CY 101: Physical Training ("PT")

Physical Training, or PT, is an important part of Unity Rally and all City Year service days. It gets the entire corps and staff, as well as any guests we may have, on the same page. It gets our minds and bodies ready for a powerful day of service. PT engages the community by making people ask, “What are you doing?”

PT includes traditional moves like jumping jacks and stretches, as well as City Year-created moves like Philly’s Own Rocky Jacks or Foot Fires.

PT is always on the City Year program, whether it’s at a Service Day, an annual celebratory dinner, Opening Day, or Unity Rally.

When used at major events with guests, PT is first demonstrated by the corps members that make up the PT Crew. The PT Crew is a well-trained, elite PT force that can powerfully lead the corps and their guests through any exercise regimen. Getting PT-certified (knowing all the exercises, all the calls and responses, and the ready positions for all the exercises) is a key part of Basic Training Academy.

A Serve-verse about service

Gazing at the clouds and I started to reminisce
Like man when I was six I couldn't picture this
Changing lives everyday with the moves that I make
The decisions I decide and the steps that I take
Making it happen with my own two Attitude on can-do
Because I can and you can too!

Tay, 19, service leader, Mastery Charter School team

Networking and Veterans

My plan for Leadership After City Year has changed significantly while I’ve been with the program. I initially came to CYGP thinking that it was a year-long stop on my way back to Chicago, where a large number of my family and friends live. Midway through my second year, my priorities shifted.

I still want to pursue my Master of Social Work degree in order to make myself a better public servant.

I still want to provide the best possible care to the men and women of our military who return home injured, physically and emotionally struggling to acclimate back into civilian life.

Rather than go to school in Chicago, though, I want to stay in Philadelphia. I have grown to love this city. I am committed to the students here, the neighborhoods here, and the City Year site here.

Rather than seek employment in Chicago, I will be seeking placement as a case manager at a hospital on an overseas airbase. I do not know how plausible this plan is at present, but I know that if I do not try, the answer is automatically, ‘no.’
In addition to the MSW, I also want to pursue my Master of Science in Social Policy. I feel that earning these two degrees will aid not only in my on the ground service to veterans, but will make me a more powerful player in changing the way veterans are treated upon return home and upon discharge from the military.

This change in plans came after learning about different possibilities in round tables and meetings with professionals in the City Year network. When I first heard about 'networking opportunities' as one of the intangible benefits of City Year, I had now real concept of what that actually meant. Now that I've had conversations with some of the people I've met through City Year, I realize that my service years have opened doors to me that I didn't even know to knock on before I got to CYGP.

Megan, 24, recruitment senior corps member

Where I live: Juniata

Everyone with a huge appetite would love to live in the type of neighborhood I reside in. I live in the Juniata section of the city; it’s very diverse and well-populated. This area is surrounded by many stores and shops that are never empty. I’ve been living in this neighborhood for the past year and a half with a very comfortable feeling about not moving.
I have a very convenient location as well. Now I really relate to the saying, “Location, location, location,” because I live down the street from a bus stop and the Market-Frankford line is three blocks away. I can get downtown in no time as well as to my service site. I hardly have any problems with getting to work late thanks to the transportation that’s available.
Hunger is never an issue with me thanks to all the stores around. My block has a grocery store on one corner and a Chinese store on the opposite corner. I hardly go to either one of the places, but it’s nice that they’re around just in case I get a little hungry. Every morning, I get breakfast from the best place to go on weekdays, WaWa, of course. People always ask me where did I find a WaWa at and I always reply “from home,” Hardly anyone believes me when I say there’s one down the street from my house. When it’s time to go grocery shopping, there’s a Save-A-Lot on the next block over that I go to a lot just because the prices are so good. Being so close to so much food hasn’t taken a toll on my weight, yet I’m glad I don’t have to go to far to get it.
Juniata is a lot different from Olney, the neighborhood I grew up with, in many different ways I’m thankful for. When I was coming up, there really weren’t that many things close by. My friends and I were walkers and distances between places weren’t a problem for us at all. Now that I’m older, places need to be closer and I live in the ideal neighborhood and don’t want to move any time soon.

Chris W., 19, corps member, WolfBlock team at Creighton K-8

Malvern Retreat House

Owned and operated by the Laymen’s Retreat League, Malvern Retreat House is a spiritual sanctuary with a long-standing Catholic retreat history. As the largest Catholic retreat house in the U.S., this spiritual sanctuary hosts 350 private rooms, two chapels, five oratories, a large conference center and a dining hall in the Main Retreat House. In addition, a new, self-contained building entitled the McShain-Horstmann Family Life Center, offers 50 handicap-accessible rooms. In this building, individuals are offered amenities including a private bath in each room. In essence, Malvern Retreat House offers two separate retreat environments; the Main Retreat House and the Family Life Center. Well over one million individuals have participated in the retreat experience since 1922 with approximately 20,000 men, women, families, married couples and youth now making the journey to this countryside sanctuary. This past fall, Malvern Retreat House opened their doors to City Year Greater Philadelphia for our Basic Training Retreat.

My favorite uniform part: The Bomber

My favorite uniform part is my bomber. The reason my bomber is my favorite uniform part is because it wasn’t just giving to my I had to earn it. The way I earned it was by being committed to 10 months of service and waking up with a positive out look on life every day.

Also the bomber represents more than a jacket with a City Year logo on it. The bomber to me means so much, like being a positive role model, being humble and not being self-centered. When looking at my bomber, sometimes I think about the effects I have on the community and the people in the community I serve in. It makes my feel great to know I’m doing something positive with the one life I have and puts my heart at peace when knowing I am doing good deeds.

Last of all, the bomber makes my family proud especially my Ummi. Ummi is the Arabic way to say mother and she smiles every time she sees me in my bright red City Year jacket. It feels like my bomber is a jacket of good deeds and that puts my life in a peaceful state. And this is why my bomber is my favorite uniform part because it’s more than a jacket. It’s my service.

Will, 19, corps member, Deloitte team at Kensington International Business High School

CY 101: NOSTUESO

It’s not Spanish.

NOSTUESO, pronounced “noh-stoo-ess-so,” is an acronym that stands for “No One Speaks Twice Until Everyone Speaks Once.” This is a Power Tool that ensures that all members of a group are able to participate in group discussions. Not everyone on a team is going to be coming from the same place, from an opinion point of view or from a point of view of being comfortable speaking up in a group. NOSTUESO makes it possible for people to get a word in edgewise, rather than deferring group discussion and direction to the loudest or the most talkative.

This is not a practice intended to stifle conversation—it’s meant to do the opposite. Not everyone in the room HAS to speak if they are uncomfortable doing so, or do not feel as though they are adding anything to the discussion. However, this is to be used so that everyone is at least given the opportunity to say something.

NOSTUESO is a tool that can be used like a light switch, turned on when needed in discussion, and turned off when it isn’t.

City Year, one stop on a lifetime of service

My experience with City Year will be so valuable to future employers that I’ve already begun planning for my life after City Year. To keep my options open, I’m getting ready to apply to several different programs. The first being Teach for America, which is a program that would place me in an underserved community and train me to be a full time educator within the school district for two years. I’m also looking into Outward Bound, a non-profit that brings inner-city kids to the sticks to teach social and leadership skills and challenge their abilities with team building workshops and high-ropes courses. I’m also interested in other AmeriCorps opportunities geared toward environmental work and I am currently researching the possibility of spending a year in Patagonia, Chile through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) where I would receive various certifications in wilderness medical training, risk management, and outdoor education.

Jeff R., 24, corps member, Villa at Overbrook

CY 101: Leave It Better than We Found It (a.k.a. Camp Firing)

Like Front Most, Center Most, Leave It Better than We Found it, or Camp Firing, is a part of Power Courtesy. This is a tool that makes sure all members of a team or group are responsible for cleaning up a room or building after City Year has used it. Much of the space we use in City Year is borrowed, whether for trainings, Youth Corps events, or meetings. A great way to keep getting invited back is to Leave it Better than We Found It.

Even when City Year did not make the mess or move anything in the room, we believe in leaving it better than we found it. Pick up that empty water bottle, even if it’s not yours. The space should be given a once over before leaving, just to make sure that things are cleaned up and ready for whoever uses the room next.

Urban Tree Connection

The mission of the Urban Tree Connection is to assist urban, low-income communities to revitalize their neighborhoods by transforming abandoned open spaces into safe and functional places that inspire and promote positive human interaction.
Urban vacant land is typically concentrated in socio-economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and is often linked to drug-related crime and violence. The City of Philadelphia is currently estimated to have over 30,000 vacant lots, many of which are overgrown, filled with trash and contribute to an appearance of decay and blight.

Urban Tree Connection believes that community-based urban greening is a great way for residents of all ages to bring about positive change in their neighborhood. In addition to beautifying the neighborhood, urban greening projects also provide a variety of economic, environmental, health-related and social benefits.

UTC has collaborated with City Year Greater Philadelphia’s Youth Corps to provide youth with the opportunity to be the change in their own environment.

Teacher to be

City Year hasn’t changed me, it was what I was waiting for my whole life. But I will admit it’s making me a better person, a more responsible person. And it’s given me a career goal. I am almost 100% sure I want to be a teacher, probably a special ed or ESOL teacher. Just because I want to be a teacher doesn’t mean only prospective teachers should join City Year. Children everywhere need someone to help them, just someone to sit there and care, maybe just the few extra minutes that no one else has time for. If you think your life is pointless, be brave. Your life has meaning if it means something to someone else. Step outside your comfort zone. Give a year. Change the World! It’s not as hard as you’d think…

Paige B., 18, corps member, Nutrisystem team at Morrison

Central North Philly--Cool, Nice Place

I’m a native of Central North Philadelphia. It is a low income, predominately African American community. North Philadelphia has a lot of character. All and all it is a beautiful struggle.

Just like any other decision in life there are a host of pro’s and con’s that you must think about before you make an educated decision. The following are a few negative things to consider about this section of Philadelphia. North Philadelphia is an inner city neighborhood that definitely has it's share of problems. Someone that is not familiar with the big city’s hustle and bustle may have a tough time adjusting. With that being said, I have lived in North Philadelphia all of my life. I have never had any altercations with anyone. I have never been robbed, burglarized, beat up or anything crazy like that. For the most of it, the people of North Philadelphia are just hard working families that are just trying to make it through life. No one has any intensions on harming anyone.

The following are some pros. If you want a real big city experience and would like to connect with the community you serve, North Philadelphia is a good place to choose. You can get to almost anywhere in Philadelphia from North Philadelphia via public transportation. Central North Philadelphia is fairly close to center city. It takes approximately a half an hour to reach the office. Another community that is fairly close to North Philadelphia that is a popular place to hang out is Northern Liberties. It has a host of cozy neighborhood-style bars and restaurants and a nice size concert venue.

As far as serious logistics, it is fairly inexpensive to get housing in North Philadelphia. For example, my team mate pays $315 dollars a month to share a three story house with two people. If you live near the Temple University campus as I do, you have the luxury of living in a down to earth neighborhood and having access to things that are not traditionally in a blue collar neighborhood. Temple University has drawn many large name franchises to North Philly that traditionally didn’t service this community. Just to name a few: Starbucks. Subway, Foot Locker, etc.

As far as safety goes, two different police forces serve Central North Philadelphia—the Philadelphia police department and the Temple University Police department. Temple University Police is accredited by the state and has the power to make real, authoritative decisions. If you have any concerns about them check out the Temple website. I hope this was helpful in helping you to make your decision on where you would like to live.

Michael, 23, corps member, Glenmede City Heroes Team

Mayor Michael A. Nutter

Michael A. Nutter is a lifetime Philadelphian with an accomplished career of public service, business, and financial administration. He served as a City Councilperson for nearly 15 years, representing Philadelphia’s fourth district - one of the city’s largest - encompassing the communities of Wynnefield, Overbrook, Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls, Mt. Airy, and parts of North and West Philadelphia. During his time in council, Nutter worked to lower taxes for Philadelphians. He engineered groundbreaking ethics reform legislation, and led efforts to pass a citywide smoking ban, among countless economic and legislative measures to improve the quality of life for people and businesses in the fourth district and citywide.

In July of 2006, he resigned his City Council seat to run in Philadelphia’s mayoral election. On November 6th, 2007, Michael was overwhelmingly elected Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. He was sworn in as the 98th Mayor of Philadelphia on January 7th, 2008.

Mayor Nutter played a critical role in the development of City Year Greater Philadelphia. Nutter says he first came in contact with the City Year program when he visited Boston in 1997: “One thing led to another and I said, ’Let’s bring this to Philadelphia.’” Nutter paid a visit to Thomas Paine Plaza outside the Municipal Services Building to show his personal support for City Year, and got a workout while he was there: he performed PT with the 200 member corps! He now sits on the Board of Trustees of CYGP. Nutter said of the City Year Corps: “They represent the hope and promise for the future because they’re really doing something in our communities.”

Bringing in resources for our students

We applied for and received the $3,000 SCI-West Community Grant award. SCI-West’s mission is to improve whole communities by making them healthier, more competitive, and better connected to the economic mainstream, and they have deemed the CY team at West Philly to be an able contributor to that goal. In the award letter, they wrote, “We recognize the strong link between the great work that you do to the overall health of West Philadelphia. Organizations such as yours play a fundamental role in the success of our neighborhoods.”

This grant will help to fund a Celebration of the Arts event here at West. The day will include a poetry slam, dance performances, outside facilitators/performers and food. We are hoping to bring in the Twin Poets, a break dancing group, and some other local talent. Another part of the project is the construction of a new mural in the Student Success Center that we can move to the new West when that building opens in a few years.

Miles, 22, service leader, First Trust team at West Philadelphia High School

My favorite uniform part: the backpack

My favorite part of the uniform provided by Timberland is the backpack. The straps are super padded, as is the back of it, so even when it’s heavily loaded down (which is pretty frequently), it sits comfortably on the back.

There are lots of different compartments, including one large back portion, which fits a laptop, a water bottle, a five subject notebook, and a packed lunch with a bit of room for a quarter zip or a vest.

The front zipper pocket has a loop for your keys, a mesh pocket for pens and pencils, a second mesh pocket for cell phone, Tic Tacs and other small items, and ample room for a notepad, a travel size bottle of lotion and hand sanitizer, and a wallet.

Then there are outer pockets and clips, good for attaching a rolled up bomber jacket, holding extra bottles of water or cans of soda, City Year flyers, candy bars, or what have you.

The only downside to the back pack is that the zipper gets jammed kind of often on the largest pocket, but that’s easily fixed and can be avoided. I use my City Year backpack for day to day service, air travel, and grocery shopping. It’s pretty much awesome.

Megan, 24, recruitment senior corps member