As a Board member of the Colorado Youth Corp Association (CYCA), I will share my thoughts about youth employment and the environment and why the actions taken by the CYCA are important and are making a difference. The CYCA is located in Denver, Colorado, but reaches out 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 550 young people in 2001. It is expected that 600 or more youth will participate in 2002.

Youth corps participants are paid for their work, at minimum wage or slightly higher, and may also be eligible for between $787 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. No participants are required to participate in the program. 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.

If you or your business could sponsor a project for the Youth Corp or have a project idea, please contact the CYCA at www.cyca.org or via phone at 303-825-6246, x 350. Please consider getting involved in the Colorado Youth Corp Association in some manner, either through their youth employment projects or their environmental improvement projects. I know the youth of tomorrow are depending on your support.