It’s already been a year since the inception of the Santa Barbara County Youth Corps; to celebrate, members are going to be throwing quite the anniversary party.
The events will recognize the achievements of Youth Corps members at the organization’s three Santa Barbara County sites.
“It’s an opportunity for the corps members to show what they’ve been doing,” said Youth Corps program manager Jim Mangis. “And there will
be cake.”
The anniversary celebration kicked off on Oct. 6 with the grand opening of the Santa Maria corps headquarters at Preisker Park. On Oct. 7, the celebration will move to the corps headquarters in Lompoc, next to the Old Lompoc Theatre at the intersection of H Street and Ocean Avenue. Then, on Oct. 14, the countywide anniversary party will end in Santa Barbara at the archway of the county’s historic courthouse.
At each of the events, corps members will talk about their time serving the county, as well as what they would have been doing had they not joined the
organization.
The program’s primary goal is to offer young men and women, ages 14 through 21, the chance to earn money while serving the community. The program provides members with work and educational skills and allows them to experience the working world. They also learn about the importance of good citizenship, teamwork, and the true measure of their potential.
The Youth Corps has 80 workers who partake in green construction, green landscaping, trail building, and habitat construction, made possible through a two-year partnership between the Workforce Investment Board of Santa Barbara County and the nonprofit Community Action Commission.
The program is modeled after other Youth Corps programs across the country designed to help at-risk youth and out-of-school youth.
Intern Henry Houston compiled this week’s Community Corner. Send comments or ideas to the Sun via e-mail at intern@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 7-14, 2010.
