PROMISE CORPS

Mission:

Promise Corps collaborates with school leaders, community members, families and youth advocates to directly support high school students in their post-secondary planning. Promise Corps exposes students to as many post-secondary options as possible, including diverse careers and college pathways, then collaboratively plans towards the most desired post-secondary plan for each unique student by role-modeling positive self-esteem, high expectations, persistence, and resilience.

Vision:

Promise Corps will serve students to become academically and personally successful post high school.

Promise Corps provides teams of College and Career Coaches (CCC’s) to collaborate with school leaders, community members, families and youth advocates to directly support high school students in their post-secondary planning. With an emphasis on job readiness and high school graduation as the primary focus, Promise Corps strives to expose students to a variety of post-secondary options, including diverse careers and college pathways. Promise Corps CCC’s then collaboratively plan with students towards their most desired post-secondary plan by setting expectations on goal setting and role-modeling positive self-esteem, high expectations, persistence, and resilience. Promise Corps then activates a pathway approach that introduces students to partners at local academic institutions that will continue to support students as they move into their secure post-secondary plan. Promise Corps is currently hosted at West Philadelphia High School, High School of the Future, Overbrook High School, and Sayre High School with the potential for additional sites in the upcoming school year.

Contact ceo.youth@phila.gov for more info!

What is the Promise Corps Program?

There are 3 facets to the Promise Corps Program. Members present 5 postsecondary workshops to students, meet with them 12 or more times throughout the school year, and complete an individualized student success plan with their students.

One-On-One Meetings

Members meet with students one-on-one to discuss their postsecondary goals and how they’ll reach them. This happens in the classroom, the Promise Corps classroom, the library, the cafeteria – wherever students feel most comfortable talking about these important goals!

Student Portfolios

The Student Portfolios serves as the initial connection between students and their AmeriCorps Coaches. Student portfolios include evidence of goals acheived towards a students personal post-secondary plan. Students who work with Promise Corps throughout their high school experience graduate with a portfolio full of action and items that will support their post-secondary plan and serve as a go to place for documentation they may need along the way.

Postsecondary Workshops

Promise Corps provides various post-secondary workshops specific to grade level and topic area such as Introduction to Career Clusters, the Local Workforce, Resume writing for Sophomores and many more topics. Promise Corps comes with prepared workshops to facilitate at events or in class at partner school sites and is also open to creating content as needed.

Promise Corps

is a proud AmeriCorps organization, contributing to the mission to get things done.

Check out the AmeriCorps website

HISTORY and MISSION

Promise Corps provides teams of College and Career Coaches (CCC’s) to collaborate with school leaders, community members, families and youth advocates to directly support high school students in their post-secondary planning. With an emphasis on job readiness and high school graduation as the primary focus, Promise Corps strives to expose students to a variety of post-secondary options, including diverse careers and college pathways. Promise Corps CCC’s then collaboratively plan with students towards their most desired post-secondary plan by setting expectations on goal setting and role-modeling positive self-esteem, high expectations, persistence, and resilience.
Promise Corps then activates a pathway approach that introduces students to partners at local academic institutions that will continue to support students as they move into their secure post-secondary plan.

The Promise Corps CCC’s placed in schools will be trained and equipped with resources, information, tools and curriculum to guide students to first explore their post-secondary future and second, set and achieve short and long term goals towards their desired plan. To capture some of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable youth, Promise Corps prioritizes high schools located in or near the West Philadelphia Promise Zone (WPPZ).
The West Philadelphia Promise Zone includes the neighborhoods of Mantua, Belmont, Mill Creek, West Powelton, Powelton Village, and portions of Walnut Hill and Spruce Hill. WPPZ has suffered from generations of institutionalized poverty, yet also features world-class employers and postsecondary institutions including the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The WPPZ’s 2013 poverty rate was 48%, higher than the citywide rate of 26.3%. Over 45% of households earn less than $15,000 each year and the median household income is $13,317. One of the WPPZ goals is to expand educational opportunities and outcomes for youth. Philadelphia schools have high academic deficits and a deep need for support services. While improvements have been made to academic supports for students there are very limited opportunities for college and career counseling. This results in students taking on high amounts of student loan debt, missing opportunities to best prepare for the workplace and being neither college ready nor job ready after high school graduation. Through this in school approach, Promise Corps CCC’s build lasting relationships with students and help to expand academic supports toward college and career success.

Member Benefits

This position is part of the AmeriCorps service program. As an AmeriCorps member, you will serve your community through Promise Corps and receive a biweekly living allowance as well as health benefits and personal time. Childcare assistance is available through AmeriCorps for those who qualify. Members may be eligible for student loan forebearance on federal student loans while serving.

Additionally, at the successful completion of your service term, AmeriCorps Members are eligible for an education award starting at $1,600 and up to $4,500 to be used for college, trade school, or other educational expenses, including qualified federal loans. For more information, please visit www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps.

Personal

Completing a year of service is a huge commitment people make for various reasons. We devote professional development time to help you explore this highlighted by our civic reflection series, and sessions on other topics such as self-care.

Professional

We provide professional development sessions to all AmeriCorps members at least once a month. During the first half of the year, professional development sessions focus on supporting students, with topics such as SAT test prep, grade level expectations, de-escalation, and more. During the second of the year, we switch the focus to career readiness for members. Sessions include putting AmeriCorps experience on your resume, cover letters, mock interviewing, and more. We also provide professional development focused on cultural competencies and diversity, equity and inclusion and supplement trainings throughout the year based on group and individual need.

Resources

All AmeriCorps College and Career Coaches are provided:

Monthly SEPTA TransPass valid for rides on all bus, trolley, subway or Norristown High Speed Line to travel in Philadelphia freely
Biweekly living stipend $$$$
Access to healthcare & child care as needed
Segal Education Award starting at $1,600 for current or future education costs upon completion of service
Free professional development
Connection to a network of local professionals
Branded gear to wear while serving