Purpose

Program Purpose & Objective: 


Youth Restoration Corps (YRC) primary Purpose & objective focuses on engaging local youth 16 to 19 years in conservation projects that benefit all. Working outdoors to improve fish & wildlife habitat creates healthy and educational activities for today’s teen that are beneficial for community, environment and youth. Since 1997, Youth Restoration Corps has been involving youth in conservation grassroots efforts, restoring more than three million square feet of habitat in south-central Alaska. Creating structured and safe job opportunities to engage local youth in conservation project which challenge them, while developing their life and leadership skills. Working as a 501 © 3 nonprofit organization YRC develops philanthropic matching funds from its corporate and foundational partners to co-fund agency partner projects on public and private lands. This involvement of youth provides opportunity to engage the youthful energy in today’s teens that often is left idle.

Benjamin Franklin said it best: 
“It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.”  It is this idle time that is most disturbing for today teens.

Reviewing today’s statics our teenage youths are in trouble. 25.4 % of youth under the age of 18 come from a single-parent family home, the nation’s high school dropout rate is 9.4 % the percentage of adjudicated high school youth is on the rise, 9 out of 100,000 youth committee suicide annually.

YRC Key Successes:

• Youth Restoration Corps skill is in organizing productive and safe youth crew programs.
• Youth Restoration Corps knows how to leverage matching funds for projects
• Youth Restoration Corps requires little agency oversight
• Youth Restoration Corps works to reduce liability to agency partners to the least common denominator.
• Youth Restoration Corps has a record of 67,000 field hours without injury or incident.
• Youth Restoration Corps requires “no” agency transportation or equipment.
• Youth Restoration Corps does ask if possible for hands-on education when possible.

Program Executive Summary:

Since 1997, Youth Restoration Corps (YRC) two administrative staff members have used their combined 30-plus years experience and talent to operate a safe structured and educational program. That has safely involved hundreds of local youth and tens of thousands of hours in conservation projects on public lands. Structured as a 501 (C) 3 nonprofit over the past fifteen years YRC brings real benefits to its agency partners. Leveraging philanthropic funds, materials and supplies for projects, YRC creates community support and outreach education by involving local youth in each project. Skilled in project design to allow youth participation, the YRC project coordinator knows the permitting process and site practices for habitat restoration, trail maintenance, fuel reduction, cabin maintenance/construction and invasive weed control. Experienced in interviewing and hiring of youth crews and vetting adult crew leaders to work alongside youth, YRC’s executive director takes great pride in structuring each crew. Working collectively the administrate staff of YRC works as one team to assure each program is safe, educational and beneficial to the environment, agency, youth and surrounding community. With thirty years of combined experience in YRC, twenty years experience in construction, ETT certified and IECA certified. YRC is operated under an oversight of 40 years of advisory experience, in youth counseling and law enforcement by our YRC board advisor. This allows for a controlled, well identified set of rules of conduct that has engaged over 67,000 hours on the ground without injury or incident or the requirement to fire a youth crew member since 1997.

Youth Restoration Corps involves local youth in projects to build local stewardship and train future employees. YRC works within the schools to engage interview and then hire youth crews within YRC’s insured and well supervised program. Adult crew’s leaders under the direct supervision of YRC administrative staff work alongside youth. As they learn stewardship values, job safety, work ethic, job skills, self-respect, respect for others, culture, and dignity while working outdoors. The course and action of YRC eliminate agency liability and burden thereby saving agency funds for other projects. Bringing matching funds to each project of materials and supplies saves additional agency funds. Not requiring the use of agency equipment also reduces agency burden and again saves agency funding. In reality, one agency project leader can command as many as 15 to 16 crew members during a project season without their day to day responsibilities required of them on other tasks. YRC crews are skilled at working independently and without agency supervision and with the up most respect for agency public edict.       
This structure allows Youth Restoration Corps to employ youth crews during summer months to participate in on the ground stewardship projects that benefit wildlife, waterfowl, fish and all outdoor user groups.

YRC experience:

Youth Restoration Corps as a 501 C 3 nonprofit organization was established in 1997. To promote stewardship values by engaging local youth in grassroots conservation projects that provide educational value and job skills to youth 16 to 19 years of age. Over the past fifteen years Youth Restoration Corps has developed an experienced team which knows how to match philanthropic funding locally acquired youth crews to on the ground projects on public lands. Their skilled staff knows how to interview, and develop a youth crew for safe field operations. Experienced in motivating and working with youth in all types of environments they understand how to engage the energy youth present and turn it for positive self esteem building results that allows YRC adult supervisors to work as mentors alongside youth crews.

Since YRC’s establishment we have been partnering with:

• USFS US Forest Service,
• ADF&G Alaska Department of Fish & Game,
• ADNR Alaska department of Natural Resources,
• ADEC Alaska department of Environmental Conservation,
• BLM Bureau of Land Management,
• USFWS US Fish & Wildlife Service,
• NOAA

Through these partnerships Youth Restoration Corps has engaged over 4000 youth in stewardship activities in the field and in the classroom. Placing over 67,000 field hours and providing outreach for youth to gain valued experiences. Youth Restoration Corps strengths the viability of our ecosystem through teaching youth to be better stewards of the environment, allowing the opportunity to break the cycle of ambivalence that perpetuates some youth today. Giving today’s youth an opportunity to be a part of positive change and proactive measures that benefit everyone.

Youth Restoration Corps strength is derived from its corporate support, leveraging over 4.9 million in philanthropic funds for stewardship activities on the ground. This support is used on the ground to restore fish & wildlife habitat, repair and improve trails so all may benefit. Its strength gives YRC the ability to assist agency partners to match youth crews with worthy projects that keeps our outdoor environments healthy, and accessible for all to enjoy and benefit from.