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[Video] Civicorps Corpsmember Stars in PBS Documentary, Leaves it Behind as Legacy

An Important Note from Civicorps Executive Director Alan Lessik: Sharon was due to graduate Civicorps in December with plans to attend college, when Civicorps found out that she died from a heart attack on October 16, 2013. The video is a testament to the perseverance that corpsmembers all over the country feel as they work hard to turn their lives around and to overcome the barriers that they face. Sharon’s final words in the movie talked about her future and how “I really want to make it.”

In the video, Sharon reflected on her past, her gang involvement as well as her family and discovering Civicorps as the path to a new and different future. It describes her academic and work life at Civicorps and in some footage from in one of the East Bay Regional Parks, she talks about learning new skills and appreciation for the outdoors as part of a crew.

In our community meeting today, we honored Sharon and viewed the film together. All of Civicorps mourns her death and the greatest honor we can give to Sharon is to bring her words into our hearts and our actions. As one corpsmember said, “She was my age, trying to get to a higher place. So, I’m going to graduate for her. I’m going to go to college for her.”

Twenty-one year old Sharon Montano grew up in east Oakland, California in a neighborhood known as the “Dirty Thirties.” She did fine in grammar school but when she hit middle school she began drinking, smoking, and popping pills with friends whom she’d later lose. In her East Oakland neighborhood, violence was part of her daily life.

Going back to school turned out to be more difficult than she thought. Over the years, she started and dropped out of several remedial programs; then later became ineligible for others because of her age.

When she discovers Oakland’s Civicorps, where she meets other young people who have gone through similar rough situations, she finally gets another shot at a high school diploma — and a future. Sharon has gone from being a bad influence to a role model, and really wants to make it.

Directed by Raymond Telles

More Information on the ITVS website

Join the Crew – A Book by The Corps Network

Join the Crew: Inspirational Stories of Young Adults in America’s Service and Conservation Corps, is a new book written by The Corps Network’s Hannah Traverse, Levi Novey, and Mary Ellen Ardouny. Join the Crew features the Corpsmember success stories of over 60 young men and women who served in Corps programs throughout the country. Follow the links below to learn more about the book.

Buy your Copy of Join the Crew on Amazon.com

Click here

Video Book Trailer

Article on Huffington Post Books Section

After dropping out of high school his junior year, Luis Gaeta of Fresno, California quickly realized that the working world can be a harsh place for a young person without marketable skills or a diploma. At the age of 19, he was already burnt out from the stress of juggling three part-time jobs. To make matters worse, Luis also had to deal with an unreliable car and insecure housing. With a child on the way, Luis knew he could not maintain such a hectic lifestyle, but he didn’t know where to turn. Read More…

Book Press Release

WASHINGTON – Everyone who has ever participated in one of America’s Service and Conservation Corps has a story to tell. Each year, over 27,000 teens and young adults across the country join Corps as a way to gain job skills through participating in service projects that range from collecting recyclables, to tutoring kids, to fighting forest fires. Now, in Join the Crew – a new book by The Corps Network – you can read about over 60 current and former Corpsmembers who experienced adventure and personal growth through their service in Corps programs. Join the Crew is the perfect tool for people who are interested in enrolling in a Corps and want to get a better idea of what service in a Corps program is all about. Read more…

Join the Crew Press Packet, Sample Story

Download the PDF

[Video] Sally Jewell Talks about 21st Century Conservation Service Corps in Live Chat

Last week as part of of her livechat in conjunction with National Public Lands Day, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell spent several minutes responding to a question about the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps. She noted how members of the The Corps Network and SCA would play a role, but also talked about how given modern constraints and circumstances, the program would not have the same scope as the original CCC in terms of numbers.

Later on (at the 27:25 minute mark), Secretary Jewell also talked about making the workforce of Interior agencies more diverse, and how youth hires would eventually play a big role in this change once budgets allowed for more growth in staff at national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.

You can watch the video by clicking on the photo above or by clicking here.

California Governor Jerry Brown Visits California Conservation Corps Headquarters

Some of the CCC’s Backcountry Trails staff with Gov. Brown

Governor Jerry Brown, who created the California Conservation Corps during his first term as governor in 1976, dropped by the CCC’s Sacramento headquarters last week. He chatted with the Backcountry Trails supervisors, who had just completed their 2013 season, as well as CCC staff members.

Earlier in the day, Gov. Brown had signed legislation increasing the state’s minimum wage (to $10 by 2016). Corpsmembers are now receiving $8/hour, the state’s current minimum wage.

20th Anniversary of AmeriCorps

From the AmeriCorps Facebook page

On September 21, 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the National Service Bill on the South Lawn of the White House, creating AmeriCorps. Twenty years later, AmeriCorps is still going strong and continues to draw record numbers of applications year after year. Last week, people across the country celebrated AmeriCorps’ 20th Anniversary and discussed the impact and future of the program. Here are a few highlights.

Video from MSNBC

Video from the 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC

Huffington Post op-ed by Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service

Is it possible to effectively harness youthful enthusiasm and idealism and turn it into it a renewable resource for good? We think so. Twenty years ago, President Clinton signed a bill that created AmeriCorps and gave our country a new outlet for national service that did just that.

From its modest beginnings, AmeriCorps has grown to annually engage nearly 80,000 Americans who dedicate a year of their lives to serving in communities large, small and everything in between. And this is meaningful service that helps solve some of the most difficult challenges our nation faces…keep reading.

Chigcago Tribune op-ed by Bill and Chelsea Clinton

The idea of community service is as old as America itself. Older really. Benjamin Franklin helped form the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia in 1736, spawning a movement that continues to this day in communities throughout the country. Alexis de Tocqueville, in the 1830s, contrasted America with his native Europe by saying that the central difference was that in America, people didn’t wait for the state to solve problems. They just got organized and tried to figure out what to do about them. Service is at the core of our national character…keep reading.

The Corps Network attends the AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC

From The Corps Network’s Facebook page

This morning at the big AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., Wendy Spencer, the Corporation for National & Community Service’s CEO, presented Washington Conservation Corps with a Service Impact Award for their disaster services work. The event program notes the Corps’ participation in response to disasters nationwide, including Hurricane Katrina, the Joplin and Missouri tornadoes, wildfires in Eastern Washington, and Hurricane Sandy. In total they have logged over 38,000 hours in response efforts. Wait to go Washington Conservation Corps! Several other Corps got airtime during the celebration, including Civic Worksby Representative John Sarbanes, and Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa was shown for their own disaster relief efforts in a photo.

[Video] AmeriCorps, Youthbuild, and Youth Conservation Corps Featured on PBS Broadcast for American Graduate Day

On Saturday, we were proud to watch several of our young spokespeople represent AmeriCorps and us on PBS’s nationwide broadcast of American Graduate Day.

Germain Castellanos, a Corps Network 2005 Corpsmember of the Year and a former member of Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) in Waukegan IL spoke about his AmeriCorps experience, as well as Jamiel Alexander, one of our good friends from Youthbuild and the National Council of Young Leaders. They were interviewed by Wes Moore, a former U.S. Army Captain who is a youth advocate, best-selling author, and now hosts “Beyond Belief,” a show on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The segment also includes a short video about AmeriCorps’ Education Service Corps.

Watch by clicking here or on the image above.

Numerous Members of The Corps Network Participating in National Public Lands Day

Saturday, September 28th is National Public Lands Day, and several members of The Corps Network are helping to lead events! Below you will find links and brief descriptions of the events that Corps will be helping to organize and make successful. You can also find a list of projects near to where you are by using the search tool on the National Public Lands Day website.

American Youthworks / Texas Conservation Corps (Austin, Texas)

Please join Texas Conservation Corps and Austin Parks Foundation for National Public Lands Day this Saturday, September 28th, 2013.
There are over 25 work projects across Austin that will be followed with an awesome lunch and after party at Zilker Park. There will be food, drink, t-shirts and a give away of 20 3-day passes to ACL fest!
Flex Austin’s volunteer muscle by celebrating this 20 year anniversary of National Public Lands Day!

Civic Works and The Student Conservation Association (Baltimore, Maryland)

Be a part of Maryland’s Day to Serve initiative by giving back to Baltimore’s public green spaces! In partnership with Civic Works, The Student Conservation Association will lead a group of volunteers in trail restoration work at Baltimore’s own Gwynns Falls Leakin Park! Volunteers should be sure to wear long pants and closed toed shoes that they don’t mind getting dirty! Snacks and lunch provided. Sign up today!

When: Saturday, October 5th, 2013 (9am – 1pm)

Where: Gwynns Falls Leakin Park, 4600 North Franklintown Rd, Baltimore, MD 21289

What: Trail cleanup and maintenance

To register contact SCA’s Service Event’s Manager Lori Robertson at lrobertson@thesca.org or 703-524-2441

Greening Youth Foundation (Atlanta, Georgia)

The Greening Youth Foundation will be helping to take part in activities at Martin Luther King National Historic Site, and will be joined by special guests Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and music star Cee Lo Green! They will also host their “Urban Campout.” Campers will engage in an overnight urban camping experience & camp site fun that includes instruction, entertainment, and food! Send contact information to Rkitchen@gyfoundation.org or Lbrown@gyfoundation.org if you’re interested in participating with this event. *Open to High School students and approved chaperones only.

Montana Conservation Corps (Throughout Montana)

Helena: https://www.publiclandsday.org/npld-sites/centennial-park

Kalispell: https://www.publiclandsday.org/npld-sites/pompeys-pillar-national-monument-0

Billings: https://www.publiclandsday.org/npld-sites/pompeys-pillar-national-monument-0

Missoula: Fort Missoula Regional Park

Bozeman: Gallatin County Regional Park

Southwest Conservation Corps (Colorado and Arizona)

In Durango, Colorado:

Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) and community volunteers will participate in a day of community service to celebrate 15 years of serving the Four Corners and the 20th annual National Public Lands Day. Twenty-eight SCC AmeriCorps Volunteers in addition to SCC staff and other volunteers will work on Chris Park trails (Hwy 550 N) in San Juan National Forest on Saturday morning to improve our public lands while celebrating this event with local community partners and participants. Volunteer crews will be working on Haviland View Trail and Chris Park Trail to improve conditions and make trails more sustainable for all users including hikers, horses, and bicycles. The event will take place from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., followed by a lunch celebration near the Chris Park campground.

As part of the national movement to support and maintain public lands while enjoying nature, SCC volunteers will be among the more than 175,000 volunteers contributing to public lands on this day throughout the United States. Southwest Conservation Corps strives to empower individuals to positively impact their lives, their communities, and the environment and has been accomplishing conservation work throughout the region for 15 years, improving local lands while impacting the lives of more than 4,500 AmeriCorps Volunteers.

Volunteers from the Durango and surrounding communities are welcome to join SCC this Saturday morning to get their hands dirty. Volunteers should RSVP with Kevin Heiner, 970-403-0145, kevin@sccorps.org and arrive at the Chris Park Group Campground on Saturday at 8am with boots, water, and rain gear. Tools and food will be provided.

In Arizona (Molino Canyon):

The Coronado National Forest, Santa Catalina Ranger District along with REI and the Southwest Conservation Corps will be hosting a volunteer event Saturday, September, 28 in celebration of National Public Lands Day. Come join us as we work on cleaning up the Catalina Highway’s vistas, trail heads, and parking pullouts. Snacks, water, and lunch will be provided! See you there!

Additional Information

The Student Conservation Association (Nationwide)

The Student Conservation Association is hosting events in Chicago, Anchorage, Houston, Moab, Seattle, and Richmond.

All of the details here!

SCA’s Veterans Fire Corps Receives National and Local Press Attention

Thank you to Kevin Hamilton, SCA, Vice President of Communications, for sharing these articles

The Student Conservation Association’s Veterans Fire Corps recently received press coverage in Stars and Stripes, The Buffalo Bulletin (Wyoming), and The Craig Daily Press (Colorado). Click the links below to read the articles in their entirety and find out how the Corps helps veterans transition back to civilian life.

Stars and Stripes

By Michael A. Madalena

The men and women I’m training know we’re about to confront a merciless enemy. We are all military veterans, and in the field we have an objective, a plan, and the flexibility to change tactics midstream — just as in the armed forces.

In this case our adversary isn’t al-Qaida or any of the other combatants I faced with the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq; it’s not even human but it eats, breathes and grows.

It’s the nearly 32,000 wildfires that the U.S. Department of the Interior says have burned more than 3.4 million acres nationwide this year. These are not low-intensity ground fires, but “mega fires” created from lack of mitigation and irregular historic fire regimes.

I’m a crew leader for the nonprofit Student Conservation Association’s Veterans Fire Corps…keep reading.

The Buffalo Bulletin

By Holly Kays

When Joe Svidron’s days as an active member of the U.S. Marine Corps ended and his time as a park management major began, the transition was anything but smooth. After four years in the military, college was like a foreign land, full of younger students whose world of fashion and fads was nothing like the one Svidron left when he enlisted, and military discipline had nothing in common with college life.

“Going back to school wasn’t so great, and it was hard to acclimate because everybody’s five, six, seven years younger than you,” Svidron said. “The things they’re doing now you had no clue were going on when you were in the military, so it’s kind of foreign to you. You’re looking for that camaraderie and that sense of purpose and accomplishment again, and it’s not really there in the civilian sector.”

All that changed when Svidron stumbled across an advertisement for the Student Conservation Association Veterans Fire Corps…keep reading.

The Craig Daily Press

By Matt Stensland

After spending a year deployed with the Army in Iraq, Elder Pyatt had to adjust to civilian life when he finished his service in 2008.

Life in the military moves much faster, said Pyatt, who served to earn money for college.

“There is an adjustment period,” he said.

In the Army, Pyatt used mechanic’s tools to work on large military vehicles. This summer, he is removing limbs from beetle-killed lodgepole pine trees near Stagecoach with a chain saw, which he never really had used before.

“Not in this capacity,” Pyatt said. “Like yard work kind of stuff.”

Pyatt, whose goal is to earn a master’s degree, is joined by three other veterans and a crew leader…keep reading.

Youth Corps Foster Scientific Inquiry

Thank you to Kristen Schulte, Crew Leader and Education Coordinator with Yellowstone’s Youth Conservation Corps, for sharing this article. Originally published on the Children & Nature Network website.

By Kristen Schulte and Jenny Moffett

Staring confusedly at her Youth Corps Crew Leader, Kelley could not understand how to install a preventative trail erosion structure. Finally, the Crew Leader told her to get an orange out of her backpack and roll it down the trail. He said, “Water acts like that orange. Get the orange to roll off the trail and water will too.” After trying this several times, the concepts of gravity, angles, and motion came to the surface of her mind. “So it’s like physics?” Experiences like this demonstrate that Youth Corps can contribute to understanding of scientific ideas by providing opportunities for inquiry in nature.

Similar to Kelley’s experience, during Ashley’s sophomore year in high school, she was told she would need to repeat biology over the summer. Ashley had two learning disabilities and was use to not feeling intelligent. The following summer, as a first-time Youth Corps member, she began to see the environment, ask questions, and seek ways to answer them. She learned scientific ideas on her own terms. Inspired, she sought a career in science and earned a college degree, something she had not previously imagined.

Youth Corps are organizations invested in a “common mission of engaging participants, in a combination of community service, workforce development, and education” (Gan et al., 2011). Annually Youth Corps enroll more than 33,000 participants, hailing from diverse backgrounds (United States 21^st Century Conservation Service Corps, 2012). These organizations are a platform for both formal and informal learning in nature.

Such a platform exists in Yell owstone’s Youth Conservation Corps (YELL-YCC). It is one example of a Youth Corps that offers countless opportunities for scientific observation, inquiry, and discovery by connecting youth with nature. This occurs partly through work projects that foster the understanding of natural sciences. For example, fence building requires Youth Corps members to indirectly access geometric concepts to build quality fences.

Ecological relationships are taught in a formal Resource Education Curriculum and observed during weekend recreation. For instance, youth observe predator versus prey relationships while wolf watching and may then understand factors of trophic cascades. They later can use these ideas to support their own opinions on the ecological effects of wolves. Youth may never realize they are developing a new understanding of science, but on average, increase their understanding of key natural science concepts in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Figure 1). Figure 1. YELL-YCC natural sciences student self-assessment ratings. Youth complete a pre and post-session skills assessment. Featured are the results of a self-assessment question measuring student understanding of natural sciences in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Compared between pre and post-session assessment rating averages for three sessions of YCC (28 students) from 2011-2013. An overall average increase of 64% between pre and post-session ratings was observed.

Like YELL-YCC, a myriad of Youth Corps provide a medium for informal exploration of scientific inquiry as a function of time spent in nature. The Youth Corps experience develops competence in understanding scientific ideas, which supports an increasing body of knowledge that suggests science is effectively taught in nature (Falk & Dierking, 2010).

This piece is inspired by and dedicated to our many crew members, co-crew leaders, environmental educators, Children and Nature Network and the Natural Leaders. Thank you for support

Authors Bio’s

Kristen Schulte, Education Coordinator

A Missouri native, Kristen’s passion for the outdoors was ignited on a backcountry trail crew while in high school. Ever since this experience, she has dedicated her career to a myriad of organizations that emphasis environmental education while working with youth. Currently she serves as the Education Coordinator for the Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps piloting her Master’s project, which was the development of the Resource Education Curriculum. In addition Kristen is a Natural Leader in the Children & Nature Network.

Jenny Moffett, Recreation Ranger

Jenny’s interest in the environment began when she was a student in the Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps. Now a sophomore Conservation Biology major at Middlebury College in Vermont, she is interested in creating similar positive outdoor experiences for others and conducting biological research in the future. She has since returned to the Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps as a Recreation Ranger summer staff and often leads her peers on outdoor recreation trips for Middlebury’s outdoor program.

References:

Falk, J. H., & Dierking, L. D. (2010). The 95 percent solution. American Scientist, 98(6), 486-493.

Gan, K.N., Jastrzab, J., Jefferson, A., Schneider, G., And Shlager, C. (2011). Youth Corps Emerging Practices For Education And Employment. Prepared For The Corporation For National And Community Service. Cambridge, Ma: Abt Associates Inc.

United States 21st Century Conservation Service Corps. (2012, September). 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (Full Report). Retrieved from https://Www.Doi.Gov/21csc/Progress/Upload/21csc-Full-Report-9-5-12.Pdf

Famous and Crazy TV Car Salesman Cal Worthington was also in the CCC

Car dealer and TV personality Cal Worthington passed away September 8 at his California ranch. He was 92.

Worthington made a fortune selling cars in California and beyond with crazy commercials featuring his “dog,” Spot (see one here). But Worthington also had a CCC connection, a fact noted in his New York Times obituary.

At age 15 in 1936, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in Colorado where he was stationed at a camp in Estes Park. He worked on trails in what would become Rocky Mountain National Park.

He recalled those days, saying “I got the first toothbrush I ever had in my life in the CCC. And it was the first time in my life I had a balanced diet.”

He went on to become a decorated bomber pilot during World War II, then a multi-millionaire, owning auto dealerships from Southern California up to Alaska.

More recently, Worthington was among the contributors to the “CCC boy” statue in the foyer of the California Conservation Corps headquarters in Sacramento.