What is City Corps
City Corps is the city of Oxnard's 12-year-old community service learning youth organization that nurtures personal intiative, fosters leadership development, and teaches civic responsibility and active citizenship to its members. City Corps believes in recognizing and affirming the individual worth and contributions of today's youth in the community.
City Corps exposes youth ages 12-24 to experiential learning and hands-on training through a variety of projects and activities, such as multimedia projects, work and service learning publications, and activities in partnership with other city programs and community organizations. Each City Corps project works as a vocational exploration and introduces young people to the world of work and personal responsibility.
Since its inception in 1995, City Corps has had over 2,000 members, hosted over 12,000 area youth in over 13,000 projects, contributing over 1,000,000 comunity building hours to Oxnard, Ventura County, the surrounding areas and beyond.
Our Philosophy
The proper development of young people in the community is an investment in our future. Community and self-improvement projects executed by youth serve as a platform great social change. Their energy and readiness to act make them a valuable untapped resource in the community.
Through exposure to all professions, a plethora of experiences, and creative means of self-expression (video, media, arts, writing, etc.), youth of al academic performance levels can work together to make a positive impact on their community. City Corps strives to instill in each of its members solid values, a strong work ethic, acceptance and celebration of diversity, and the personal power to make a brighter future possible.
City Corps Values
Responsability
...is the accountability for oneself in all aspects of life. Members learn that their actions, decisions and disposition are their own personal obligations. The values of responsibility and acting responsibly start at a personal level and, through projects and exposure to service-based learning, are applied to the community. This develops civic-minded young people with an inherent quickness to act to better their community and their world as a whole.
Readiness
...is to be in a constant state of preparedness and possession of a willingness to act on anything in a timely manner. At City Corps, this definition not only applies to jobs and projects, but also to a member's openness to learn a new skill or to extract the educational value from a novel situation.
Loyalty
...is a faithfulness to commitments, obligations, causes, organizations, leaders, people, and principles. City Corps members foster an allegiance and constancy to bettering themselves as well as their community.
Aunthenticity
...is an honest and truthful display of one's character. Adherence to one's genuineness of ideas, principles and actions facilitates self-discovery. Members are encouraged to be true to themselves despite the many changes they must face upon their entrance to adulthood.
Respect
...is the willingness to show consideration or appreciation for oneself and the community at large. Collaboration with a wide range of local businesses and organizations, city officias, neighboring cities, and local youth gives members the opportunity to practice sensitive understanding and tolerance to different beliefs and backgrounds. Through participation in projects and community recognition, members place their personal abilities and al aspects of self in high regard and acquire a new awareness of their personal power in the community.
Duty
...is something that one is expected or required to do. In the context of City Corps, a sense of duty is fostered through the consciousness of community ownership that is spurred by participation in city projects. Civic duty and good citizenship evolve into an everyday reality and habit.
Trust
...is the reliance on the integrity, strength, and ability of a person, place or situation. Each CIty Corps member grows into a person whom the city can rely to constantly protect, maintain, and act on community needs. Members transform into trusted citizens in their community and begin to build confidence in their city and its institutions. This allows for members to develop the hope and expectation for a brighter future.
Leadership
...is the capacity and ability to successfully understand, guide, and motivate a group in order to complete a goal or task. City Corps promotes effective leadership for positive social change within the community as well as in the personal life choices of each member.