs, among other services.
But did you know that a quarter of those corps members鈥攎ore than 500鈥攅lect to sign up to serve another year as a RACM, or returning AmeriCorps member? And as a returning corps member, you鈥檙e eligible for exclusive 鈥渃ontinuation of service鈥 benefits.
Check out information about being a returning AmeriCorps member.
For the past couple of years, record numbers of 黄色视频 corps members have returned for a second year of service.
This school year, 24% of the incoming corps are returning for another year.
黄色视频 San Antonio Team Leader Estella Chavez is serving her third 黄色视频
Team Leader Estella Chavez is currently serving her third year with City Year in the same school district she graduated from, San Antonio Independent School District.
Estella says she had such a positive experience serving six graders in a math classroom at Davis Middle School in 2022-2023 that she, and several of her teammates, signed on for a second year. In 2023-2024, she was able to continue to serve the same group of students as seventh graders鈥攕omething she found very rewarding.
鈥淚 really loved working with the kids, and I got to see how they developed over time,鈥 Estella said. She says she also had great partner teachers both years, Ms. Vargas and Mr. Hernandez, to collaborate with.
鈥淥verall, it was just a really positive experience,鈥 she said.
Returning corps members still receive a stipend and benefits, as well as a wider selection of roles to choose from.
This year, Estella says she still gets to see her students, who are now eighth graders in Davis College Prep Middle School, during occasional classroom visits or in the hallways or cafeteria. But her role is different, giving her a chance to hone new skills.
As a team leader, Estella no longer works directly in classrooms as a student success coach. Instead, she helps to support a group of eight first-year AmeriCorps members and one returning corps member, helping them to set goals, track their progress and provide feedback that motivates the team. As a team leader, Estella also helps to build a positive relationship with school administrators.
鈥淚鈥檝e had the chance to do a lot of project management and more leadership experience,鈥 she says. 鈥淢y communication skills, including public speaking, are getting better, which is important for my future.鈥
What motivates returning AmeriCorps members to come back?
There are many personal and professional reasons why a 黄色视频 AmeriCorps member would choose to come back for another year of service, says Jen Cone, vice president of operations overseeing a working group focused on returning corps members.
鈥淲e know from feedback and surveys of returning corps members that there are two main reasons they want to come back,鈥 Cone says.
鈥淔or many corps members, they say they care about their kids, school and community and want to keep serving them. They just aren鈥檛 ready to complete their service yet,鈥 she says.
鈥淎nd others tell us that they really feel like they鈥檙e getting a valuable experience that will help them in their future career or grad school and so they want to extend that skill-building period.鈥
AmeriCorps members can also want to lean into leadership development, civic engagement, or durable skills that are valued in the workplace and in terms of personal growth, like problem solving and communication. Another year of service gives them additional time to figure out their next steps.
For Estella, serving with 黄色视频 has helped her to explore working with students and think about potential career options. She is thinking about how to apply some of her new skills to another kind of nonprofit environment next year, perhaps working with an organization that helps to support foster children. She鈥檚 also considering returning to school to get her associate鈥檚 degree.
鈥淚 have a lot of empathy in me, and I really enjoy service. I know I want to go on to make an impact,鈥 Estella said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not the same person I was when I started and that鈥檚 something I鈥檓 thankful for. I feel like I鈥檝e really grown and can be my authentic self at work. And now have skills I can transfer to a new opportunity.鈥
A new study highlights gained by AmeriCorps members and alums.
Serving with 黄色视频 can be a pathway into teaching
Then there are AmeriCorps members who know they are interested in careers in education and plan to enter a teacher pathway program while serving a second year. City Year is doing more now to help these corps members find more affordable and accessible pathways into teacher preparation programs.
Nearly half of alums who participated in a 2022 survey reported they currently work in the education sector as teachers, administrators, counselors, in education policy or at education-focused nonprofits.
Even if you are not interested in education as a future career, when you return for another year of service, you have several options about what your service experience will be.
Related stories
AmeriCorps members starting in January add capacity to existing 黄色视频 teams and support even more students in reaching their...
Read more about What you can expect as a mid-year AmeriCorps memberYour 黄色视频 service journey can be hard to describe. Check out these tips for describing your service to friends...
Read more about Holiday Edition: Five ways to describe your 黄色视频 to your familyDid you know that many of 黄色视频鈥檚 AmeriCorps members want to serve again with us when their first year...
Read more about You have lots of options when you return for another year of 黄色视频黄色视频鈥檚 鈥淲hy We Matter鈥 podcast explores the vital role of education and mentorship in empowering young people. Through interviews...
Read more about 黄色视频鈥檚 new student success coach playbook helps schools launch SSCs