Public Allies Black Male Achievement Leaders Visit White House

Public Allies hosted 30 African American male alumni for a three-day retreat in Washington, D.C. to plan our Black Male Achievement Initiative. After two days of planning at the Case Foundation, this accomplished group of leaders met at the White House with Cabinet Secretary Roderick Johnson, who chairs the President Obama's My Brothers Keeper Task Force, and other White House officials to share their ideas. Thank you to the Open Societies Foundation Campaign for Black Male Achievement for supporting our initiative.

Thank You AmeriCorps and 5 State Commissions!

A huge thank you to Corporation for Community and National Service (CNCS), as well as five State Service Commissions (Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin), that awarded Public Allies grants totaling $8.8 million for 2014-2015. These national grant awards will give 684 individuals next fall the opportunity to have a life-changing experience as AmeriCorps Public Allies. The national AmeriCorps grant also allows for additional slots dedicated to enrolling members with disabilities. Last year, CNCS released a report that service and volunteering increase the odds of finding steady employment by 27%. That's one reason national service is an effective and cost-effective solution to getting young Americans on a pathway of employment and higher education.

Public Allies LA & Bay Area Start ServiceWorks

Public Allies Los Angeles and Public Allies Silicon Valley/San Francisco have been selected to implement the Points of Light ServiceWorks program, a public-private initiative to engage Opportunity Youth in service and training designed to increase the participants' employability. The initiative is supported by the Citi Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service. For Public Allies, this is an opportunity to expand the breadth of our programming for Opportunity Youth and create -- in two of our larger sites -- pipelines for ongoing recruitment and the cultivation of talented, nontraditional leaders. This is a three year-project, and Public Allies will operate ServiceWorks in 2 of the 10 pilot cities for ServiceWorks, which also include New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Newark, St. Louis, and Washington, DC.

Alum Film "Know How" Wins Project of the Year

"Know How" is not a documentary, nor is it fiction. It's a new hybrid approach to use the film medium to create social change. Instead of professional screenwriters and actors, these stories are written and performed by a cast of foster care youth, and their performances are powerful, moving, and eye-opening. "Know How," thanks in part to a small army of people following Public Allies on Twitter and Facebook, won an online voting competition to become IndieWire's Project of the Year. That means filmmaker Paul Griffin, a Public Allies DC alum, and cast members are able to gain valuable exposure for their film at the Tribeca Film Festival. To everyone who voted, thank you!

We Invest in Amazing Emerging Leaders like This

Jennifer Beamon wasn't born into a world of privilege. She grew up in a low-income household. She suffered abuse as a child. And in high school, she became pregnant with her first child. But Jennifer persevered. "I'm not going to be a statistic," Jennifer remembers telling herself. "I'm going to graduate for sure." And graduate high school she did. Public Allies believes everyone has special talents, strengths, and leadership skills, so each year we invest in hundreds of young leaders often overlooked by others. Leaders just like Jennifer. Watch this short video about Jennifer's journey and what she learned from Public Allies.

Public Allies AmeriCorps Info Where We Work Give Now

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