“At City Year, we’re working to bridge the gap in high-poverty communities between the support that students actually need, and what their schools are designed and resourced to provide. In doing so, we’re helping to increase graduation rates across the country, and changing the lives of the students we serve.”
The above quote was taken off of the City Year website. As an upcoming Corp member, it is my goal to be in the classroom bridging the gap between what teachers can provide students and what they still need assistance with. Does that sound familiar? Well it should because the goal of City Year is essentially Servant leadership.
Servant leadership is defined with the “underlying idea that the leader has a need/desire to serve others so that they can develop themselves and therefore perform to meet organizational needs. In turn, those followers develop into servants themselves to help others in the organization which again helps the organization perform.” It is definitely my goal to work with City Year Philadelphia because they serve my hometown. I hope to guide pupils along the path toward higher education. It is definitely my hope that the students I come in contact with, eventually pay it forward as they work toward their goals.
According to lecture, “Servant leadership will backfire if a leader tries to engage this process while actually being a power oriented or domineering personality. The application will seem like lip service rather than authentic by followers and as such they will not grow and develop, but will rather become mistrustful of the leader and the organization.” I must admit, although I have mostly altruist motives for joining this organization, I at times can admit to being domineering. I hope that I will be able to connect with the students I plan to serve despite this character flaw.
Have you heard of City Year? Are there any Corp member reading this post right now? If so feel free to share you experience with servant leadership!
Work Cited
https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su15/psych485/001/content/11_lesson/05_page.html