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ENGAGE Partners with Service Year Alliance to Launch the East Boston Corps

EAST BOSTON, MA (February 26, 2018) - Today, ENGAGE and Service Year Alliance officially announced the launch of the East Boston Corps, a neighborhood-wide strategy to close the youth program gap and solve other community challenges in East Boston — like obesity, unemployment, and English literacy. ENGAGE is a Boston-based initiative focused on promoting positive youth development across the country and Service Year Alliance is a nonprofit missioned with making a year of service a common expectation and opportunity for all.

This morning, an unprecedented number of dinosaurs took to the streets of Washington, DC to tell Congress to stop national service extinction. The hundreds of dinosaurs and national service advocates were present at 8 locations across the city. This included Dupont Circle, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and Union Station. The morning ended with a record number of dinosaurs rallying at the US Capitol. The campaign was in response to President Trump's 2018 budget proposal which threatens to eliminate national service programs like AmeriCorps and outlines the largest cut to the Peace Corps by a president in 40 years.

So you’re wondering what’s up with all of the dinosaurs you keep seeing around DC today? They were at your metro stop and you saw a video of them outside the Capitol, but you have no idea why? Here’s what’s going on...

A record number of dinosaurs and national service advocates are taking action across Washington, DC today to stop national service extinction.

Service Year Alliance’s very own Stephanie Armstrong and Csilla Aglaure-Szekelyhidi represented Service Year Alliance at the 2017 Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee! I caught up with Stephanie to find out just what they were up to, check it out!

When a state of emergency was declared due to lead in the main water supply of Flint, Mich., service year corps members were already on the ground. Now, they’re key to the community’s long-term recovery effort.

Last week gap year providers, advisors, and higher education leaders gathered in Denver for the annual International Gap Year conference. The conference was hosted by the American Gap Association (AGA), Service Year Alliance’s gap year partner.

The conference explored barriers to students completing a gap year including funding, parental support, lack of awareness, and concern that these experiences might lengthen time to graduation or dissuade students from attending college at all.

Over 60 service year alums and champions gathered at Recessions Bar and Grill in downtown Washington, D.C. for a Service Year Story Slam, organized by Service Year Alliance’s D.C. chapter. Storytellers included military veterans and AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alums and highlighted the impact service years have on individuals, communities and the country.

Thank you to the 60 dedicated service year champions who joined us at the first annual Service Year Action Summit last week. Your presence and participation was greatly appreciated and — with 87 meetings on the Hill — resonated across the Washington. It’s up to all of us to make sure we build on the great momentum and energy we tapped into last week and continue to leverage it in our work across the country. 

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On Saturday, February 11th, Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose, California made an audacious inspiring commitment. At his annual State of the City address, Mayor Liccardo shared the “Tale of One City”, a vision for a city diving headlong into its challenges with a focus on investing in its youth to help them growth into active, civically engaged community members.

Building on many of the city’s innovations such as San Jose Promise and Unleash Your Geek, Mayor Liccardo announced ServeSJ, which includes his commitment to increasing service year opportunities for San Jose’s own youth.