Eric Schwarz

1995

Eric Schwarz

Citizen Schools

http://www.citizenschools.org

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Education & Youth Leadership

The Bold Idea:

Each week at Citizen Schools, young people extend their learning day in fun, engaging ways that connect them to real-world skills and more caring adults from around the community. Twice a week, they participate in apprenticeships—hands-on learning projects led by volunteer Citizen Teachers. Apprentices work collaboratively in small groups to build solar cars, litigate mock trials, publish children's books, manage stock portfolios, organize public health campaigns, design urban parks, test water quality, publish newspapers and magazines, launch websites, and much, much more. For the rest of the week, Citizen Schools staff lead structured after-school activities to enhance students' school success: working on homework and building organizational and study skills, which will help them navigate their education through high school, graduation and beyond. Each semester culminates in what we call WOW!s--public presentations of the projects these young people have created with their Citizen Teachers.

As we learn and grow along with our students, we develop new programs to make further impact outside of school. In Boston, 8th Grade Academy has shown powerful results by adapting the Citizen Schools model for youth crossing the bridge into high school—and the best features will be spread across our network in the coming years.

Biography:

Eric Schwarz is President & CEO of Citizen Schools. Prior to founding Citizen Schools, Eric worked for five years at City Year where he served as Vice President for Organizational Development and, later, as Executive Director of City Year Boston. Eric is a 1983 graduate of the University of Vermont and earned a Master's Degree at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 1997.

Nan Bennett Kay Great Friend to Kids Award
2003

Boston Junior Chamber of Commerce
Ten Outstanding Young Leaders Award
2000