City Year

Allen & Gerritsen said it has been chosen to be the ad agency of record for City Year, a Boston-based group that looks to lower the school dropout rate by recruiting a corps of young people who serve as mentors and tutors in after-school programs. This year, more than 2,000 City Year corps members are expected to serve in 189 schools around the country. Billings for the account are not being disclosed, said Allen & Gerritsen, which has offices in Watertown. Allen & Gerritsen said it will work with City Year to "build and heighten awareness of its mission, attract top talent...

Allen & Gerritsen said it has been chosen to be the ad agency of record for City Year, a Boston-based group that looks to lower the school dropout rate by recruiting a corps of young people who serve as mentors and tutors in after-school programs. This year, more than 2,000 City Year corps members are expected to serve in 189 schools around the country. Billings for the account are not being disclosed, said Allen & Gerritsen, which has offices in Watertown. Allen & Gerritsen said it will work with City Year to "build and heighten awareness of its mission, attract top talent...

The following is a press release from City Year, an education-focused nonprofit based near where the Back Bay and South End meet: City Year, an education-focused, nonprofit organization, announced this month that it will launch its first crowd-sourced art competition for its Founding Stories Book--a compilation of inspirational stories that reflect City Year's unique culture. The contest launches on February 1 and submissions will be accepted until March 15 at 11:59 PM EST. All individuals, including City Year employees, corps members, alumni, and students,...

Boston is using nearly $26 million in federal grants to extend the school day, boost teacher pay, and establish partnerships with nonprofit organizations, in hopes of turning around 12 persistently low-achieving public schools, according to a Globe review of spending. The intensive support made possible by the three-year grants appears to be paying off, with rising test scores at most of the schools. But with a little more than a year left for most schools to spend the money, officials are trying to figure out how to sustain these investments so the schools do not slide backward.

More than a third of the students in Boston public high schools were chronically absent last year, even as the city undertook additional efforts to lure students to school, according to a Globe analysis. At East Boston High School, half of the students missed at least 19 days, more than 10 percent of the school year. The rates of chronic absenteeism were even higher at Brighton High, Charlestown High, and Dorchester Academy. Across the city, 7,400 high school students were chronically absent.

(Patrick D. Rosso/Boston.com/2012) The Blackstone Elementary School's new library. By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent Students, teachers, and the South End community celebrated the opening of the Blackstone Elementary School's new library Friday afternoon. Educators believe the new library will help bolster efforts to turn around the school. The Blackstone was named by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2010 as under-performing school and is one of the 12 schools in the Boston...

An announcement that your child wants to take a year off before heading to college can be scary. There’s the fear she’ll never find the motivation to go to school. The concern she’ll fall behind. The prospect of paying for an expensive program to fill the time. The growing popularity of taking a “gap year’’ has generated much attention about the cost. Prepackaged programs promising life-altering experiences are replacing the old model of backpacking across Europe. Programs can charge...

Boston is using nearly $26 million in federal grants to extend the school day, boost teacher pay, and establish partnerships with nonprofit organizations, in hopes of turning around 12 persistently low-achieving public schools, according to a Globe review of spending. The intensive support made possible by the three-year grants appears to be paying off, with rising test scores at most of the schools. But with a little more than a year left for most schools to spend the money, officials are trying to figure out how to sustain these investments...

Dozens of volunteers from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, the Celtics, and City Year got together yesterday to spruce up an outdoor recreation and learning space at John Marshall Elementary School in Dorchester. Hizzoner Tom Menino joined Celts CEO Wyc Grousbeck , president of basketball ops Danny Ainge , and Harvard Pilgrim president Eric Schultz , among many others, to help transform the space with murals, benches, and landscaping.

When they met with the highly regarded social justice entrepreneur Hubie Jones a year or so ago, a group of residents from the Warren Gardens Housing Cooperative in Roxbury were simply looking for a way to get a tutor for their computer center so residents could learn how to send e-mail and navigate the Internet. But, in talking with Jones, they realized that an even better opportunity might be in their grasp: a chance to take part in a bold experiment being orchestrated by Jones, who was launching an organization that aims to help...

(Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com) The Zumix firehouse on Sumner Street in East Boston. By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent An East Boston-based youth arts organization is working with a coalition of local non-profit youth groups and international partners to promote youth participation in the arts. Zumix, a 21-year-old music, radio, and theater program for children and adolescents, has partnered with the City of Boston, the United Nations, and an organization called the Sounding Board to present the Boston Rio+20 Project, held in conjunction with the Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest.

(Patrick D. Rosso/Boston.com/2012) The Blackstone Elementary School's new library. By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent Students, teachers, and the South End community celebrated the opening of the Blackstone Elementary School's new library Friday afternoon. Educators believe the new library will help bolster efforts to turn around the school. The Blackstone was named by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2010 as under-performing school and is one...

The following is a press release from City Year, an education-focused nonprofit based near where the Back Bay and South End meet: City Year, an education-focused, nonprofit organization, announced this month that it will launch its first crowd-sourced art competition for its Founding Stories Book--a compilation of inspirational stories that reflect City Year's unique culture. The contest launches on February 1 and submissions will be accepted until March 15 at 11:59 PM EST. All individuals, including City...

More than a third of the students in Boston public high schools were chronically absent last year, even as the city undertook additional efforts to lure students to school, according to a Globe analysis. At East Boston High School, half of the students missed at least 19 days, more than 10 percent of the school year. The rates of chronic absenteeism were even higher at Brighton High, Charlestown High, and Dorchester Academy. Across the city, 7,400 high school students were chronically absent.

The Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, the association that represents the Commonwealth's nonprofit sector, said it has a new chief executive: Rick Jakious. The network, which refers to itself as MNN, seeks to raise the nonprofit sector's visibility, engage members in public policy initiatives, and help individual nonprofits in the state. MNN currently includes nearly 500 members representing nonprofits in various parts of Massachusetts. Jakious comes to MNN from City Year Inc., where he served most recently as the director of its...

BEFORE AN eviction or violent confrontation or the next nor'easter, I have the following questions for Occupy Boston: How long will your passive-aggressive stance support your innocent profile? Instead of risking hypothermia, why not hold a forum at the university of your choice? If you want to meet in the name of diversity, why not reserve space on the campuses of, say, Harvard, Northeastern, and Bunker Hill Community College, and hold revolving meetings to discuss the ills of the economy and what you plan to do about it?

The men of the Boston band Dispatch — Brad Corrigan , Pete Heimbold , and Chad Urmston — who take over the TD Garden this weekend, visited City Year yesterday for a performance on behalf of United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley. The event, called the “Amplifying Education Community Conversation,’’ included a discussion about the state of education and volunteerism with panelists from United Way, Teach for America, City Year, Sociedad Latina, and Boston Public Schools.

The Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, the association that represents the Commonwealth's nonprofit sector, said it has a new chief executive: Rick Jakious. The network, which refers to itself as MNN, seeks to raise the nonprofit sector's visibility, engage members in public policy initiatives, and help individual nonprofits in the state. MNN currently includes nearly 500 members representing nonprofits in various parts of Massachusetts. Jakious comes to MNN from City Year Inc., where he served most recently as the...

IT WAS disappointing to read of Alan Khazei's withdrawal from the Senate race. For those familiar with civic contributors in Boston, Khazei has been a hero ever since he cofounded City Year more than 20 years ago. City Year has become a national model for community service and Khazei a symbol of someone making a difference. Over the years, he has grown tremendously. He has reached out to the business community and others in an effort to understand how we can all work together to facilitate a stronger economy and a better society for all. Ultimately the Elizabeth Warren...

There are not many students at the University of Massachusetts Lowell wearing bracelets commemorating soldiers killed in Afghanistan, let alone one who was their friend. There also are not many students like Mike Hubbard walking across campus. He is a nearly 26-year old freshman from Methuen, taking classes alongside 18-year-olds who graduated from high school only last spring. Hubbard, who enlisted in the Army in reaction to the 9/11 attacks, spent the past seven-plus years working his way up to the Army's Special Forces - also known as the Green Berets - and through two combat tours in...