Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) has taken the first steps in its five-year plan to expand conservation work within local communities, by announcing it will employ ninety-two young Vermonters, ages 16-18, in eight Vermont regions: Barre, Bennington, Dorset, Richmond, Rutland, Saint Albans, South Burlington, and Woodstock. These young adults will be employed in small teams, doing meaningful work that directly benefits these cities and towns.Youth in each region can apply for one or both 4-week sessions this summer. Applications are now being accepted for Corps Members and Crew Leaders. More information and applications are atwww.vycc.org/positions.
Teaching young people personal responsibility through meaningful work that connects them to the land, community, and one another is the philosophy behind the organization’s 30-year efforts to help Vermont towns realize the potential of community properties such as town forests, parks, conserved land, and nature trails.
Breck Knauft, VYCC’s Interim President, explains that, “by putting local youth to work on local projects, they gain a deeper appreciation for their own communities, and for Vermont, her history, and her traditions. This is a strategy to keep talented, smart, and hard-working young adults in our state. And, in an increasingly tech-centric world, we allow young people to put down their electronic devices, pick up tools, and work with their hands. Corps Members work outside, rain or shine, to complete projects that benefit the environment and fellow Vermonters.”
Jim Feinson, VYCC Board Chair and CEO of Gardener’s Supply, remarked, “This is an important initiative for both VYCC and Vermont. And this is just the beginning, as VYCC builds additional partnerships that will sustain work in these communities for the long haul.”
VYCC has partnered with Lyman Orton and Janice Izzi of the Vermont Country Store to expand these work-based learning opportunities for Vermont youth. Orton and Izzi are providing $420,000 – VYCC’s largest private donation in its 30-year history – to increase its capacity to enroll local youth to work on projects in their own communities and to encourage towns to engage the Youth Corps in expanding opportunities for local community lands.
“Local community support is essential,” says Feinson. “Gifts like Lyman and Janice’s are remarkable momentum builders, and will enhance the support that comes from other generous friends of VYCC.”
VYCC is seeking to partner with at least two additional communities in 2017. VYCC is looking forward to talking with any and all Vermont communities interested in employment and workforce development for their youth, conservation projects on public or publically accessible lands, and/or projects related to sustainable agriculture and food security. Please contact [email protected]for more information on partnering with VYCC.
About Vermont Youth Conservation Corps –Vermont Youth Conservation Corps is a 501c3 nonprofit service, conservation, and education organization with a mission to teach young people personal responsibility through meaningful work that connects us to the land, community, and one another. For 30 years, VYCC has offered service opportunities to youth and young adults seeking meaningful work experiences. VYCC’s program model is: small teams, well-trained leaders, and diverse crews working to complete projects that benefit the community. Corps Members, young adults 16-24, work, live, and learn together in small groups, completing priority conservation and agriculture projects throughout Vermont under the guidance of highly trained leaders.www.vycc.org
Richmond, VTFebruary 1, 2016 - Vermont Youth Conservation Corps