What if every student aged 18-25 pursued a year of service? What might they learn about being a part of something bigger than themselves? For Andrew Stein, it was a transformational time that defined purpose and set the direction for his career as Executive Director of City Year Detroit. As a City Year corps member right out of college, Andrew learned about serving a community, which revealed a new definition of success: people building vibrant careers running nonprofits and serving in government, making a difference through the work they do.
This week on the Make Meaning podcast, Lynne talks with Andrew about City Year’s impact in Detroit public schools, and how meaning and fulfillment ultimately drove his pivotal career shift from big-city law to big-city nonprofit work. Find out more about how Andrew Stein and City Year Detroit Americorps members build relationships with kids and schools to improve performance, strengthen futures, and make a difference every day.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Did that come to fruition? Are you still figuring it out? Andrew Stein’s advice on defining your purpose: Instead of asking what you should BE, ask yourself what you want to DO. Find that thing that really energizes you and then go do more of that.
In this episode, Lynne and Andrew discuss:
- Being vs. Doing
- The transformational power of community service
- Making a career doing work that also provides meaning
- Data-driven meaning and impact
- The power of meaningful relationships in educational performance
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