Newswise — MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (March 28, 2016)— Tufts University today announced a first-of-its-kind agreement with City Year in which fellows in the Tufts 1+4 Bridge-Year Service Learning program will have the opportunity to serve in high-need urban school districts across the United States. This is the first time that City Year has established a formal relationship with a university bridge-year program, and this unique collaboration will strengthen and magnify the impact of the Tufts program launched in 2015.
“The Tufts 1+4 program embodies the values of service and civic engagement that have distinguished Tufts University since its founding, and City Year shares those values,” said Tufts University Provost David Harris. “We welcome this collaboration with City Year, as we work together to demonstrate a new model for service learning and community impact in higher education.”
Through this cooperative effort, Tufts 1+4 Fellows will now have the option to join City Year as part of the bridge-year program. As City Year AmeriCorps members, Tufts 1+4 Fellows will work in diverse teams, side-by-side with classroom teachers, helping students in grades 3 through 9 stay in school and on track to graduate. Fellows will benefit both from the Tufts 1+4 program and the City Year model of national service. As City Year AmeriCorps members, the Tufts 1+4 Fellows will receive training and AmeriCorps benefits, including a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, in exchange for their 11 months of service.
“City Year was founded on the belief that young people have the power to change the world and that national service is a valuable tool to tackle society’s most pressing problems,” said City Year CEO and Co-Founder Michael Brown. “This collaboration will allow Tufts 1+4 Fellows to have an impact on student outcomes for our nation’s most high-need children while they also develop their own leadership and civic engagement capacity.”
“At Tisch College, we believe that higher education has a responsibility to develop the next generation of active citizens, whatever their field of study or intended career,” said Alan Solomont, dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. “By collaborating with a renowned organization like City Year, we will expand the potential reach of the Tufts 1+4 program to communities in this country and provide a leadership opportunity for students to engage in meaningful national service.”
Tufts 1+4 gives accepted undergraduate students the opportunity to learn from a transformational year of full-time community service before beginning their academic studies at Tufts. It offers students the chance to gain real-world experience with a community organization; discover new personal, academic and professional passions; and learn about themselves and the world. Currently, Tufts 1+4 fellows are serving in Brazil, Nicaragua and Spain. Through City Year, fellows will also have the option to serve in U.S. cities beginning in the fall of 2016.
City Year is an education-focused nonprofit organization, fueled by national service, dedicated to improving student outcomes in our nation’s highest-need schools. Founded in 1988, City Year unites young adults, ages 18 to 25, from diverse ethnic, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds, to engage in a year of full-time service, leadership development and civic engagement through the federal AmeriCorps program.
About Tufts UniversityTufts University, located on three Massachusetts campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville, and Grafton, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of its students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university’s schools is widely encouraged. Learn more at tufts.edu.
About Tisch CollegeThe only university-wide college of its kind, the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service offers transformational student learning and service opportunities, conducts groundbreaking research on young people’s civic and political participation, and forges innovative community partnerships. Its work is guided by two core beliefs: that communities, nations and the world are stronger, more prosperous, and more just when citizens actively participate in civic and democratic life; and that higher education has a responsibility to develop the next generation of active citizens. Learn more at activecitizen.tufts.edu.
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