Hello all! My name is Megan Simmons, I am a rising senior at The Ohio State University. I study Political Science and Public Policy Analysis, with minors in City and Regional Planning and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. This summer, I will be working in grants management and development at City Year Columbus! City Year is a national nonprofit which deals with urban education issues, with a focus on schools with high risks of dropout. Each year, a team of AmeriCorps members are selected and sent to Columbus to spend a year working with students in these schools on language arts and math competency, as well as attendance and behavioral issues. In Columbus, there are seven schools where City Year members are stationed for the year.

If there is one word which I could use to describe my experiences at City Year thus far, it would be ubuntu. A shortened proverb from the Zulu tribe in South Africa meaning “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours”, City Year’s organizational culture is centered around this word, continually practicing support and togetherness.

The concept of ubuntu was first demonstrated to me upon my arrival at the City Year offices. I was warmly welcomed by everyone, and was taken in immediately as a member of the team. In this first week, I have been wholeheartedly included as part of the City Year Columbus office as we prepare for the City Year 2017-2018 AmeriCorps Graduation, celebrate AmeriCorps field day, and wrap up the school year with AmeriCorps exit interviews.

I have begun to better understand the far-reaching impact of ubuntu in City Year culture by observing the ways in which it influences the interactions between City Year AmeriCorps members. Each morning, AmeriCorps members meet as a team and then have time to take “ubuntu walks” , where they are paired up with time to walk and talk to one another. Having just taken my first ubuntu walk this morning, I can appreciate the way which this small activity helps develop genuine bonds between AmeriCorps members. Not only was the ubuntu walk a wonderful way to energize AmeriCorps members in the morning, but was also a great way to discuss the experiences members had over their year of service.

Until my time City Year, I have never experienced a nonprofit organization that has such a defined set of values which it is centered around. Ubuntu is practiced by each employee and AmeriCorps member, keeping a focus on serving the Columbus student population every day. As the summer progresses, I hope to also learn to practice ubuntu in my work, and to continue to delve into how City Year values are evidenced in the work which the Columbus team produces.