Heart of Oregon Corps awarded grant
Heart of Oregon Corps announced Friday that the Central Oregon Youth Conservation Corps was awarded $23,500 of additional grant funding for the environmental conservation work program for youth.
This year, 2013 marks the 80th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Depression-era work program after which COYCC was modeled.
Two Oregon-based foundations, the Jubitz Family Foundation and the Gordon Elwood Foundation awarded the program $10,000 and $6,000 respectively, while the US Bank Foundation contributed $2,500.
United Way of Deschutes County donations contributed $5,000 to the 2013 program. These private funds help leverage public support from the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps and USA Forest Service.
COYCC, a summer “work, learn, earn” program for high school aged youth, is operated in partnership with the Forest Service and Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council. Youth participants, 16-18 years old, complete environmental conservation projects on local public lands in the Ochoco and Deschutes National Forests and Crooked River National Grasslands.
During the 8-week program, approximately 56 youth will earn $2,500 in wages each, stimulating the local communities where youth live. Youth can also earn high school elective credit and AmeriCorps college scholarships of $1,175.
Eighty years ago, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was created during the Great Recession and put over 3 million Americans back to work on conservation, defense, flood, and forest protection projects in every state, including many national parks.
The CCC provided inspiration for the 127 nationwide Corps that today enroll 27,000 youth each year. COYCC, along with other Heart of Oregon Corps programs, traces its roots back to the successes of the CCC from 1933 to 1942. Service programs based on the corps model help youth develop leadership, education, and workforce training tied to community and conservation projects.
About Heart of Oregon Corps
The mission of Heart of Oregon Corps is to inspire and empower positive changes in the lives of young people through jobs, education, and stewardship. Founded in 2000, the agency operates six job training and education programs across four Central Oregon counties. COYCC will run June 24th through August 15, 2013.
