MISSION
"Linking community, education and environment through service"
WHAT WE DO
RMYC engages the strength and potential of youth and young adults to make a difference in themselves and their community through meaningful service opportunities, educational experiences, and group recreational activities. RMYC strives to meet the needs of the communities of northwest Colorado by offering healthy life skills opportunities for summer conservation corps participants and Yampa Valley Science School students. RMYC is one of over 100 member corps of the The Corps Network and is one of ten accredited youth corps of the Colorado Youth Corps Association.
HISTORY
The City of Steamboat Springs Parks and Recreation Department established Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC) in 1993 in response to a demand from the community for more summer job and recreational opportunities for teens and at-risk youth. Rocky Mountain Youth Corps obtained non-profit status from the IRS in October of 1999. Privatization has allowed for more funding opportunities, a larger geographic area from which to recruit youth and projects, and greater capacity for programmatic changes in response to fluctuating demands
PROGRAMS
CONSERVATION CORPS
Serves over 100 young people ages 16-25 years old each year through residential, environmental conservation projects and education. RMYC operates five Conservation Corps programs: the Regional Conservation Crew for ages16-18; the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative for ages18-25 ; the Leadership Development Crew ages18-25; the Continental Divide Trail Youth Corps ages17-25 and our Saw Crew ages 18-25. Crew projects include building and maintaining trails, bridges, and fences, performing watershed restoration projects, and improving campgrounds and parks. Our saw crews mitigate beetle kill, reduce hazardous fuels and provide a safer recreational experience for users. In addition to operating these crews, RMYC collaborates with the City of Steamboat Springs' Community Youth Corps in providing the leadership and mentoring for over 50 local youth ages 14-16 years old in an entry-level youth corps program.
CONSERVATION CORPS GOALS AND OUTCOMES:
1. Provide life skills training through a healthy lifestyles model.
• Conservation corps members age 16-25 years will receive an average of at least 25 hours of life skills training each through the course of their participation with RMYC.
• 90% of reporting conservation corps members feel that they are better prepared for a successful career through the enhanced leadership and job readiness skills they gain from their youth corps experience.
• Corps members overall gain a greater understanding of the benefits of regular exercise and proper nutrition and the impacts of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
2. Offer opportunities for academic success in youth/young adults.
• At least 45 conservation corps members will complete their AmeriCorps term of service and successfully receive their AmeriCorps Education Award.
3. Provide enhanced employment opportunities through job skills development.
• Conservation corps members will receive an average of at least 250 hours of on-the-job readiness skills training each through the course of their participation with RMYC.
• 100% of reporting corps members will agree or strongly agree both that youth corps helped them consider future career options, and that their experience in the youth corps provided them with valuable tools for obtaining future jobs.
• At least 40% of older (19-25 years) and 20% of younger (14-16 years) reporting corps members have obtained full or part time post-corps employment by the end of their term with RMYC.
4. Engage young adults in meaningful conservation projects.
• Annually, RMYC conservation corps members and YVSS participants complete at least 40 conservation projects.
5. Forge partnerships with land management agencies, local community services, and non-profit organizations.
• RMYC conservation corps members and YVSS participants will work with at least 25 land management agencies/private owners each year.
6. Promote a sense of belonging to communities and environments.
• Conservation corps members show significant improvements in psychological well-being as measured by increases in self-esteem and social skills, and decreases in stress.
• At least 95% of reporting conservation corps members feel the service they perform for the community is ‘somewhat' or ‘very' helpful.
YAMPA VALLEY SCIENCE SCHOOL
YVSS serves over 200 Routt County sixth grade students each year in a residential, experiential environmental science camp. Developed in 2000 in cooperation with local school districts, YVSS incorporates a five day educational curriculum, culminating with a conservation service project. YVSS also engages dozens of Routt County junior and senior high school students who participate as Junior Leaders, providing mentoring, teaching, and supervision to the sixth grade students. Additionally, Partners in Routt County provides six School-Based Mentors each year as the program's Senior Leaders, who supervise the Junior Leaders and provide the educational and programmatic oversight.
YVSS GOALS AND OUTCOMES:
1. To provide place-based environmental education through experiential and interactive lesson activities.
• Sixth grade students participated in 6 Resource Blocks (Observations, Conifers, Riparian, Aspens, Meadows, and Reflection/Summary).
• Updated 2008 YVSS curriculum that includes climate change and pine beetle experiential education lessons utilizing Yampatika volunteer educators.
2. To link the communities within the Yampa Valley.
• 6th grade students from Hayden, Soroco, and Steamboat Springs Middle Schools, home schooled, and North Routt Charter School participate in the program.
• Hayden, Soroco, home school, and North Routt Charter students were integrated in one of the program weeks.
3. To provide intergenerational links and mentoring opportunities for sixth graders, high school students, college students, and community adults.
• High School students from Steamboat Springs High School, Hayden High School and Soroco High School volunteered as Junior Leaders with the 6th grade students.
• Parent volunteers, middle school faculty, and Yampatika staff worked with 6th grade students and high school student volunteers.
• RMYC staff and conservation corps members were engaged in YVSS activities.
4. To foster integrated academic education with the public school systems.
• Middle Schools fully embrace curriculum and have remained committed to providing school input to ensure the YVSS program meets the school's current academic goals
• Students return to school and complete writing and presentation assignments based on their YVSS knowledge.
• Follow-up classrooms visits and outdoor activities with the 6th graders and the high school student volunteers are in place for the entire school year.
RESIDENTIAL ENERGY AUDIT
Launched in October 2008, REA allows low-income northwest Colorado residents to receive the Tier1 Energy Audits at no charge. Over 60 homes have been retrofitted with high efficiency light bulbs and showerheads and other energy savings measures, as well as consumer education to help lower their utility bills. RMYC has partnered with Colorado Mountain College to offer students the opportunity to gain course credits and fulfill community service hours by participating in the audits. Other energy saving measures are taken such as checking the efficiency of refrigerators, furnaces, and boilers to determine if they qualify through the state to be replaced
REA GOALS AND OUTCOMES:
1. Provide green collar career tracks
• Colorado Mountain College students are given opportunities to earn course credit, fulfill required community service hours, and gain valuable connections to professionals working in "green collar" careers.
2. Provide community outreach for energy saving measures
• Residents were provided education about energy saving measures to lower their utility bills by reducing their energy consumption.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS (1993-2008)
· 1,346 conservation corps participants have contributed over 325,000 hours towards environmental preservation and conservation projects;
· 430 of these conservation corps participants have earned over $756,000 in Americorps Education Awards for higher education;
· RMYC has built/maintained over 137 miles of fence, has provided fire fuels reduction thinning in over 800 acres of urban interface forests, has built over 167 miles of new trail, has maintained over 285 miles of existing trail, and has planted over 75,000 trees in reforestation efforts;
· 265 local high school students have volunteered their time to mentoring and teaching 1,805 local sixth grade students at the Yampa Valley Science School.
· 35 Low income residents of Routt and Moffat counties were served in cooperation with the Governors Energy Office, the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments and volunteer honor student from Colorado Mountain College.
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Programs
