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Overview
The Vermont Youth Conservation
Corps is a statewide non-profit conservation and education organization that
instills the values of personal responsibility, hard work and respect for the
environment in young people. Through the completion of high priority work
projects, young people expand their leadership and communication skills, develop
personal values, and increase their awareness of social, political and
environmental issues. All Corps Member positions are characterized by
comprehensive and intensive training, close supervision, and extensive
opportunities for individual learning and personal growth.
Through the support of the Federal
Highway Administration and the Vermont Agency of Transportation, and using
the funding provided through the Urban Youth Corps project, the Vermont
Youth Conservation Corps fields 25 weeks of crew time around the State of
Vermont. Crews are comprised of 8
young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 and two adult leaders, and complete high-priority transportation enhancement projects in such areas as
landscaping, wetland mitigation, historic preservation, and provision of
facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists.
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Education
The objective of all crews is to have a
strong educational focus. This is achieved through guest speakers, special events,
and the selection of work projects. For example, three to five speakers
visit each
crew and expose the Corps Members to career opportunities, alternative transportation
practices, and the issues facing the communities in which the crews are based.
In addition, each crew also
participates in a nationally-recognized education program called WORD (Writing, Reading,
and Discussion). Using a compilation of current articles and essays, all crews read aloud
about current environmental and social issues each day. After the reading, the crew
discusses what they’ve read and each Corps Member takes some time to write in his/her
journal about the topic and discussion. Leaders are responsible for facilitating in-depth
discussions, creating a safe environment for varied reading levels, and inspiring Corps
Members to form opinions and express them to their peers.
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Crew
Diversity
The crews are comprised of students and dropouts, literate and illiterate, wealthy and poor, and male
and female young people. This diversity is an essential element of the Corps experience as
it helps to create a dynamic and educationally "rich" experience. Corps Members
will be selected through in-person interviews in various locations throughout the state.
They need to have a strong desire to be part of the Corps and are selected on
their level of enthusiasm, as well as our internal criteria for creating as diverse crews
as possible.
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Staff
Training
All staff participate
in a two week residential training at the start of the season. Staff training
emphasizes both technical and crew management skills. Technical instruction occurs in
the areas of landscaping, carpentry, trail construction, and stream restoration
techniques. Crew management workshops focus on skills such as cooperative leadership
techniques, group development concepts, evaluation of Corps Members, and conflict
mediation techniques.
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Crew
Training
All VTrans Youth Corps crews begin their season with a one week on-site training during the first week of the
program. The first day of this training is dedicated to a basic orientation to the
Corps program and includes such topics as rules and policies, team building, group
dynamics, educational activities, the WORD program, and safety training. For the remainder
of the training week the crew receives technical training at area project sites.
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Evaluation
Evaluations are a critical
component of Corps Member education and training. The foundation of this system is the
Weekly Evaluation (WE) form. Once each week the Leaders and the Corps Members
meet
and use this form to evaluate the Corps Member’s performance. They then discuss
problem areas and ways the Crops Member could improve.
At the end of the season,
all Corps Members, crew leaders, and project sponsors complete a written evaluation
of the program. After reviewing these evaluations, VYCC staff meet with the VTrans
project director to evaluate the season’s success and began planning for the
following year.
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Media Coverage
Shelburne News - LaPlatte Trail
Washington World - National
Life Trail
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Information Contact |
