(Photo above: COYCC workers | courtesy of Heart of Oregon Corps)
Do you remember a rewarding job that made a difference in your life when you were young? 89 Central Oregon youth are about to embark on a similar experience with Heart of Oregon Corps’ Central Oregon Youth Conservation Corps (COYCC) this summer. These young people will improve Central Oregon’s public lands while learning job skills and earning wages and scholarships. This year, COYCC’s 14 youth crews are based in Redmond, Prineville, Madras, Sisters, Bend, LaPine, Crescent and Warm Springs.
COYCC youth develop lifelong friendships, often with people they didn’t befriend in high school. They learn what manual labor really means: outdoors, in the sun and elements. This experience improves work ethic and nurtures young people in a way that inspires them to not only make a difference in their communities, but also to further their education beyond high school. After the summer ends, teens often explore careers in natural resources.
Demand continues to surpass the number of available jobs; this year, 250 youth applied for 89 positions. COYCC alumni often encourage their friends and siblings to apply. Last year, COYCC youth completed nearly 30,000 hours of service, improved nearly 4,000 acres of public lands through habitat restoration, and maintained 14 miles of trail.
John Allen, the Deschutes National Forests’ Director, calls our COYCC program “the most successful youth conservation corps in the whole Forest Service.” The program is run in total partnership with the US Forest Service and Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, which provide the majority of funding for youth stipends. This year, additional support was provided by the Collins Foundation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Gordon Elwood, Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, The Autzen Foundation, and United Way of Deschutes County.
About Heart of Oregon Corps
Heart of Oregon Corps (HOC) is a nonprofit organization invested in inspiring and empowering change in the lives of Central Oregon youth through jobs, education, and stewardship. HOC’s programming creates pathways out of poverty while stimulating regional economic growth. HOC applies a “work-earn-learn” model that invests in local young people, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds, to prepare youth for the workforce and to encourage self-sufficiency. We believe that young people want to work, gain education, and serve their community, and as an organization, HOC strives to provide them with the opportunities to do so. HOC is a partner of the Children’s Forest of Central Oregon, Better Together, and an official 21st Century Service Conservation Corps site.
