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Cyzygy
'02, City Year's National Convention:
June 4-8
City
Year, an AmeriCorps program with nearly 1,000 diverse young people
in full-time volunteer service in communities across the country,
is holding its annual convention June 4-9 at Penn.
The
convention, cyzygy '02: Building Democracy Through National
Service, marks the close of another successful year of national
service for City Year's 17- to 24-year-old corps members and will
unite corporate and community partners, elected officials, civic
leaders and alumni in a celebration of the power of service to
build a stronger democracy. From the Greek word "syzygy,"
referring to the rare alignment of celestial bodies, cyzygy celebrates
the importance of voluntary national service and youth leadership
as powerful vehicles for positive change.
With
Penn as the site of most cyzygy events and the temporary home
to the conference attendees, the University community may notice
heightened activity around campus. The offices of the President,
Executive Vice President, Division of Public Safety and VPUL/Perelman
Quadrangle have been working for several months with Campus Dining,
the Departments of Housing and Conference Services, Facilities,
University Communications and Community Affairs to ensure that
cyzygy will go smoothly.
Please
note these particulars about cyzygy 02, as it relates to
campus activity:
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The
conference will begin with the arrival of City Year corps members
throughout the day, Monday, June 3, and will continue until
their departure Sunday, June 9. Events are not open to the public.
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While
University employees should expect additional pedestrian traffic
on campus, Cyzygy '02 should not inconvenience their
parking or public-transportation commutes, since the youths
will arrive on buses and be housed in the Harrison and Harnwell
College houses. The youths will take most of their meals in
the 1920 Dining Hall.
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Most
events will take place in Irvine Auditorium and Franklin Field
and on College Green. There will also be bus excursions to various
parts of the city.
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Among
the array of public figures and corporate and community leaders
scheduled to speak are former U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford, now
chairman of America's Promise; Alma Powell, vice chair of America's
Promise and wife of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell; Mitt
Romney, CEO of the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee
and now a Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate; and David Gergen,
editor-at-large, U.S. News and World Report.
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Saturday,
June 8, will be a day of service, in which the Corps members
will build playgrounds, plant trees, and paint and otherwise
spruce up eight schools in West Philadelphia. Members of the
Penn community who want to volunteer their time and talents
on Service Day should contact City Year at (215) 746-6801. Projects
include cleaning, painting walls, fences and murals, landscaping
and constructing playgrounds.
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City
Year unites a diverse group of 17- to 24-year-old young people
for a year of full-time, rigorous community service, leadership
development and civic engagement.
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After
completing their year of national service, City Year corps members
earn nearly $5,000 in assistance for college.
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City
Year corps members earn their distinctive red jackets through
the service milestones they achieve.
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Corps
members lining up and clapping outside events venues are called
"human arrows" and "power greeters."
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City
Year has had a full-time program of service in Philadelphia
for five years. There are 13 other City Year sites throughout
the country.
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--
Jeff Barta, Director of Sales & Marketing, Conferences Services
Almanac, Vol. 48, No. 35, May 28, 2002
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ISSUE
HIGHLIGHTS:
Tuesday,
May 28, 2002
Volume 48 Number 35
www.upenn.edu/almanac/
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