

“Faced with apathy, I will take action. Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.
Faced with adversity, I will persevere.” On September 18, these words were repeated by nearly 200 individuals taking the AmeriCorps oath to become the 2015–16 class of AmeriCorps Promise Fellows. Hosted by schools and community organizations across the state, these Promise Fellows will spend a year in service to the youth of our state, targeting young people at risk of not graduating high school and providing the supports and interventions needed to help them succeed. From Bemidji to Rochester, in small towns and in the Twin Cities metro, the AmeriCorps members will collectively assist over 6,000 youth in grades 6–10 struggling with school Attendance, Behavior issues, and Course performance (the ABCs). AmeriCorps Promise Fellows, whose name was inspired by the Five Promises set forth at the 1997 President’s Summit for America’s Future, focus on ensuring that youth have access to the five fundamental resources of Caring Adults, Safe Places, a Healthy Start, Effective Education, and Opportunities to Help Others. By connecting young people to service projects, adult mentors, in- and after-school supports, and more, Promise Fellows intervene with research-based strategies at a key moment in a young person’s life: the middle school moment.
“I serve as an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow because I want to make a difference in the lives of youth. I want to empower youth so that they can dream big and accomplish those dreams,” says Josette Croud, a second-year Promise Fellow serving at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. Josette, along with her fellow AmeriCorps members, host sites, and Alliance staff, will all spend the 2015–16 program year helping our state’s youth find their spark and reach graduation success.