Celebrating Volunteering With Joy
Celebrating Volunteering With Joy

Volunteers come from all walks of life. Usually, they choose a cause that they feel passionate about or that they can relate to.  Most volunteers are interested in making the difference and leaving a legacy in the organization they serve. Whether that impact is sustainable or not, depends on the community and the organization itself. However, their heart, dedication, and joy to serve others is what matters the most. In observance of National Volunteer Month, we decided to celebrate the individuals that bring our mission to life: our volunteers. Their passion, courage, and determination to join us in closing the opportunity gap inspires us everyday.

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Massachusetts, NationalCitizen SchoolsNational volunteer month, joy, core values, creativity, innovation, diversity, impact, fun
Women’s Audio Mission: Volunteer Spotlight
Women’s Audio Mission: Volunteer Spotlight

This semester, San Francisco-based nonprofit Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) partnered with Citizen Schools to teach apprenticeships at two of our middle schools in Oakland: Roots Academy and Greenleaf.  The apprenticeship, called Girls on the Mic, educates girls about audio technology, recording and sound engineering through music and media. The goal of the program is to drive girls’ interest in STEM and introduce them to technology-based careers in a traditionally male-dominated field.

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CaliforniaAndrew LuckCitizen Schools California
School-Community Partnerships
School-Community Partnerships

The third case study from the Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development discusses the role community partners can play in supporting children’s learning in collaboration with schools. “School-Community Partnerships” cites key examples of school-community partnerships, highlighting the Tacoma Whole Child Initiative in particular which (as many of you may remember from our visit there last November) takes a city-wide approach to this work, joining everyone from the mayor’s office to the local Boys and Girls Club in support of children’s learning.

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Media CoverageNational Commission on Social, Emotional, And Academic Development school partnerships, community, aspen institute
US2020 STEM Collaboratory Hosts 15 Finalists in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
US2020 STEM Collaboratory Hosts 15 Finalists in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

On January 31, 2018, US2020 hosted the STEM Collaboratory event in Pittsburgh. This unique gathering, sponsored by Arconic Foundation, brought together the 15 finalist communities of the US2020 STEM Coalition Challenge The initial intent behind the STEM Collaboratory was to provide competing teams a chance to connect with experts and refine their ideas — it turned out to be so much more.

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Media Coverage, California, US2020Megan Salgadostem mentoring, us2020, STEM Coalition Challenge, Pittsburgh
Namaste! Sandia National Laboratories Citizen Teacher Kayla Norris teaches afterschool yoga in East Oakland
Namaste! Sandia National Laboratories Citizen Teacher Kayla Norris teaches afterschool yoga in East Oakland

While many at Sandia know Kayla Norris (8100) as a financial analyst, a class of students in Oakland knows her as “Ms. Kayla,” their afterschool yoga instructor. For ten weeks in the fall of 2017, Kayla taught a yoga and mindfulness class at Roots International Academy, a small middle school in East Oakland.

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CaliforniaMadeline BurchardCalifornia, yoga, inspiration, Oakland
TD a top finalist for STEM grant
TD a top finalist for STEM grant

The Dalles is a top-15 finalist nationwide for a grant that could potentially hire two full-time employees to help bring hands-on STEM mentoring and projects to local students. US2020 announced the finalists in its STEM Coalition Challenge in January, and the top eight applicants will share around $1 million in grant awards. The finalists were selected based on their potential for impact, approach to partnership building, creative engagement strategies and sustainability planning, according to US2020. The goal of the challenge is to bring STEM mentorship and hands-on experiences to underrepresented students. The challenge received proposals from 92 communities, representing nearly 2,000 partners.

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Media Coverage, US2020, CaliforniaNeita CecilUS2020, STEM hub, STEM Coalition Challenge, grant
Iridescent Announces 2018 Technovation Alliance with Salesforce.org, Google's Made with Code, Adobe Foundation and Uber to Bring Tech and Mentorship to Thousands of Girls Worldwide
Iridescent Announces 2018 Technovation Alliance with Salesforce.org, Google's Made with Code, Adobe Foundation and Uber to Bring Tech and Mentorship to Thousands of Girls Worldwide

Iridescent, a global STEM education nonprofit, is launching its 2018 season with Technovation Alliance partners: Salesforce.org, Google's Made with Code, Adobe Foundation, and Uber. This alliance is working to marshal the resources of multiple tech and innovation partners to make a deeper and more sustainable impact in inspiring and supporting female tech leaders across the globe. 

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CaliforniaIridescentus2020, iridescent
Scholar Athletes appoints two nonprofit leaders to managing director roles
Scholar Athletes appoints two nonprofit leaders to managing director roles

Scholar Athletes today announced the appointment of two nonprofit leaders to managing director roles within the Boston-based nonprofit. Scholar Athletes provides academic and college preparation support to more than 5,000 student “Zone members” in more than 20 schools in Boston, Everett and Springfield.

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Media Coverage, MassachusettsThe Bay State Bannerboston, leadership, everett, cara gould, back on my feet
6 Degrees Of The Bay Area
6 Degrees Of The Bay Area

On February 8, 2018, over 40 Volunteers from more than 20 Businesses in the Bay Area gathered at Greenleaf Elementary School in Oakland, California to take part in our annual 6 Degrees of the Bay Area networking event! Students had the chance to network with professionals from fields ranging from Architecture, Computer Science, and Human Resources to name a few.

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CaliforniaAndrew Luck6 Degrees, networking, computer science, Bay Area, Green Leaf Events
Mock Interview Days at the Eddy and Trotter in Boston
Mock Interview Days at the Eddy and Trotter in Boston

During the week of January 22 - January 26 Citizen Schools welcomed over 80 volunteers to the Trotter Innovation School and Edwards Middle School in Boston, and the Browne Middle School in Chelsea to participate in Mock Interview Days.

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MassachusettsHenry McCorkleinterview day, Mock Interviews, Trotter Innovation School, edwards middle school, browne middle school, Corporate Partnerships, corporate social responsibility
Education and Service Journey After AmeriCorps
Education and Service Journey After AmeriCorps

Gina Amico and David Urieta, are AmeriCorps Alums and currently completing a Masters of Science through the IPSL International Development and Service (MS-IDS) program. Gina is nearing her graduation and studied / served abroad in Siena, Italy and Guayaquil, Ecuador. David is preparing for his first semester abroad in Medellin, Colombia.

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New York, Media CoverageAmeriCorps Alumscitizen schools new york, Gina Amico, CSNY, AmeriCorps Works, AmeriCorps Member Alumni
Pratt Institute Named a Finalist in US2020 STEM Coalition Challenge
Pratt Institute Named a Finalist in US2020 STEM Coalition Challenge

Pratt Institute has been selected as one of 15 finalists for the US2020 STEM Coalition Challenge, a competition for communities across the United States to develop cross-sector partnerships and bridge the opportunity gap by bringing hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) mentoring and maker-centered learning to underrepresented youth. Eight winners, to be selected in spring 2018, will receive two years of financial, consulting, and staff support in order to implement the initiative.

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Media Coverage, US2020Pratt InstituteSTEM, 2013 White House Science Fair, k-12 education
Columbia Gorge STEM Hub announced as finalist in award challenge
Columbia Gorge STEM Hub announced as finalist in award challenge

US2020 announces 15 finalists, including the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub in The Dalles, for the STEM Coalition Challenge, a competition for communities across the country to develop cross-sector partnerships to bring quality hands-on STEM mentoring and maker-centered learning to underrepresented students. These finalists will now move forward to compete for $1 million in resources to implement their bold strategies, representing some of the most innovative approaches to tackling the opportunity gap through STEM, stated a press release.

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Media Coverage, US2020Hood River NewsUS2020
A New Approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Citizen Schools

The development of a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization has long been a priority at Citizen Schools, given our mission and the communities we serve. We strongly believe that as an organization it is our moral imperative to breakdown the systems of oppression that have long prevented us from copiously serving our young people and supporting their visions of success.  

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National, Policy & AdvocacyStephanie LajoieDiversity, Equity, Inclusion, DEI
Michigan Science Center Makes It To Top 15 In The US2020 STEM Coalition Challenge
Michigan Science Center Makes It To Top 15 In The US2020 STEM Coalition Challenge

The Michigan Science Center has been named on of the finalists in the US2020 STEM Coalition Challenge. Judges for the competition looked at how each organization incorporated science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to underrepresented students. They were also evaluated on their potential impact, approach to partnership building, creative engagement strategies, and sustainability planning.

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Media Coverage, NationalShianne NoceriniUS2020, US2020 STEM Mentoring Award
Tufts Career Center holds first-ever sophomore career conference
Tufts Career Center holds first-ever sophomore career conference

The first-ever sophomore career conference, organized by the Tufts Career Center, was held on Jan. 16 and 17 at the Medford/Somerville campus. Lasting a day and a half in total, the conference consisted of a welcome dinner, breakout sessions, an internship networking fair and a closing reception. The event was held at 51 Winthrop Street as well as Anderson and the Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) building, according to the event webpage.

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Media Coverage, MassachusettsLiza HarrisTufts, Sophomore, Career Conference
Front Porch: Idaho STEM Action Center heading to STEM Coalition Challenge
Front Porch: Idaho STEM Action Center heading to STEM Coalition Challenge

US2020, part of the national nonprofit Citizen Schools that focuses on building up America’s STEM programs, has announced that the Idaho STEM Action Center is one of the 15 finalists for its STEM Coalition Challenge. The STEM Action Center was chosen through an application process, where it was evaluated based on its “potential for impact, approach to partnership building, creative engagement strategies and sustainability planning,” according to a press release.

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US2020, Media CoverageElizabeth Thomasus2020, STEM, Nampa, Idaho, Debate, Citizen, American Legion