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Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Alumna Makes Headlines for Stopping a Violent Attack on the Streets of Oakland, CA

On the night of Thursday, August 30, former Rocky Mountain Youth Corps member Rain Dove was waiting at a bus stop in Oakland, CA when she noticed a fight break out across the street. A group of about a dozen men had chased another man and his female companion after the couple reacted to being harassed by a CD salesman on the street. The mob of men slammed the woman against a wall and began repeatedly kicking the man’s head.

There were plenty of bystanders, but nobody did anything to help…nobody, that is, except for Rain Dove.

“I asked the guy next to me why no one was helping and he said that there’s an unspoken policy in Oakland that we let things happen and clean up afterwards,” said Dove. “Right then, I ran across the street and pulled two of the guys off of him who were kicking his face in.”
Dove said she immediately put her hand behind the victim’s head to apply pressure where he was bleeding heavily. The group then began breaking up, with several men fleeing.

Several of the attackers that stayed at the scene sexually harassed Dove as she attempted to assist the man. Dove responded by telling the attackers that they had done enough damage and could do the decent thing of trying to help the man. Dove provided money to one of the attackers who, after a change of heart, went to a local store and bought water for the victim.

Dove said paramedics who responded to the scene told her that although the man was beaten nearly to death, he will likely make a full recovery thanks to her assistance.

Click here to watch an interview with Rain on CBS San Francisco.

Americorps NCCC Alum Used Skills Gained from the Corps to Assist in 9/11 Emergency Response Effort

From the National Service Blog of Serve.gov

On September 11, 2001, AmeriCorps alum Olive Eckstein was in her native New York looking for work. When the planes struck the Twin Towers, Olive dropped what she was doing and headed downtown to the World Trade Center to see what she could do to help. She felt a deep sense of commitment to her country, responsibility to others in need, and confidence that she could be of assistance – all of which she attributed to her AmeriCorps experience. Having been trained in disaster relief by AmeriCorps, and with prior experience as a paramedic, Eckstein had a skill set that would prove very useful in the rescue efforts. She befriended a group of EMTs at Shea Stadium and traveled with them to what had become known as Ground Zero. They spent the night dousing firefighters’ ash-covered eyes with saline and tending to sooty wounds and burns as they tried to make sense of what they were seeing.

Soon, she was stationed at a nearby elementary school that had become a respite site for the firefighters, police officers, and steel workers who labored intensively at Ground Zero. She worked daily shifts serving food, supporting disaster workers, and organizing supplies to help sustain the recovery process.
Eckstein spent the next several weeks foregoing job interviews and social opportunities because she felt a deep obligation to help those in need.

“Volunteering as an AmeriCorps alum at Ground Zero was an incredible opportunity in the face of such a tragedy,” she said. “Just like AmeriCorps continues to do, it impacted my life in many immeasurable ways, and gave me the opportunity to be on the scene and help our nation’s heroes in one of our darkest days.”

Now an MD, Dr. Eckstein has continued her path in public service in the medical field, serving as a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow in Houston, Texas.

Salazar Establishes Enduring America’s Great Outdoors Program at Department of Interior

From the Department of the Interior

WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today signed a Secretarial Order establishing the America’s Great Outdoors program in the Department of the Interior, formalizing the department’s support for President Obama’s landmark initiative to create a 21st century conservation and recreation ethic to reconnect Americans, especially young people, with the natural world.

“From conserving working landscapes from Montana to Florida, to creating a new generation of dynamic and accessible urban parks from New York to Los Angeles, to establishing a network of national water trails and blueways, we have worked closely for the last three years with states, local communities and other partners to preserve America’s natural heritage and open up more opportunities for outdoor recreation,” Salazar said. “By formally establishing the America’s Great Outdoors program, we are ensuring that these efforts have high standing and visibility within the department and continue to be a high priority for years to come.”

President Obama launched the America’s Great Outdoors initiative in 2010, focusing on making the federal government a better partner with states, tribes and local communities to support community-driven conservation and outdoor recreation efforts.

The Secretarial Order identifies projects in all 50 states that the department will help leverage its resources to get over the finish line, including conserving working landscapes; restoring rivers; and helping to create a new generation of urban parks.

National Council of Young Leaders to Launch at Opportunity Nation Summit

Next week The Corps Network and many of our members and allies will participate in the Opportunity Nation Summit. Among the activities will be a major meeting and gathering of leaders focused on creating opportunities for Americans, and in particular low-income youth and their communities. As part of this effort, a new National Congress of Young Leaders will launch, seeking to inform policymakers on a national level about the issues, challenges and –most importantly– solutions that will help provide youth with a boost to achieve career and life success in America.

The Corps Network is proud that several of our most recent Corpsmembers of the Year, Philan Tree and Ladine “JR” Daniels, will be members of the National Council. We look forward to sharing with you all the fruits of their labors, as well as those other Corpsmembers and Corps staff members who are coming to join us in Washington D.C. as part of this collaborative summit.

You can learn more about the Summit by clicking here and also make plans to watch parts of it online.

Opportunity Nation Summit Brought Together Celebrities, Politicians and Thought Leaders

The purpose of the Opportunity Nation Summit this year was twofold: to discuss Opportunity Nation’s eight-point Shared Plan of action, which calls on the public and private sectors to join forces in helping disconnected young adults succeed; and to release the second annual Opportunity Index – a measure that gives a letter grade to nearly every county in the country as a way to illustrate how much opportunity is available for youth based on where they are from.

Among the Summit’s noted speakers, media personalities Arianna Huffington and Judy Woodruff participated in the conversation, as well as singer and actress Jordin Sparks, a previous winner of American Idol. Summit attendees also heard from John Bridgeland, CEO of Civic Enterprises and former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and USA Freedom Council under President George W. Bush (and a big friend to The Corps Network), as well as Melody Barnes, chair of The Aspen Institute and former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Barack Obama. Youth participants also heard from Roberta Shields, president of the Ludacris Foundation and mother of the rapper and actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges.

Representatives from several businesses and educational institutions dedicated to giving disconnected youth job experience and expanded opportunities also spoke at the Summit. Kerry Sullivan and Andrew Pleper, who both spoke on behalf of Bank of America, encouraged leaders and businesses to not develop a short attention span about the issues discussed at the Summit. Eduardo Padron, president of Miami Dade College, spoke about how the key to ending poverty in the 21st century would be affordable, accessible college.

Lawmakers speaking at the Summit included a number of United States Senators as well as Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts. Each leader had a slightly different take on what our country must do in order to make America more prosperous and make opportunities more available to those facing economic and educational barriers.

Gov. Patrick talked about how even though he grew up in extreme poverty and frequently had to sleep on the floor, the concern and caring of his neighbors always helped him feel secure and happy. Patrick encouraged people to think of themselves as charges for every child in their community, not just their biological children. He stressed the need to make all children feel worthy from a young age. Patrick also spoke about the need to not limit government’s role in funding and making programs to help the disadvantaged.

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida discussed his frustration with how community colleges and career education are stigmatized in our country. Rubio spoke about the need to make Americans realize that the kinds of jobs that career training programs prepare people for – such as nursing, plumbing and auto repair – are quality jobs that are always in demand. Rubio also discussed his support for the “Right to know before you go” legislation that would make it necessary for colleges to tell students all the costs upfront to avoid burying them in mountains of debt.

Senators Christopher Coons of Delaware and Tom Harkin of Iowa also spoke at the Summit. Coons shared his thoughts on how college planning should be made available to all children, especially poor children, from a very young age, and Harkin spoke about how America is not at its full potential when we do not look at all the things disabled individuals can do.

Powerful Youth Voices Amplified at Opportunity Nation Summit

The Opportunity Nation Summit featured a number of high profile speakers, but the speakers with the most important messages were the young men and women who every day must struggle to overcome barriers to opportunity.Youth voices were most prominent during the National Council of Young Leaders and Allies Gathering that was a breakout segment of the Summit. During this session, members of the National Council shared and explained the Six Immediate Recommendations for improving youth opportunity that they developed earlier this year.

The Recommendations were to Expand Comprehensive Programs; Expand Commitments to National Service; Expand Private Internships; Increase Mentoring Opportunities; Increase Pathways to Higher Education; and Expand Second Chance Programs for Former Inmates.

Read their full recommendations and biographies.

Members of the Council are affliated with various organizations that serve youth, including The Corps Network, Youthbuild USA, Year Up, Public Allies, Opportunity Nation, Youth Leadership Institute, Jobs for the Future, the Philadelphia Youth Network, and the Forum for Youth Investment / Spark Action.

Council members with relevant personal experience presented the recommendations. Ladine “JR” Daniels, a 2012 Corpsmember of the Year, presented the final recommendation and explained how, after spending two years in prison, The Sustainability Institute in his hometown of Charleston, S.C. helped him develop job skills.

Philandrian Tree, another 2012 Corpsmember of the Year, presented the second recommendation and shared her story of working as an AmeriCorps member with the Coconino Rural Environment Corps to help improve energy efficiency on Arizona’s Native American reservations.

Throughout the Summit, youth were called upon to share how job corps and nontraditional educational programs helped them overcome barriers to success such as poverty, broken homes, teen pregnancy and criminal records. Diana Carrillo, a member of The Corps Network’s Conservation Corps of North Bay in San Rafael, California, shared her story of finding success at CCNB as a young mother who was new to this country. Diana explained how she emigrated from Mexico to America three years ago with no knowledge of English and her then 4-year-old daughter in tow. Thanks to CCNB, Diana is now a confident English-speaker, has her GED and plans to attend Community College next year.

Numerous other Corpsmembers and Corps staff from around the country came to Washington D.C. to attend the event and also participate in a Hill Day on Thursday. We thank them for their participation!

USFS Prescribed Fire Gets Assistance from Oconaluftee Job Corps CCC

From Holly Krake, MSEd, Oconaluftee Job Corps CCC Liaison Specialist

Bryson City, NC – Deep in the Nantahala Gorge, Forestry Conservation students from the Oconaluftee Job Corps CCC partnered with local Forest Service fire staff to put in miles of hand dug fire line through the forest. Tackling steep slopes of over 60 percent, students used specialized wildland fire hand tools such as the Pulaski and McCloud to construct the line down to bare mineral soil in eight inch deep trenches. With many years of wildland fire experience, Cheoah Ranger District Assistant Fire Management Officer, Randall Sellers, knows how important this task is. “Establishing a good fire line is essential to having a burn go as we want. Difficult terrain and fuel types force a wildland fire fighter to adapt his or her approach as they go” said Sellers.

For students, the experience provides an excellent hands-on training in some of the day to day field work done in the Forest Service. As part of Oconaluftee’s Forestry program, all students have a goal to complete 360 work-based learning hours using the skills and certifications they have earned. Many are also put in challenging leadership positions that mirror real world situations. “In this project I’m a squad boss over three other students so I have to work the line, motivate others, and watch out for safety hazards all at the same time. I’ve never had this kind of responsibility before and I’m learning it can be tough but great- this stuff is important” said Forestry student Jake Brock.

Montana Conservation Corps Unites CCC Members with Corps for Public Lands Day

From Jono McKinney, President and CEO, Montana Conservation Corps

This past weekend, the CCC Legacy held their annual reunion in Missoula, and this coincided with a large National Public Lands Day project at Fort Missoula, one of the signature America’s Great Outdoors project sites.

The “CCC-boys” and their families and guests joined with our members and 140 volunteers to construct CCC-style picnic tables for the Fort Missoula Regional Park. A CCC alum joined by an MCC member shared in the ribbon cutting at the dedication for the new Fort Missoula Regional Park. In attendance was Steve Doherty, special assistant to Secretary Salazar for the NW Region, the Deputy Regional Forester, staff for Senator Baucus, and other local VIP’s. Of course, MCC couldn’t miss the opportunity for a group photo with our CCC gang. Also includes a few members from the Anaconda Job Corps.

All and all, a really fun service project by all, with 3 generations of corps on hand – CCC to YCC to MCC.

Our Google Hangout with the Student Conservation Association and the Peace Corps was a Success!

Yesterday we were thrilled to participate in our first Google Hangout with our partners at SCA and the Peace Corps.

If you weren’t able to join us live, you are in luck! You can watch the recorded program via Youtube.

Mary Ellen Ardouny, our Interim CEO, joined Bob Coates, Senior Vice President for Programs at SCA, and Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Acting Director for the Peace Corps, along with several other guests to discuss service opportunities both in the U.S. and abroad. It’s highly recommended to watch the segments toward the end with Kaylee Poleschook of Mile High Youth Corps and Louise Liller, an alumnae of many Corps programs and SCA. They are also both Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and speak eloquently about service and the role it can play in your life.

Among many memorable things said, Louise Liller said that “I can trace back almost every major career move that I’ve made in my life, I can trace back to that one year that I spent working in an AmeriCorps program, and AmeriCorps program that’s part of The Corps Network… It was an important step in my life and my future.”

National Council of Young Leaders Meets with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Education via Flickr

On Monday, representatives from the newly formed National Council of Young Leaders met with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Assistant Secretary Deb Delisle, and other senior staff at the Department of Education. The Corps Network’s representatives on the Council, J.R. Daniels and Philan Tree (shown speaking on left) were among those who attended the meeting.

All members of the Council urged Secretary Duncan to improve the conditions of schools in low-income communities, including teacher, staff, and student resources, and to expand pathways to higher education. The Secretary was interested in J.R.’s thoughts regarding barriers for young people who have had contact with the juvenile or criminal justice systems and in Philan’s suggestions to provide more resources for Native American students.

Both Secretary Duncan and Assistant Secretary Delisle said they would like the Council’s input on current and future education policy.