RMYC 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.
Goals and Outcomes Include: 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.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS (As of 2008)
• 1,243 conservation corps participants have contributed over 275,000 hours towards environmental preservation and conservation projects; • 364 of these conservation corps participants have earned over $670,000 in Americorps Education Awards for higher education; • RMYC has built/maintained over 137 miles of fence, has provided fire fuels reduction thinning in over 500 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;
