City Year UK

About City Year UK

Who we are

City Year UK is a youth and education charity which empowers 18-25 year olds to tackle educational inequality through a year of full-time volunteering in schools.

What we do:

We train and empower inspirational young people to volunteer in schools, as City Year mentors, and support children who are furthest from opportunity, full-time, for a whole year.

Using our evidence-based student success coaching model, our mentors enable children to overcome social, emotional and academic barriers to learning and, by realising pupils’ potential, realise their own. Embarking on a structured Leadership and Development programme of their own, they gain real world experience, leadership skills and new networks that set them up for any career.

Why it works:

We believe that where you start in life shouldn’t determine your future and every young person should have the chance to succeed. We offer a unique solution to tackling educational inequality by partnering with teachers and schools to contribute to joyful, responsive and welcoming learning environments where all pupils can build on their strengths and fully engage in their learning. As ‘near peer’ role models and tutors, our City Year mentors complement the work of teachers and become an integral and flexible part of everyday school life.

Since 2009, City Year UK has trained and supported over 1,800 young adults to coach and mentor over 17,000 pupils in need of extra help and contributed to a positive learning environment for over 136,000 children.

Over 90% of our volunteers move into higher education, employment or training within three months of completing their City Year.

Our culture

City Year takes pride in having a very distinct culture, sense of purpose and a strong identity.

At the centre of City Year’s idealistic culture is an ever-growing collection of stories and quotations from many cultures and sources. They represent the civic values that guide City Year, set the organisation on course, and remind us of the most fundamental motivations for our work.