| Focus Area: |
Governance, Enterprise and Investment |
| Project: |
City Year South Africa |
| Commitment By: |
City Year, Inc. |
| Value: |
$2.2 million |
Objective: To engage young people of different racial, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds in a year of full time citizen service addressing critical issues in South Africa and to connect them to opportunities for employment or to start a small business or non-profit once their year of service has been completed.
Commitment: City Year commits to expanding City Year South Africa by 50%. In 2006, City Year South Africa will train and deploy more than 165 young leaders in a year of full-time citizen service focused on addressing critical issues facing their country and will place more than 70% of them in jobs, apprenticeships and higher education following their year of service.
Background: City Year South Africa is the direct result of a request from President Nelson Mandela to President William J. Clinton to assist South Africa in developing a large scale citizen service initiative. In 2001, President Mandela invited President Clinton to South Africa to give a speech on civil society. To demonstrate the vital role that young people and citizen service play in supporting and building civil society, President Clinton invited a delegation of board members, alumni and staff from City Year to join him on the trip. During that visit, President Mandela asked City Year Chairman Eli Segal to commit to providing assistance to South Africa by developing and expanding opportunities for young people to serve. City Year South Africa was launched in February 2005 and the inaugural corps completed its first year of service in November 2005.
| Point of Contact: |
Ann Maura Connolly, Senior Vice President
City Year, Inc. |
| Geographic Scope: |
Johannesburg, South Africa and surrounding areas |
| Anticipated Launch Date: |
February 2006 |
| Anticipated Duration: |
1 year, then ongoing |
Update:
March 17, 2006:
More than 250 volunteers descended on Joubert Park and some of the surrounding areas to engage in a day of clean-up, gardening and re-cycling. City Year, in partnership with City Parks, the SOUL Foundation and the Johannesburg Art Gallery joined together to make a difference. This was the first experience of transformative service for the 2006 Service Leaders. City Year South Africa is also planning a day of mass service that will include citizen volunteers on June 23, 2006.
April 2006:
City Year South Africa kicked off its 2006 year of service with 200 new volunteers who will each dedicate an entire year to serving others. City Year will be active in 15 primary schools in Eldorado Park, Soweto, and inner Johannesburg, where its leaders will help teach verbal and math skills to 3000 school children.