By Fort Collins (CO) Mayor Ray Martinez
January 12, 2004

As a Board member of the Colorado Youth Corp Association (CYCA), I believe the actions taken by the CYCA are making an important difference. The CYCA is located in Denver, Colorado, but the programs reach beyond the confines of the downtown Denver area.

Youth corps are comprehensive employment and education programs that engage young people, ages 16-25, in crew-based conservation work projects. There are nine youth corps in Colorado that served 620 young people in 2003. It is expected that 640 or more youth will participate in 2004.

Youth corps participants are paid for their work, at minimum wage or slightly higher, and may also be eligible for between $1,000 and $4,625 in an AmeriCorps Education Award depending on their term of service. Participants engage in environmental education, life skills, and adult basic education activities as part of the program. Programs recruit youth from a number of different sources including schools, community groups, religious institutions, and other local youth'serving organizations. A majority of the youth come from the local communities in which they serve. The Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) works to support the network of independently operating youth corps programs. CYCA provides a number of services to the programs which enhance their ability to provide quality services to youth participants and project sponsors, offering technical assistance, resource development, and managing a youth corps accreditation process to maintain the quality and sustainability of programs statewide.

Youth corps foster a strong work ethic and teach proper workplace behavior, thus preparing young people for the world of work. Some youth are working to support family members, for some this is summer employment, and others may be learning and furthering their education as they work. With my interest and dedication to the Character Initiative in Fort Collins and the broader national movement to implement positive character qualities in every sector of society, the efforts of the Youth Corp are the actions that fulfill written goals. It's great to see young people working hard, receiving the monetary reward that hard work brings, and learning during the process.

Another program of the CYCA focuses on the environment. As you are well aware, we are daily confronted with information about the degradation of our environment, from groundwater contamination to air pollution to global climate change. Youth Corps actively engage youth on conservation work projects, completing critical work statewide on local, state, and federal lands. Youth Corps expect youth to protect and improve the environment rather than simply engage in recreation or appreciation of it. Youth corps programs teach environmental education as part of the work projects. Corps members can try out a variety of natural resources management activities in preparation for future careers. Young people become conservation stewards, and this in'turn influences our future because these youth are the decision-makers of tomorrow.