For the Media
June 9, 2010. US News & World Report Features Corps. In an article describing excellent “gap year” options for students between high school and college, reporter Rebecca Kern profiled Conservation Corps as a way for young people to continue learning, develop job skills and make a difference. The article also featured Nevada Conservation Corpsmember Dannyn Smith, who has risen to Senior Crew Leader within the Corps. Smith has worked hard 10 hour days, earning nearly $10,000 in AmeriCorps Education Awards, and has plans to begin studies in the fall in sociology and environmental science. Read the article.
April 19, 2010. The Corps Network Announces Peace Corps Partnership. Together, we will work to recruit and train the next generation of Peace Corps volunteers and prepare young Americans for environmental careers. The Corps Network and the Peace Corps will encourage Corpsmembers and alumni with experience in youth development, conservation, and the environment to apply to become Peace Corps volunteers. Volunteers who have completed their Peace Corps service will, in turn, be encouraged to serve American communities through The Corps Network’s service and conservation programs. Both organizations will exchange training and technical assistance materials and link The Corps Network's members with Peace Corps volunteers for reciprocal mentoring and support. Read the press release.
March 26, 2010. Youth Corps Act Introduced. Today, on behalf of The Corps Network, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced S. 3178, the Youth Corps Act of 2010, to amend the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to establish a competitive grant program to assist states and local communities in replicating and expanding Youth Corps Programs. Original cosponsors include Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Tom Udall (D-NM). The Corps Network will work with the bill’s sponsors to get the language included in the Senate’s WIA Reauthorization package. Read the Senator's press release.
March 8, 2010. The Corps Network Calls on Congress to Restore Funding for National Wildlife Refuge System. The U.S. National Wildlife System, which fuels the economic engine of local communities in all 50 states, is under threat from an Obama Administration proposal to significantly cut the system's budget. Today, The Corps Network joined 21 other groups to send a report to Congress asking that funding be restored. The report by the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) warns that unless Congress acts to restore funding for the Refuge System, the economic benefits that refuges provide could be in jeopardy at the very time they're needed most. Also at risk are the lands, waters, wildlife, birds and recreation opportunities that the more than 550 refuges in the 150-million-acre Refuge System were established to protect. A news release, fact sheet, photos, and links to the full report can be found here.
February 9, 2010. Interior Secretary Salazar Announces Partnership to Increase Employment. At the 2010 Annual Corps Forum, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the Department of Interior's goal of increasing youth employment on public lands in 2010 by 50 percent over 2009 numbers. "You are the future conservation leaders in the United States of America," Salazar told the assembled The Corps Network's members. "As stewards of our parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands, the Department of the Interior emphasizes not only the importance of nature to youth but also the importance of youth to nature. We hope that you not only find a job but also a connection to the Great Outdoors and a career in the emerging Clean Energy Economy." Secretary Salazar also unveiled a new Bureau of Reclamation Youth Conservation Program and announced that the agency has selected The Corps Network to help it develop the program. "We are particularly excited to work with your Corps Network to develop the Bureau of Reclamation's new program that will engage youth in hands-on crew work, as well as internship opportunities," Secretary Salazar noted. Read DOI's press release.
February 7, 2010. Policy Papers Issued. The Corps Network has recently released a quartet of policy papers defining emerging Corps models and speaking to Corps' ability to train and transition young people into stable career paths. Corps: Jobs Today, A Lifetime of Employment Tomorrow; The Clean Energy Service Corps; Service and Conservation Corps and America's Public Lands; and Civic Justice Corps: Transforming Reentry Through Service are all available on The Corps Network's Publications page.
November 6, 2009. Sally Prouty's Got the Right Stuff. Tonight in San Francisco, The Corps Network's President and CEO Sally Prouty will be honored by the Apollo Alliance and will receive the Right Stuff Award. The event will honor five awardees whose work exemplifies the Apollo mission of creating the new clean energy economy. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will serve as the evening's keynote speaker, and Sally will use her acceptance speech as an opportunity to tell leaders in the green movement more about Corps generally, and the Clean Energy Service Corps in particular. Bruce Saito from the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Marilee Eckert of Conservation Corps North Bay, David Muraki of the California Conservation Corps, and Dwight Washabaugh from Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps will also attend the event as VIP guests. Read the press release.
September 10, 2009. Civic Works Plants the Seeds for Massive Urban Farming Venture. Baltimore Civic Works is now taking the lead in an elaborate, many-tentacled urban agricultural network that will use high tunnel greenhouses to grow organic food. The brain child of the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance, this venture in urban agriculture aims, within ten years, to produce 10 percent of the food consumed in Baltimore. This will mean 150,000 pounds of produce annually at below-market-rates for the low-income communities surrounding the farm. The program is currently in its early stages, starting with two greenhouse tunnels to be built by the Corps in October, with 20 completed by the Corps by March 2010. The plan calls for 250 greenhouses to be operating within ten years in sites all over Baltimore. Learn more in the Urbanite.
September 8, 2009. The New York Times Shows the Strengths of NCCC Team. In this week's Sunday Times, readers were greeted with beautiful photos and an in-depth feature article that followed the day's work of a National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team in Maryland, but also delved into the Corpsmembers thoughts on service, and the impact their work was having in their lives. The article introduces Alex Green, whose mother "basically signed him up behind his back" to straighten up his life (and who now admits, "Mother knows best"), and Laura Dierbeck who tackled the tools - particularly the saws - of the trade with zeal. She explains, "I wanted to say I'm a girl and I can do it." Their passion and dedication is said to be representative of a rising tide, a generation of service-minded young people. Read the full article in The New York Times.
June 15, 2009. New Orleans Program Links Green Jobs, Youth Development. New Orleans resident Jordan Walters quit his sales job this year to join a youth service program that would allow him to explore a field he believes will be recession-proof, renewable energy. Read the New York Times article.
In an article describing excellent “gap year” options for students between high school and college, reporter Rebecca Kern profiled Conservation Corps as a way for young people to continue learning, develop job skills and make a difference. The Corps Network's President & CEO Sally Prouty is quoted
The Clean Energy Service Corps. In the past few years, America has experienced tremendous excitement about the potential of
Once a wildly undisciplined youth, William Brandt’s lack of direction was aggravated by substance abuse and a defensive, angry attitude. He got into trouble with the law.