Growing Futures Youth Corps
Trees Forever is celebrating the success of our 2009 Growing Futures Youth CorpsTM. The Growing Futures Youth Corps was an eight-week summer environmental work program for 16 to 21-year-old youth in the Linn County, Iowa area. Preference was given to youth with barriers to employment. Youth Corps members helped partner agencies with their environmental projects and gained hands-on natural resource management skills and work experience.
Our team of 12 excellent Growing Futures Youth Corps workers completed 2283 hours of natural resource work including:
• Tree inventory work for Trees Forever
• Trail creation and maintenance for Linn County Conservation
• Playground and outdoor classroom creation and maintenance for Linn County Conservation and Indian Creek Nature Center
• Invasive species removal for Indian Creek Nature Center and Linn County Conservation
• Tree care for Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation
Youth in the Growing Futures Youth Corps gained:
• Improved work skills
• Solid work experience
• Leadership training
• Technical green industry skills
• An awareness of green careers
• Connections to green professionals
• Greater appreciation of the natural environment
These skills and experiences will help them as they seek future employment, potentially in a “green” career field.
Thanks to our Sponsors and Partners:
Funding was provided by the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Conservation Education Program, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the Iowa Living Roadway Trust Fund. Goodwill Industries of the Heartland, Indian Creek Nature Center, Linn County Conservation, Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation and Metro High School were major program partners.
Youth Programming in 2010
Trees Forever phased out the Growing Futures Youth Corps in 2010. We have a new initiative, called Green Force, to involve youth with our many programs and local affiliate groups across the state. For more information on how youth can get involved with Trees Forever, take a look at our new Green Force program page.