City of Austin and AISD to launch AustinCorps

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, City Manager Marc Ott, AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen and AISD Board of Trustees President Mark Williams have announced that the City of Austin and AISD will partner to launch AustinCorps, a civic education and leadership development program for Austin high school students.

The city and school district leaders said the program will launch in September, at the start of the 2010-2011 school year, and will be a year-long elective class for high school seniors. In its inaugural year, AustinCorps will be open to a total of 50 students at two schools, Crockett High School and Akins High School. Juniors at the two schools can apply now to participate in the 2010-2011 class.

AustinCorps will combine classroom curriculum on local government with a hands-on experience at City Hall. In the fall semester, students will meet twice weekly with city policymakers and administrators to become familiar with city government. In the spring, students will complete a mentored internship with the city, and work in small groups to plan and execute a community project.

Mayor Lee Leffingwell said the main objective of AustinCorps is to promote community engagement among Austin students. “Our most valuable resource as a city is our young people,” said Leffingwell. “If we can do more now to educate and engage our students in local government and civic life, the entire community will ultimately reap the reward.”

For more information about AustinCorps, please contact Mark Nathan, Chief of Staff for Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, at 512-974-2250.