SCC Awarded Summer of Service Grant!
Posted by sccadmin on Friday, March 12th, 2010.
Corporation for National Community Service: Learn and Serve America 2010
SCC was awarded $205,000 for the Learn & Serve America Summer of Service proposal that will expand Youth Corps programs across the Intermountain West. SCC partnered with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps – NM, Canyon Country Youth Corps, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps of Colorado-CO, Weld County Youth Corps, and Western Colorado Conservation Corps. Together, these organizations will reach a total of 410 middle school youth participants in community-based service-learning projects this summer. Collectively, we are the third largest program in the country. The Corporation for National and Community Service received over 200 applications and we are honored to be one of the 17 grants funded.
The purpose of the Summer of Service program is to support collaborative efforts to establish or implement service-learning programs that engage students during the summer months. Programs involve middle school students in community-based service-learning projects that are intensive, structured, supervised, and designed to produce identifiable improvements to the community. This opportunity will provide youth, particularly those from disadvantaged circumstances, with service-learning experiences that will increase student civic, academic and leadership skills while meeting local environmental and disaster preparedness needs.
Each student who completes at least 100 hours of service in an approved summer of service position is then eligible for a summer of service educational award of $500. Students may use the award to pay for educational expenses at qualified higher education institutions for up to ten years after their term of service.
The Southwest Conservation Corps will build on its existing community-based programs to implement a Summer of Service program in rural and urban. These activities will address environmental needs of the region, including restoring land near rivers and lakes, noxious weed removal and habitat improvement. Working in crews of ten youth participants supported by two adult leaders, youth will be provided with the opportunity to develop leadership skills and become actively involved in improving their community by addressing and solving a tangible and pressing local need.
