Unlock Future You

Apply Today!

Applications accepted through

July 2nd!

Get Started!

What is City Year?

A powerful year of paid service* where you find yourself by helping others.

*Designed for young adults ages 17-25

City Year in the Bay Area is designed to help you grow as a person and a professional as you uplift children from underserved communities. One aspect of your year is designed to teach you how to support, advocate for and uplift the children in your program. The other side of a City Year is designed to provide you with professional training, career support, and direction to help you excel in whatever lies beyond your year with us.

Make a difference in the world and unlock future you!

92% of Bay Area Alumni Agree
the City Year helped prepare them for their career paths.

Whether it’s AI experience, entry level problem solving, community building or networking—City Year is designed to help prepare you for what’s next.

(And provide extra resources (like scholarships) to give you an extra boost).

Three children sitting on a bench outdoors, engaging in a conversation. The girl in the middle has red hair and is wearing a yellow jacket with an American flag patch. The boy on the left has dark skin and is wearing a gray T-shirt. The girl on the right has long dark hair and is wearing a blue top with floral patterns. They are sitting against a colorful mural background.

Who Serves at City Year?

City Year Bay Area is designed to create a wide range of opportunities for adults between the ages of 17-25. Whether you’re looking for a college scholarship, a deep sense of community, an opportunity to “give back,” a resume boost or career-building experience, City Year has unique programs built to help you succeed during - and beyond - your year of service.

  • Corps members who join out of high school find a sense of community and support with City Year. Whether you are looking for a pathway towards education and scholarship support or career and skill building experience, City Year will help you get ready for what is next.

  • A City Year of service between degrees is a great way to build a depth of real-world experience that many schools consider valuable. In addition to boosting application optics, City Year has over 100 college and university partners and scholarship access. Learn more about this below.

  • City Year has over 30 corporate partnerships and multiple, local, learning and development days with partner organizations like Bank of America, Deloitte and the 49ers. These invaluable experiences expose you to a world of ideas and career possibilities and deepen your networking bench tremendously.

  • Maybe you’re just not sure what’s next. Maybe you want to get out there and do some good in the world. Maybe you want to do something totally different that’s designed to challenge and uplift you. For all the “maybes” out there - we invite you to explore a City Year of service in the Bay Area.

Start My Application!
A man in a yellow jacket standing inside a room with colorful murals focuses on an advertisement on the wall and giving two thumbs-up.
A smiling woman with blonde hair holding a pink cup, wearing a yellow jacket with a patch that says 'City of Year' and an American flag patch on the sleeve, standing in a room decorated with yellow balloons and various posters on tables.

Open Zoom hours & info sessions!

Sometimes you just want to talk to a person so you can ask the questions that are important to YOU.

Click this link to sign up for a Zoom chat with our local recruiter, Lauren!

Schedule a Chat

Hear from Luke Q., former City Year Bay Area AmeriCorps Member, on why he served twice, his meaningful experience with his students and what City Year means to him now.

Read Luke's Blog Post

What Does a City Year of Service Look Like?

Group of young people wearing yellow jackets, standing outside a building, smiling and waving, some holding clipboards.

  • Deadlines are scheduled at rolling intervals throughout the spring. Your application includes two short answer questions and one professional reference. Once applied you’ll schedule time to meet with your recruiter, schedule your interview and (fingers crossed) accept your offer! 

  • To prepare you for your City Year, you’ll start by entering a two week summer training academy. Here you will meet your cohort, work through team-building activities and learn on-the-job skills to prepare you for your work in schools.

  • As you begin your City Year, you’ll support classrooms as a Student Success Coach at one of two critical Title-one school districts in the Bay Area - East Palo Alto and East San Jose. Your experience will be composed of whole school support like running student stores, playing soccer at recess, and providing math and phonics support in small groups.

    Other components of the job include utilizing AI to generate personalized lesson plans and collaborating with teachers to support students holistically.

  • After the holiday break, you will return to your school as a familiar face and mentor for the kids in your program. According to alumni, the second half of the semester is more about increasing confidence, building relationships and making the most out of the big and small opportunities you have to make an impact in the program. You also provide consistent tutoring for nine-12 students over a 10 week period.

  • Throughout the City Year experience, you will also have opportunities to experience learning & development (L&D) sessions, corporate skillbuilding field trips, ongoing team-building adventures, service projects, leadership opportunities, and more! Past events include eighteen minute networking at Deloitte, a resume workshop at LinkedIn, and a retreat at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

  • As your experience comes to a close, you and your peers are celebrated at our year-end graduation. Upon completion of the program you will receive a certificate and join our esteemed Alumni Network. 

  • City Year has over 40,000 alumni who work at companies ranging from technology giants like Deloitte to consulting firms to hospital systems. Alumni stay in touch with current corps members in various ways including 1:1 mentorship. After graduation you will frequently be invited to networking events, our gala, and local service events. Alumni are also frequently invited to tell their ongoing story in our newsletter/on our blog.

Group of smiling volunteers, some in yellow jackets with 'City Ear' written on them, assembling wooden items outdoors under a metal roofing structure.

City Year Bay Area Benefits & Available Programs

  • Bi-weekly stipend of $1,386 & relocation support of $500 for those coming more than 50 miles

  • $7,395 Segal Education Award

  • Health Insurance through Aetna

  • ComPsych Employee Assistance Program

  • Mental Health Support including Talkspace Therapy and three years of free access to the Happier mindfulness app

  • Childcare Benefit Program

  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program & Other Loan Support Programs

  • And more! Click here for a full list & additional details!

    *These benefits & programs are open to our City Year Bay Area Corps Members serving our 1,700-hour service term

Alumni Testimonials

  • A young man with glasses and a beard smiling and standing in front of green leafy bushes.

    “My time as a Corps member cemented my commitment to a career focused on systemic change, even if it’s really hard sometimes! I made the conscious choice to weave this work into my career wherever possible…”

    Cristian K.
    2014 City Year Alumni
    Associate Manager of Social Impact at LinkedIn

  • A young man with dark hair, smiling, wearing a blue dress shirt and a dark suit jacket, standing in front of a digital, tech-themed background with glowing red and blue geometric shapes.

    "I learned so much during my year of service but if I had to identify the one thing that has served me the most I would say it’s been the importance of first building trust in the relationships you have with colleagues, clients, partners, really everyone."

    Cristian C.
    2017 City Year Alumni
    Data & AI Value Strategy Consultant at Accenture

  • A young woman with curly brown hair smiling outdoors near a body of water with boats, wearing a blue patterned tank top and a necklace.

    “The first thing I really remember with City Year is how much fun the people I was with made it. Even the training itself was fun as long as I had the right people to share the experience with. I made lifelong friends at City Year and I will always be grateful for the program bringing us together.

    Caitlin D.
    2022 City Year Alumni
    USC Law School Student

  • Young woman with long dark hair smiling inside a building near large windows with a scenic view of trees, hills, and buildings in the background.

    “City Year is demanding, but it’s also deeply rewarding. For me, it was a transformative experience that shaped me in meaningful and positive ways.”

    Kailani B.
    2022 City Year Alumni
    Transitions Coordinator, College of San Mateo

Helping You Prepare for What’s Next

Three people walking and talking outside, two men in yellow jackets and a woman in a colorful dress, smiling and engaging with each other.

Continue Your Education

City Year partners with over 100 colleges and universities to provide alumni with a Segal Scholarship worth over $7,000.

A man in a yellow jacket with a name tag speaks at a podium during a city anniversary event, with a large sign behind him that reads "City Year" and features a circular design. In the background, two individuals walk through a corridor, and a large screen displays an outdoor scene.

Jumpstart Your Career

With a growing list of over 30 employers and multiple partners, City Year helps you connect with and leverage your year of service to improve your visibility in your career path of choice. Here is a list of career resources City Year provides!

Apply Today
A young girl with long brown hair smiling and gesturing towards a whiteboard in a classroom. She is wearing a yellow jacket with an American flag patch on the sleeve. There is another person with glasses and a black hat in the foreground, and colorful cartoon drawings are on the walls.

Teacher Pathways

For Corps members who wish to continue on in the education sector, we have ample resources to support you on this path. Half of our current alumni work in the education sector and can attest to the difference their City Year made! Explore teacher pathways here.

Contact

Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Email Bernadette Castillo, Community Partnerships Manager
bernadette.castillo@cityyear.org


Text us at:
(408) 618-0148