Presidential Volunteer Service Awardee – Kyle Dash

The Corps Network recently became approved as a certifying organization for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). PVSA’s go to individuals who have served over 4,000 service hours over the individual’s lifetime. The Corps Network can distribute awards to member Corps who are in good standing and at the affiliate level or higher. The recipient must have at least 25% of their service hours with the organization. See requirements here.

Kyle Dash, a former member of American Conservation Experience (ACE), was the first individual that TCN awarded the PVSA. He served his 4,000 hours with AmeriCorps NCCC, and ACE, who nominated him for the award. He currently works as a wildland firefighter in North Carolina.

Q: Tell us a bit about your background, how did you find ACE?

I grew up in this small town called Moretown. It’s located about 20-30 minutes away from Montpelier in Vermont. I graduated from a four-year College in Vermont called Castleton University, where I got my Bachelors in Ecological Studies. I came about the ACE program when I did a term of service with AmeriCorps NCCC.

I was doing some career exploration towards the end of my term of service, and I saw that ACE offered internships with different federal agencies and I thought to try to apply to some of them. I was at ACE as a Forestry and Prescribed Fire intern.

Some hobbies I like to do are hiking, biking, reading, and playing the piano.

Service Term with ACE

 

Q: Where did you serve with ACE?

I served primarily in Southern Arkansas as part of the Southern Arkansas Refuge Complex, which consisted of three wildlife refuges. You have the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, which is more southern central and then you have Pond Creek, which is bordering Texas, and then you have the Overflow National Wildlife Refuge, which is more to the east, almost close to Mississippi.

 

Q: Tell us about your experience with ACE, what were some of the projects that you worked on?

I served with ACE from October 2021 to November 2022. When I first started my ACE internship, there wasn’t really a whole lot going on because it was the fall and winter seasons, and hunting was going on then, so not a lot of outdoor activity was happening. I got a chance to help run deer check stations where they checked for chronic wasting disease, and gathered data on the age and sex of deer to help monitor populations in Arkansas.

Other cool things that I got to do were biological surveys for fish and birds, particularly wetland bird species at Overflow because they have a bunch of impoundments where they manage a lot of habitats for waterfowl and marsh and duck hunting.

I did some vegetation surveys for timber stands. I got to be on the ground and did some prescribed burns on some of the refuges – which is cool, and then just did some ArcGIS and GIS mapping for different resources and miscellaneous tasks.

 

Q: What skills do you think you gained throughout the program?

I was able to get ATV and UTV certified. I got to learn how to drive and operate a tractor. I had many opportunities to practice doing animal and plant ID-ing. I did a bit of prescribed fire. I also got a chance to travel to Barksdale Air Force Base where they have a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program on the base where they do some burning as well. And then I got to renew my wildland firefighter’s certs and renewed my first aid.

I was able to talk to a lot of the full-time employees at the refuge I was stationed at which was the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge. Some of the pieces of advice that I got from one of the employees who was the refuge manager was to just get used to getting comfortable with being uncomfortable because there’s a lot of instances where you may be doing one thing and then the next day, you’re doing something completely different.

Q: What do you think you learned about yourself?

I learned to put myself up front more and engage more with the other interns that were there and other employees be like, “Hey, I have this idea. Do you think this would work or do you think this idea does not work?”

Also keeping my work life and my personal life separate to prevent workers’ burnout, and to manage my time better.

 

Q: What was your average day at ACE like?

The average day for me would be to start work around six or seven in the morning, log in on my work computer, and check my email.

Sometimes I would have to wake up and leave the work center by three or four in the morning to go do some surveys for birds because some sites were farther away than others, and I had to have enough time to be at those sites before sunrise.

Usually, I’d go out and try to help with doing any surveys. If there was no biology surveys that needed to be done, it would be beaver dam removal, helping to mark timber to be harvested, or helping to take inventory of what refuge boundaries need to be repainted or resigned. So just wide variety of different things. Every day could be different.

 

Q: What was the most rewarding/ beneficial part of the program?

I think one of the best things about being an intern and working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or I guess any federal agency is that you get to see a lot of the areas that the public necessarily don’t see. And so, it’s kind of a special treat to see different wildlife, different habitat types, usually stuff that is off the beaten path.

I also think the Segal Education Award at the end that I used to help pay one of my student loans was beneficial.

Since I worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, I was able to receive a Public Land Corps certificate which can help me apply for federal jobs. It helps employers see that I have experience working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and know how they operate.

Looking Forward

 

Q: What are you doing now?

I’m currently employed as a wildland firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service in North Carolina. Currently my goals are to gain more experience and skill skills in running a type-six fire engine.

 

Q: What advice would you give someone looking to join a Corps?

Some pieces of advice I would give if someone wanted to join a program like ACE or do service in general is… just knowing your limits and knowing your boundaries.
Know your worth. Stick up for yourself. Know what you’re okay with doing, what you’re not okay with doing. If you have questions about something you’re not sure of, ask questions. It’s better to ask questions sooner than later. But also, don’t let your fears get in the way. As I said earlier, get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Interact with other interns, other people, employees, get to know them, ask them lots of questions.

 

Q: How did you feel about receiving the Presidential Volunteer Service Award?

It felt good knowing I helped a lot of people and organizations with their missions and their goals.

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Debt Limit 101: Everything to Know

What is the Debt Limit?

  • The debt limit places a statutory limitation on the amount of money that the U.S. Treasury Department may borrow to fund the federal government’s operations.
  • The U.S. Congress has historically restricted federal debt.
  • The federal debt limit was first authorized in 1917.
  • Since around the 1960s, the U.S. Congress has raised the debt limit more than 70 times.
  • When needed, the U.S. has always raised its debt limit.
  • One of the roles of the U.S. Congress is to pass spending (appropriations) bills and tax laws. The revenues from the taxes we pay are meant to cover the spending of the U.S. federal government. This includes Social Security, Medicare, and the Transportation trust funds.
  • Often there is not enough revenue to pay for that spending. This leads to the U.S. Treasury Department having to borrow money to make up that difference.
  • That borrowed money is the U.S. national debt, and it is estimated to currently be at $31 trillion.
  • Please note that debt has been accrued no matter which political party is in the White House or has the majority in the U.S. Congress.

 

What is Happening Now?

  • The United States federal government reached its current debt limit of over $31 trillion in January of 2023, and the U.S. Treasury Department is implementing what are called “extraordinary measures” to prevent a default.
  • The U.S. Treasury Department is currently predicting that the federal government will now reach the debt limit in early June 2023.
  • The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), previously publicly stated that he would agree to raising the debt limit if the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bills were written at Fiscal Year 2022 funding limits.
  • The U.S. House of Representatives, with the Republican Party in the majority, recently passed H.R. 2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023.
  • This legislation would raise the debt limit but would also reduce federal spending to Fiscal Year 2022 levels by largely cutting social spending.
  • This legislation will not likely be taken up by the U.S. Senate who has a Democratic Party majority.
  • Discussions are on-going between the White House and the U.S. Congress, largely between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy, to reach a resolution of the situation.

 

 

What Would Happen if the U.S. Does Breach the Debt Limit?

  • As with any of us, the U.S. federal government is required to pay its bills.
  • If the U.S. does breach the debt limit, there will be consequences.
  • This has never happened before and due to this it is not exactly clear what steps the U.S. federal government would take.
  • We came extremely close to breaching the debt limit in 2011.
  • In a document released following that occurrence, it was revealed that if the debt limit had been breached at that time, the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury Department had planned on prioritizing interest payments and that payments for things such as Social Security benefits and veterans’ benefits would likely have been missed.
  • It is believed that if we do breach the debt limit, the U.S. economy would enter a recession and it could lead to a worldwide financial crisis.
  • Our country’s credit rating would almost certainly be downgraded.
  • Unfortunately, because this is unprecedented, it is not known how exactly a breach of the debt limit would affect the Corps community.

 

Impact Story: Job Corps students receive top-notch wildland firefighting training

Submitted by Alicia Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, U. S. Forest Service Job Corps

Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center (CCCs) Assistant Fire Management Officers (AFMOs) ensure that students enrolled in CCC wildland firefighting programs receive top-notch training. But what elevates the students’ training are their experiential work-based learning  opportunities on national forests and grasslands, made possible through the professional networks forged by Job Corps AFMOs.   

 

Four Great Onyx and three Pine Knot Job Corps CCC students recently completed three month paid internships on the Umpqua National Forest working on two Type 4 engines on the North Umpqua Ranger District and on a 20-person Type 2 Initial Attack Hand Crew on the Diamond Lake Ranger District. USDA Forest Service photo by Fhurer Orejuela. North Umpqua Ranger District Engine staff Adam Borich, Brady Sahm, Jeremiah Coke, Dwayne Smith (Great Onyx CCC student) and Corbyn Kangiser.

 

Four Great Onyx and three Pine Knot CCC students recently completed three-month paid apprenticeships on the Umpqua National Forest. Great Onyx students Albert Kemp, Ernesto Serrano, Dwayne Smith and Amand White, all enrolled in the welding trade, staffed two Type 4 engines on the North Umpqua Ranger District for North Zone Fire Management. Pine Knot students Angelina Soileau and Logan Adams, enrolled in Forestry Conservation and Firefighting, and Aljay Williams, enrolled in welding, helped complete a 20-person Type 2 Initial Attack Hand Crew on the Diamond Lake Ranger District. 

 

Four Great Onyx and three Pine Knot Job Corps CCC students recently completed three month paid internships on the Umpqua National Forest working on two Type 4 engines on the North Umpqua Ranger District and on a 20-person Type 2 Initial Attack Hand Crew on the Diamond Lake Ranger District. North Umpqua Ranger District Engine staff Albert Kemp (Great Onyx CCC student), Ernesto Serrano (Great Onyx CCC student), Vicente Iranzo, Hailey Alandt, and Armand White (Great Onyx CCC student). USDA Forest Service photo by Fhurer Orejuela.

 

Conversations with Thomlinson’s students reveal just how important internship opportunities are to the career development of Job Corps wildland firefighting students. “I learned a lot more about the fire world,” says student Logan Adams. “It felt like a better learning experience because it was less ‘check off the boxes’ and more ‘get the job done’—there was less handholding and more just figure it out.” Unlike many students who enroll in a Forest Service Job Corps center, Adams enrolled with the intent to become a wildland firefighter.  

Angelina Soileau echoes Adam’s sentiments. “They [Umpqua National Forest Diamond Lake Type 2 Initial Attack Hand Crew] treated us as equals, both physically, mentally, and workwise. We just did the same work they did.” 

 

Job Corps CCC student Angelina Soileau

 

The Umpqua National Forest has traditionally hired students from Western CCCs to beef up their fire modules. In 2023, Daniel Boone National Forest AFMO Kevin Thomlinson, who oversees the Kentucky CCC wildland firefighting programs, leaned into his professional network and reached out to North Umpqua Ranger District Forestry Technician Fhurer Orejuela to expand paid work-based learning (WBL) opportunities for his wildland firefighting students. 

Workdays for Soileau and Adams varied but most days were spent patrolling and chasing lightning strikes. “There is a culture in each area you work in,” says Adams. “I enjoyed learning the difference from working on the Umpqua versus what I  did on assignment on Yosemite National Park–from the work ethic to the way fires are treated is very different and it was cool to learn.” 

Work-based learning partnerships between national forests and grasslands and Job Corps CCCs have many mutual benefits and strengthen the agency’s firefighting workforce. Host forests get much-needed assistance and exposures employees to the Job Corps program. Apprenticeships train students for good jobs and allow them to earn while they learn. They gain valuable wildland fire experience working in a variety of fuel types and conditions. Students work with and observe seasoned wildland firefighters and have the opportunity to network and gain references that are helpful as they pursue career positions. Finally, the money students earn and save can be life changing, helping ease their transition to independent living after graduation.   

“It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had with Job Corps,” says Adams who wants the opportunity extended to him is made available to other students. “I really do hope that other students are able to have this experience because it was amazing.”  

 

Job Corps CCC student Logan Adams

 

“We saw a lot of potential in all of them,” says Orejuela, who encouraged all of the students to apply for 1039 positions. The Umpqua National Forest aimed for a 1:1 ratio of students to staff and mentoring was a big part of the students’ WBL experience. Umpqua staff set aside time at the end of the season to assist students with career guidance, navigating USA jobs, and providing tips and pointers on the interviewing process “We offer them a glimpse of what fire is like,” says Orejuela. If they are set on a different career path, we encourage them to do what they think is right–there is always next year.” 

These partnerships with Job Corps Centers—the biggest one being the availability of meals and housing for the students. The lack of housing and meals has often prevented placement of  Job Corps students on forests that requested placements. Fortunately for the Umpqua, Wolf Creek Job Corps’ culinary arts instructor Nicole Kuhn stepped up to deliver the student’s meals. The student bunked down with Umpqua employees in typical staff housing.  

The efforts of the Job Corps Fire Program directly support the agency’s strategic goal of sustaining our nation’s forests and grasslands and delivering benefits to the public. If your forest or region are interested in hosting wildland firefighting interns from the Frenchburg, Great Onyx, or Pine Knot Job Corps CCCs, contact Daniel Boone National Forest Assistant Fire Management Officer Kevin Thomlinson at 606-768-7023 or kevin.tomlinson@usda.gov. 

Impact Story: Seizing the opportunity to enhance Job Corps

Submitted by Alicia Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, U. S. Forest Service Job Corps

Held in Washington, D.C., the Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit: Students Today. Leaders Tomorrow  was a perfect breeding ground for new thoughts, ideas, and solutions to make Job Corps better. I, along with more than 100 students from Job Crops programs throughout the country, discussed the issues important to us as leaders. We focused on communication problems since time was limited.  

 

Marcus R. Jackson, second from left, participates in a Round Table discussion at the Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit: Students Today. Leaders Tomorrow in Washington, D.C. Courtesy photo by Marcus R. Jackson.

 

We shared concerns on distressing issues that included center extracurricular activities that were not publicized, wandering my Center to find students, instructors’ calls going unanswered due to teaching (not clear what you’re trying to say), meetings cancelled without notice, tests and/or appointments scheduled without notice, and students being notified of appointments with little time to prepare. With these communication issues being the most notable, it’s easy to see things need to change, so we quickly moved on to solutions that would work for our centers and/or could be implemented across the entirety of Job Corps. 

 

l to r: Blackwell Job Corps CCC student representative Marcus R. Jackson happily grabs a photo with Marty Walsh, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor at the Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit. Courtesy photo by Marcus R. Jackson.

 

Some solutions that were brought to the table focused on physical objects–things Job Corps students could see and interact with to help them become a part of their daily routine. These include items such as a large noticeboard or whiteboard calendar. Whiteboard calendars allow notes to be added or taken away with an awareness of other events happening that day or week. If a corkboard was added to the side, students could put up polls for different extracurricular activities and make lists of movies to watch. Having something physical that students could interact with daily would help us not forget about important events.  

 

Blackwell Job Corps CCC student representative Marcus R. Jackson. Courtesy photo by Marcus R. Jackson.

Now, what about using elements we already have? Email, Google classroom/calendar, and the Job Corps site are tools we already have but don’t use properly. If the Google Classroom/calendar was used to its full extent, everyone on-center would have a calendar app where they could see major events or even small matters dealing with their trade. Administration could upload appointments on the app and only specific students would get a notification, without disrupting other events on the calendar. 

 

(l-r) Job Corps National Director Rachel Torres and Blackwell Job Corps CCC student representative Marcus R. Jackson at the Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit. Courtesy photo by Marcus R. Jackson.

 

Alternatively, a solution that would take longer but be tailored to Job Corps’ needs is to develop a Job Corps app. The app could have possible functions such as a general calendar, personal calendar, list of administration/instructor names and ways to contact them or poles for extracurricular activities. Most importantly, the app could have personal schedules that work similarly to a work schedule app. Job Corps Administration could pre-program the schedule for that week. Students would have the ability to check their phones or Chromebooks before the school day starts so we’d know where we’re going, what food is available in the cafeteria that day, and any homework that needs to be turned in that day. I am looking forward to the idea of a Job Corps app in the far future, as it seems to be the most streamlined and tailored solution.

-Marcus Jackson 

 

 

Impact Story: HistoriCorps and Boxelder Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students help restore historic Forest Service fire lookout structure

Submitted by Alicia Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, U. S. Forest Service Job Corps

Custer Peak is a rocky, conical peak 6,804 ft. above sea level on the Black Hills National Forest. Custer Peak has played host to several Forest Service fire lookouts since 1911, when a wooden platform with a cabin on top of it was constructed. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the current wood and stone lookout in 1941 and it has been used as a fire lookout ever since. Over a span of six weeks in early fall,  HistoriCorps, Boxelder Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students, and personnel from the Black Hills National Forest worked to repair the tower’s catwalk, catwalk railing, stairs, and cab structure support based on the recommendations from a 2021 engineering structural evaluation. Thanks to these restoration efforts, this historic structure will provide a vantage point where Forest Service fire lookouts will spot smoke, track lighting strikes, and report weather changes for years to come.  

 

Boxelder Job Corps carpentry student Abdibaset Adiwahab gazes at the horizon from the Custer Peak Lookout on the Black Hills National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo by Scott Jacobson.

 

Eighteen-year-old Joseph K. Looks Twice, who is working towards his carpentry certification, appreciated the opportunity to refine his skills. “I did not know how to use hand tools before this project. This project helped me learn and refine those skills.” The historical significance of the Custer Peak Lookout and restoration work completed with the assistance of Boxelder Job Corps students Looks Twice, Abdibaset Adiwahab, Seth Ruff, Jaden Hackworth, and Wallace Cook are captured here.   

Like many enrolled in Job Corps, Looks Twice enrolled in Job Corps to earn the high school diploma which he knew would be vital to his success in life. “Job Corps gave me a second chance,” he says. “I was a dropout with no job, no future, and without those I was going to fail in what I came into this world to do—which is to help people.” He recommends the program to other young people. “I hope they will take the chance like I did to better themselves and have a better future.” 

 

Boxelder Job Corps carpentry student constructs new stairs for the Custer Peak Lookout on the Black Hills National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo by Boxelder Job Corps helps restore historic lookout on Black Hills National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo by Scott Jacobson.

 

The Forest Service Job Corps program has a thriving partnership with HistoriCorps to improve historical and recreational sites on national forests and grasslands through hands-on preservation training supervised by HistoriCorps professionals. Students across a variety of trades, including facilities maintenance, painting, cement and brick masonry, welding and carpentry, learn conservation techniques using traditional hand tools through hands-one learning.  

 

Custer Peak Lookout on the Black Hills National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo by Scott Jacobson.

 

These historic preservation projects are another example of how Forest Service Job Corps students support and conduct work that enhances the nation’s public lands while providing training and pathways to prosperity for underserved youth. The work of Civilian Conservation Centers directly supports Forest Service out-come oriented goals of delivering benefits to the public and excelling as a high-performing agency while sustaining our nation’s forests and grasslands. 

 

Beckett Hunecke admires repair efforts on the catwalk of Custer Peak Lookout on the Black Hills National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo by Scott Jacobson.

Impact Story: Job Corps firefighter crews devote fall 2022 field season to support the Wayne National Forest

Submitted by Alicia Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, U. S. Forest Service Job Corps

The Flatwoods and Angell Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center fire programs have been working together successfully for over 4 years. The two programs coordinate vehicles and Job Corps Firefighters to support the Eastern (R9) and Southern (R8) Regions’ fall and spring wildland and prescribed fire seasons, producing eight person Job Corps suppression modules that deploy as the Lonesome Pine Crew. The crew has devoted the Fall 2022 field season to supporting the Wayne National Forest in Ohio, covering the Athens and Ironton Ranger Districts. 

 

Flatwoods Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center student Tristen Twomey conducts black line operations on the Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management’s Fernald Preserve in Hamilton Ohio in December 2022. USDA Forest Service photo by Casey Howard.

 

The Wayne National Forest recently initiated a collaboration with the Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management at its Fernald Preserve (DOE) in Hamilton Ohio. The DOE asked the Wayne National Forest to conduct Rx burns on the preserve to help maintain a native prairie species and reduce non-native species on the landscape.   

In December 2022, with Wayne National Forest employees at the helm of the prescribed burn operation, the Lonesome Pine Crew had the good fortune to assist on this landmark project. It was an amazing opportunity for the four Job Corps students on the Lonesome Pine Crew. “This being my first prescribed fire and I was a bit nervous coming into it,” says Flatwoods Job Corps student Tristen Twomey “After seeing the confidence of the Firing Boss Trainee and the other overhead, it was easier to be more relaxed. Overall, this was a really good learning experience.”

 

Angell Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center student Jacob Allen utilizes a drip torch to construct a black line on a prescribed burn on the Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management’s Fernald Preserve in Hamilton Ohio in December 2022. USDA Forest Service photo by Casey Howard.

 

Wayne National Forest overhead were extremely supportive in giving  all of the Job Corps students every opportunity to participate in critical burn operation functions and tasks that surround safe prescribed fire operations. “I learned the difference between wildfire and prescribed fire and the difference is that you don’t just throw fire on the ground,” says Angell Job Corps student Jacob Allen. “You need to account for the weather, wind, fuel, and environment at all times and keep your head on a swivel.” 

 

Angell Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center student Marc Galindo (front left) extinguishes a creeping backing fire along the perimeter of the burn unit while Jacob Allen (back right) works on getting more depth for the control line using fire on a prescribed burn on the Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management’s Fernald Preserve in Hamilton Ohio in December 2022. USDA Forest Service photo by Casey Howard. 

The Job Corps students also learned about and used drip torches to implement firing operations, utilized UTV water pumps in mobile attack fashion to suppress the fires edge, and used handle tools and/or bladder bags. “I learned how to hold the fire by putting it out with my boots or tool and how to assemble the torch and hold it right and light by walking straight with it on your side,” says Angell Job Corps student Marc Galindo. 

 

Flatwoods Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center student Musa Omerambe establishes the initial black line on a prescribed burn on the Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management’s Fernald Preserve in Hamilton Ohio in December 2022. USDA Forest Service photo by Casey Howard.

 

For Musa Omerambe, who recently immigrated to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo, every aspect of the experience was eye opening. “It was exciting to be a part of this,” he says. “I gained new skills each time I worked with different crew members [Wayne National Forest employees and Job Corps overhead].”  

 

Lonesome Pine Module composed of wildland firefighters from the Angell and Flatwoods Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers participated in a on a prescribed burn on the Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management’s Fernald Preserve in Hamilton Ohio in December 2022. L-r back row: Jason Amis, Henry DeArruda-Weaver, Carol Daviscourt, Mike Gatens. L-r front row: Jacob Allen, Musa Omerambe, Marc Galindo, and Tristen Twomey. USDA Forest Service photo by Casey Howard.

 

The efforts of the 24 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers directly supports our agency’s strategic goal of sustaining our nation’s forests and grasslands and delivering benefits to the public. If your Forest Service Region is interested in hosting a Job Corps fuels module, contact Acting Deputy Fire Program Coordinator Gabe Templeton at gabriel.templeton@usda.gov or Deputy Fire Program Coordinator Justin Abbey at justin.abbey@usda.gov.  

Celebrating Black History; Learning from History

From Mary Ellen Sprenkel, President & CEO of The Corps Network

Photo credit: Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike, by Richard L. Copley, 1968

 

Dear members and friends,

This week marks the start of Black History Month – a time to honor Black achievements and elevate underrecognized Black stories and voices from our past and present. It’s a reminder that now, and year-round, there is so much to celebrate and a great deal of history that many of us still must learn. As recent events have demonstrated yet again, it is critical that we learn from history.

My heart goes out to the friends and family of Tyre Nichols. My heart goes out to the Black citizens of Memphis and to all those who are grieving the senseless loss of yet another young Black man at the hands of the police. My heart goes out to the Asian American communities in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. There are many people across the country who are mourning right now. There are many who feel afraid and under attack. All of us should share in a collective feeling of anger, loss, frustration, and sadness. All of us have a responsibility to not look away from these events – we each have a role to play in helping prevent tragedies such as these.

As we know too well, these events are not isolated. With the context of our past, we can begin to work individually and collectively in undoing internalized racial oppression and understanding the role of systemic oppression. At The Corps Network, our staff – as well as Corps programs participating in our Moving Forward Initiative – have worked with The People’s Institute and Soul Focused Group to confront uncomfortable parts of our history. We have worked to learn how racism effects everyone and dehumanizes all of us. We have also learned how, as The People’s Institute states, racism was created, and it can be undone.

Every year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History chooses a theme for Black History Month and the full year. For 2023, the theme is Black Resistance, exploring how “African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms…” and worked to “…advocate for a dignified self-determined life in a just democratic society.” This theme feels especially fitting now. We can and must resist the status quo when it comes to racism and gun violence and too many challenges that can be overcome, but have torn at our communities for generations.

The precursor to Black History Month was a week-long celebration first recognized nearly one hundred years ago. It was started by historian Carter G. Woodson and scheduled to coincide with the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. It was Woodson’s hope that one day there would be no need for a Black History Week or a Black History Month; people would realize the simple truth that Black history and the Black experience are American history. While this week is the start of Black History Month, we intend to follow Woodson’s vision and not confine our celebrations or our learning to just the month of February. Our resistance will not be confined either.

 

Educational Resources:

 

Impact Story: Job Corps Student Government Association President attends Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.

Adapted story from Alicia Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, U. S. Forest Service Job Corps

This past December, student representatives and Center Directors from Job Corps Centers across the country were invited to the Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit: Students Today. Leaders Tomorrow in Washington, D.C. For two days, students from Job Corps centers all over the country participated in networking opportunities, interactive sessions, and conference lectures.

Known for his notable leadership skills and hard work in painting vocational trade, Malik Best was selected to represent the Lyndon B. Johnson Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center at the Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit. At LBJ Job Corps, Malik is enrolled in the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades painting program and serves as the Job Corps’ Student Government Association (SGA) President. He is also a leader in his dormitory and a dedicated member of the SGA. Malik credits his involvement in SGA as a valuable learning experience, as it taught him to be a better public speaker and how to be a leader. “My time on the SGA also taught me about accountability and taking responsibility for myself and others–whether good or bad,” says Malik. Motivated to further his trade skills and develop leadership skills, Malik knew that enrolling in Job Corps would give him the necessary opportunities and experiences in achieving his goals.

 

LBJ Job Corps CCC Student Government Association President Malik Best actively engaged administration leadership throughout the Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit, here posing the question, “What could we [students] do to improve the lifestyle on campus?” to Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and Job Corps National Director Rachel Torres. Courtesy photo by Malik Best.

 

During the Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit, Malik had the opportunity to meet Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Job Corps National Director Rachel Torres, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and other supporters of the Job Corps program. Not only was Malik able to meet administration leaders, but he also engaged with them by offering advice. “We, Job Corps students, were the focal point, and had the opportunity to advise Marty Walsh, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor, on how the program is being run,” said Malik.

Meeting Secretary Walsh was a highlight for Malik, as he described Secretary Walsh as “a pleasure to meet.” Malik went on to say, “[Secretary Walsh] was engaging and respectful. He listened to everyone’s concerns and took them into consideration. His message was heartfelt, and he spoke about how we can make a change if we put our mind, spirit, and body into it.”

 

Eying a future political career, LBJ Job Corps CCC’s Student Government Association President Malik Best posed questions about some of America’s most pressing problems during Round Table discussions, including “How can we [students] impact homelessness.” Courtesy photo by Malik Best.

 

Engaging with administration leaders wasn’t the only highlight during the Leadership Summit, as Malik was able to be inspired by fellow Job Corps students and program alums as well. “The Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit was a fantastic experience, and it afforded me great opportunities. It was exciting to see students from across the Job Corps programs,” said Malik. “Students who’ve graduated from Job Corps also spoke. They gave us, current students, encouragement on finishing what we started and on not straying from our primary goal of making our lives better.”

Malik also toured some of D.C.’s famous historical sites along with other Summit participants. When describing the site visits, Malik stated, “It was thrilling to be in some of history’s great buildings, and the experience changed my perspective on life and leadership in general.”

 

LBJ Job Corps CCC Student Government Association President Malik Best (second from the right, center row) listens attentively during a Round Table session at the Job Corps 2.0 Leadership Summit: Students Today. Leaders Tomorrow in Washington, DC. Courtesy photo by Malik Best.

Agents of Discovery Wins 1st Place NAI Award

Agents of Discovery’s (AoD) Smokey Bear Mission was honored by the NAI (National Association for Interpretation) at their 2022 award ceremony last Thursday, December 15.  NAI’s Interpretive Media Awards promote excellence in delivery of natural, cultural, and historical non personal interpretive services. Entrants are evaluated by a panel of experts, who provide valuable feedback on the projects. The Corps Network has been a longtime partner of AoD, supporting several campaigns including their D.C. Explorer Mission, this past fall, and has supported the Smokey Bear Mission since its inception.  

 

The Smokey Bear Mission, which aims to bring Smokey’s message of wildfire safety and personal responsibility to a new generation, won a first place prize in the Digital Media category and was honored for its innovative ability to bridge the gap between screens and the environment. The mission has helped teach almost 20,000 players the importance of wildfire safety. Amtchat Edwards, Partnership Liaison, Maureen Brooks, Branch Chief from the U.S. Forest Service and Misty Mitchell, Director of Wildlife Conservation at Wonders of Wildlife received the award along with AoD’s CEO, Mary Clark.

Impact Story: Job Corps graduate discovers a career working on a Great America Outdoors trails project

Submitted by Alicia Bennett, Public Affairs Officer, U. S. Forest Service Job Corps

Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center student Michael Cruse enrolled in Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center simply to earn his high school diploma. His father encouraged him to enroll in Job Corps after he dropped out of school in 10th grade only to discover that his employment opportunities were limited.

“I was jumping from job-to job in  fast food restaurants, and I realized that I wasn’t really getting very far in life with doing that.”

After some online research, Cruse recognized that Job Corps offered him an opportunity to turn his life around. He quickly enrolled in Jacobs Creek’s heavy construction equipment mechanics program in late 2019 only to be soon sent home the following March amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Fast forward to 2022 and Cruse had returned to Jacob’s Creek and was close to completion in education and trade when he was encouraged to accept a forestry technician internship in Idaho.

 

Jacob Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Michael Cruse. USDA Forest Service photo

 

Cruse arrived on Moose Creek Ranger District in North Central Idaho on May 20, 2022, to join one of three Great America Outdoors Act (GAOA) Forest Service trail crews. Working under GAOA Central Zone Trail Crew Lead Charles Pickett, he spent over four months working side-by-side with experienced Forest Service trail specialists tackling deferred maintenance trail projects in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area.

“I was clueless on what I would be doing,” says Cruse. Little did he know that by allowing himself to being open to a new experience outside his comfort zone would ignite a passion for building trails.

 

Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Michael Cruse installs a check dam to help mitigate erosion and encourage sediment build up on the Fish Lake Crossover Trail #39. This trail serves as an access route between Fish Lake and Moose Creek administrative areas in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The check dam will create stable tread and rehabilitate areas trenched out by water damage while preventing similar issues in the future. USDA Forest Service photo by Charles Pickett.

 

The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest has approximately 5,200 miles of trail of which 5,000 are in the Central Idaho Complex Priority Area under the Trail Stewardship Act. One hundred and forty-four trails across the forest are slated for deferred maintenance work over five years.

“Mike did not know what to expect or what he was getting into but he showed up with an open mind and a willingness to take whatever we threw at him. The work is challenging even for someone who’s accustomed to it,” states Pickett.

Having grown up on a Florida ranch, Cruse was familiar with the physical demands of hard labor. Still, hiking 30 miles a day, carrying nine days of food and supplies at elevation,  just to get where he needed to be to perform his job was a surprise.  With no aversion to hard work he threw himself into the job and by the time he left Idaho had lost 40 pounds.

 

Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Michael Cruse (left) helps care for the animals that supplied his Great America Outdoors Act trail crew during the 2022 field season in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. USDA Forest Service photo by Charles Pickett.

 

“To  come from a really different environment and push himself through that physical challenge was really huge,” says Pickett. “Since May there’s a pretty noticeable difference in in Mike’s physique and strength after pushing himself through that.”

Cruse was recruited to be a forestry technician as part of a pilot Job Corps paid work-based learning (WBL) program meant to add capacity to Forest Service trail crews. It is the first of its kind, serving as a pilot program for future WBL programs that will hopefully add much needed capacity.  In addition to being able to earn some much-needed cash, Job Corps students earn Public Land Corps hours.

Along with mastering technical skills with tradition tools such as the cross-cut saw and ax and learning the dynamics of making a trail sustainable, Cruse experienced some special great outdoors moments.

 

A “before” photo of Lower Rhoda Trail #620. Jacobs Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center graduate Michael Cruse’s GAOA trail crew used on-site rock to stabilize the trail’s tread damaged by runoff on a steep downhill side slope. USDA Forest Service photo by Charles Pickett.

 

“An experience that particularly stands out is when we did  a double hitch,” he says. “On our days off, we went up a trail called Moose Creek. We would wake up next to the flowing creek and it would be kind of chilly, but it was the most beautiful thing to see—the flowing creek against the rocks and the smell of the mountain fresh air.”

Cruse now has his heart set on pursuing a career in trail’s stewardship and Pickett helped Cruse set up a USAJobs account to apply for GS-3 through GS-6 forestry technician positions. There is a short window to apply for spring 2023 season trail jobs and job applicants have to apply far in advance. Then they must play a waiting game until late winter to find out if they snagged a position. Having successfully graduated Job Corps, Cruse needed a job.

Job Corps National Office Fleet Manager Cooper Brantley stepped forward with a proposition. “I heard three or four people speak up for him,” he says. “I thought to myself, ‘why would you want to lose someone like this?’”

 

GAOA trail crew members and Jacobs Creek Job Corps graduate Michael Cruse (far right) worked alongside his trail crew to use on-site rock to construct a rock wall to re-establish its tread and stabilize the Lower Rhoda Trail #620 trail’s tread damaged by runoff on a steep downhill side slope. The trail was sloughing away towards the north fork of Moose Creek approximately 2.5 miles from the junction of trails #618 and #620. The repair will make it passable for stock animals and resistant to further erosion. USDA Forest Service photo by Charles Pickett.

 

Needing help to manage Job Corps’ large fleet inventory, Brantley  offered Cruse a 120-day WBL internship that could open up a second career path for Cruse as an entry level 5/7/9 transportation assistant.

Brantley is navigating Cruse through the on-boarding process and he will begin his training next January. In his new assignment, Cruse will enter data into the WEX Fleet Card program, tracking the monthly utilization data of the 24 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers. Brantley views the arrangement as a win-win. He gets much needed assistance with the potential to entice him to stay. “If he [Cruse] goes into something else, at least we kept him,” says Brantley.

Despite his long-term goal of a career as a forestry technician, Cruse is eager to start his training and explore this new opportunity.

“It’s a good job, good pay and it’s a remote job,” he says. “Yes, I’m an outdoors person, but I am just looking for a job I can have for a year or two–just get my foot in the door with the Forest Service and move higher-up over the years.”