The Mission:

Boulder County Youth Corps provides opportunities for Boulder County youth to develop a sense of community involvement through personal accomplishment, teamwork and service to the county.

The Vision:

The Youth Corps delivers the most ambitious and highest quality entry-level work experience available to Boulder County youth.  We provide an experience of excellence by recruiting and training a staff committed to accomplishment through hard work, respect for people and the environment, and belief in an ideal that work can be fun.  We ensure the betterment of our community by providing work opportunities for youth that contribute to the legacy of Boulder County while providing a proving ground for youth leaders that challenges them to inspire the youth entrusted to their guidance.
 

Goals of the Program: Offer meaningful and useful work in the community. Learn new skills useful for future employment. Develop positive attitudes towards public service. Foster appreciation for conservation and maintenance of public lands, public spaces and facilities. Develop life skills which contribute to good citizenship. Focus on a strong work ethic and pride in accomplishment. Develop teamwork, cooperation and appreciation for people of varied backgrounds by working on common objectives. Produce tangible improvements for the county while providing youth a way to earn their own money. Encourage development of youth leadership and return of participants to more responsible roles in future years.

History:

Boulder County Youth Corps (BCYC) is a locally generated program of Boulder County government. It grew out of local interest to expand opportunities for youth whereby they could develop job skills, be exposed to positive attitudes towards community service, and participate in meaningful work which produces tangible benefits and improvements for Boulder County.

The Youth Corps, now in its thirteenth year, is wholly county funded and directed. The Board of County Commissioners allocates annual funding for the program which amounts to $578,858 in 2008. The program was designed by a task force which included the County Commissioners and selected county staff and has continued to solicit the input and opinions of citizens including youth.

BCYC has expanded from 100 Boulder County youth its first summer to a capacity of as many as 165 this year.  Expansion has been made possible by the yearly addition of municipal partners who have included the cities of Boulder, Lafayette, Longmont, Louisville and the towns of Lyons, Nederland and Superior.

BCYC is proud of its growing list of permanent improvements to Boulder County which include:

• Trails on Caribou Ranch, Mud Lake, Rabbit Mountain, Hall Ranch and Heil Ranch Open Spaces
• Historic restoration at the Betasso Preserve, Walker Ranch, Caribou Ranch and the Boulder County Agricultural Heritage Center at the Lohr/MacIntosh Farm
• New gardens at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, Boulder County Recycling Center, Boulder County Justice Center and Roger's Grove Park
• A permanent mural at the Youth Center in Lafayette and a traveling mural which depicts the productive accomplishments of Corpsmembers
• In 2002 Boulder County Youth Corps received accreditation from the Colorado Youth Corps Association and has been recertified annually since then.

BCYC operates exclusively in the summer from mid-June until early August. BCYC begins recruiting staff positions and Corpsmember participants in February.  BCYC expects to operate 17 crews in 2008 of which 15 will consist of 1 Team Leader, 1 Assistant Team Leader and 10 Corpsmembers.  One half team will consist of a single Team Leader and 5 Corpsmembers.  Crews work from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday for eight weeks. Staff receives 9 days of pre-program training and is expected to attend weekly supervisors meeting on Friday mornings during the season. Corpsmembers receive an hour a week of environmental education programming and are allotted an additional hour a week for team meetings and activities. BCYC is a non-residential program, and Corpsmembers return home each day.

The Youth:

BCYC is open to any Boulder County resident aged 14 to 17. Corpsmembers are chosen through an open and voluntary application and interview process designed to recruit a cross-section of youth representing the demographic and geographic diversity of the county. BCYC specializes in offering first-time employment to 14 and 15 year-old participants, though it has experienced a yearly increase in participants aged 16 and 17 as Corpsmembers return for successive years. Since the majority of participants are seeking first-time employment, BCYC is looking for an orientation towards service and enthusiasm more than experience.

Team Leaders must be 21 years of age and Assistant Team Leaders must be at least 18 years of age. Both Team Leaders and Assistants should have some experience supervising youth aged 14-17 and preferably some work experience involving trail construction and maintenance, landscaping, or other work involving the use of hand tools.  All staff must pass a pre-hiring background check and are expected to be CPR and 1st Aid certified by the commencement of the program season (training provided).  In addition, all staff must have a valid driver's license and a clean driving record.

Corpsmembers receive $7.02 per hour to start, second and third year Corpsmembers receive $7.27 per hour and earn up to $7.52 per hour in their fourth year. All Corpsmembers are eligible to receive up to $100 as a season-end bonus based on attendance, work habits, safety and team work. Corpsmembers can earn in excess of $1,500 by completing the 8 week summer season.

Starting pay for Team Leaders is $12.50 per hour and $10.50 per hour for Assistant Team Leaders.  A limited number of combined positions are available each year in which Team Leaders can work for Parks and Open Space before and/or after the Youth Corps season.