BLM-CO Youth Conservation Corps Initiative

The Department of Interior's Youth Initiative is a focused effort to expand programs that engage, educate and employ youth from all backgrounds in exploring, connecting with, and preserving the shared natural and cultural resources on public lands. As part of this initiative, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) aims to increase youth employment through its use of youth hiring authorities; leveraging partnerships; using a proactive targeted recruiting approach to build new environments and engage a talented corps of young people; and providing hands-on, meaningful work experiences. The purpose of the Department of Interiorâ¿¿s agency-wide employment efforts, of which the BLM is a part of, is to create the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders. Specifically, the Department of the Interior, BLM CO and youth corps organizations have been working as partners on mutually beneficial projects on public lands for over 12 years. BLM CO advances these national goals by providing meaningful conservation opportunities by engaging youth corps crews to work on public lands performing a variety of activities. Youth conservation corps employ and train youth and young adults on land, water, and energy conservation projects while cultivating in them civic engagement, leadership, and a desire to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The BLM cooperates with a number of organizations to coordinate, perform, and complete a vast array of outdoor stewardship projects on public lands. This partnership between the BLM and youth corps is for the purpose of conducting conservation and resource protection projects, introducing young people to natural resource career opportunities, and providing opportunities for youth to learn valuable trade and life skills. Specifically, this program fosters a natural resource ethic and commitment to conservation through hands-on experience and service learning opportunities to balance natural resources protection while promoting outdoor recreation values. Through this funding opportunity, BLM CO plans to engage youth conservation crews to perform a variety of activities on public lands.