What does a training day look like?

In addition to the training our Corps members receive prior to entering school service, we continue to provide training every other week for the duration of their service year. The following is a reflection by former Corps Member, Ihssan, on the value of this ongoing training.

Learning and Development (L&D) days are a breath of fresh air from a busy work week serving in a middle school. It allows us to reconnect with corps members serving at different schools and be around like-minded peers. L&D can be broken up into two different days: One being City Year focused and the other being LACY/Self Care focused. On ‘City Year’ days, we go over teaching strategies and ways to better help our students in the classroom. It also allows us to share experiences and perspectives with other corps members over different strategies to best engage our students. On LACY (Life After City Year) and Self-Care days, there are options for us to choose from. The site hosts resume workshops, organizes groups that are focused on our individual goals, and more! These days are always super fun; often include rotations between an active activity game, painting, learning self-care techniques, etc.

One of my favorite sessions that City Year has is monthly sessions with our IJ (Idealist Journey) group. It comprises 4-6 ACMs from different schools and is a space for us to get together and better ourselves through internal reflection and whole group discussions. In this judgment-free and confidential setting, I have gotten to know more about my co-workers and have learned a lot about myself. During this time, we also get time to debate and discuss a topic chosen by one of our groupmates. They have been about social justice, the American prison system, violence in video games, judging people based on appearance, and more. Every time we have an IJ meeting, I leave with more knowledge about myself and the world.