Lauren Johnson: Sawyer Experience Alumni Spotlight

We often hear “chainsaw” and automatically picture horror movies that have left us with a fear of people with chainsaws. Fortunately, that didn’t scare away Lauren Johnson, a Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) Alumna, who began at MHYC in 2011 as a Fall Forestry Sawyer and continued to serve with MHYC as AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Corpsmember in 2012. She reminisces about her experience as a Sawyer throughout her two terms at Mile High Youth Corps.

There’s no denying that moment of nervous hesitation when accepting the offer to be a sawyer on a summer chainsaw crew for MHYC. For a large number of people the fear resides in never having touched a chainsaw, let alone ever using one. For others, it’s in the unaccredited notion that cutting down trees is a man’s job. These fears are quite normal. The greatest thing though, is when these fears transform into a powerful eagerness to do what you thought you couldn’t do.

I am an advocate for the Mile High Youth Corps saw crew experience. There is just no way words can justify how uniquely special this job can be. As a Fall Forestry sawyer in 2011 as well as a saw crew ACLC in 2012, I created some of the most memorable moments of my life. From the moment I wrapped my fingers around my first STIHL MS362 power head, or Michelangelo as it was so affectionately called, I was hooked. Any fear of not having operated a chainsaw escaped me. Being a girl just made me that much more powerful and eager to prove myself. With chaps on my legs, gloves on my hands, plugs in my ears, helmet on my head, and Michelangelo clenched in my grasp, I took down my first tree within three days of training. Once I took down one, I wanted to do another. It was an instant addiction, and to say falling trees is anything less than a passion of mine would be an understatement.

The best part of being a sawyer, for me, was the variety in daily challenges. Every tree is different. Every location is different. One week you might be at Cherry Creek State Park cutting Russian Olives. Another week you might be at Golden Gate Canyon State Park fire mitigating pines. Each tree is encompassed by factors that lead to a safe fall of it. What worked on one tree won’t necessarily work for the one standing right next to it. No matter what, I controlled how each tree came down.

However, being a sawyer at MHYC is more than just cutting down trees. The people I worked with are some of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I have never met a group of individuals so dedicated to their coworkers, their work, and its purpose. Whether it’s a saw partner struggling through a tough project, or the crew pushing to meet a goal, someone is always able to motivate a person or the crew to finish strong. The toughest days and the toughest projects are the ones that you’ll remember and be the most proud of when it’s all said and done.

One of my favorite memories was at Genesee in October 2011. My crew had been working at Genesee for a couple weeks and we were close to finishing our project goals. As luck should have it, Genesee got six or eight inches of snow on the first day of our last week there. So, with six inches of snow in a rock filled mountainous park, we had to finish. Quitting was not an option. We bundled in our warmest clothes, assembled the saws, and trudged through. Ten hour days spent in thirty two degree weather, snow up to our knee caps with the saws blazing along. We spent our lunches that week crammed in the van trying to warm up. The crew leader would pass out hand warmers, but nobody’s gloves escaped the viciousness of the cold, wet snow. No one quit, and at the end of the week we looked back proud at what we had accomplished amidst the unruly circumstances.

Being part of a saw crew gave me the opportunity to help the community and environment I live in. I went into Mile High Youth Corps with the drive and passion to make my little section of the world a better place to be, and left with so much more. I learned a type of work discipline that can’t be taught behind a desk. I transformed from a more self-centered individual, to a more self-sacrificing individual with a greater consideration for the people around me. I built a variety of uncommon technical skills that set me apart from the everyday workforce. I created a network of contacts that were helpful while seeking an enjoyable job after the term was over. I went out of my comfort zone, which readied me for the new and exciting, nerve wracking situations I was sure to encounter. I made friendships that will last a lifetime. The motivation to make my world a better place made me a better person.
You get out of the Mile High Youth Corps and Americorps experience what you put into it. My advice to anyone thinking about joining on a summer saw crew: Do it. Have passion for it. Go to work, do your best every day, and motivate others to do their best. Make friends, and create memories… Most importantly, you have nothing to lose from this experience and everything to gain.

-Lauren Johnson

The views expressed in our blog represent that of the individual and do not reflect the opinion of Mile High Youth Corps.

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Congratulations are in Order (Part 3 of 3)

The final story of this three part series is about Jesse Roehm. Jesse is one of six 2012 National Corpsmembers of the Year. He will be honored this year at The Corps Network’s National Conference in Washington, D.C. taking place the week of February 11, 2013.  Jesse will represent the 30,000 Corpsmembers who serve annually across the nation. Read below or link here to find out more about Jesse’s story and his lifechanging experience with Mile High Youth Corps.

Jesse Roehm

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Over the past two years, Jesse Roehm has come to Mile High Youth Corps with a dedication to sharing his passion for service. Jesse first came to MHYC in 2011 to serve in our 10-month AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Program. It was evident from the very beginning that Jesse was ready to work hard no matter the project, despite the personal challenges he had to overcome. One Corpsmember shared this story about Jesse:

“At the end of every day I would see him getting back from the day’s work site where he had been cutting down trees for forest thinning. He would always have a smile on his face even though he would crawl out of the van dirtier than anyone else in the van; a strong testament to his ability to work hard all hours of the day while constantly being upbeat and positive. Every day that he comes to work he goes above and beyond what is required of him. His positivity and work ethic are infectious.”

After Jesse’s first term, he was hired as the Conservation Alumni Mentor. In this role Jesse got to continue his work as a positive influence within MHYC as well as the larger community by planning service projects at local non-profits and other community organizations such as Food Bank of the Rockies and ARC Thrift Stores. Jesse took the lead role of coordinating and facilitating MHYC’s first Crew Leader training and implementing MHYC’s Career Day event. He also created and implemented weekly “big picture” activities, helping other Corpsmembers connect to the larger mission of service and see the positive impacts of their service.

Jesse excels at building relationships among a diverse group of peers, showing his understanding of and dedication to the Corps and what it is all about. One of his supervisors says, “Jesse is a true mentor, leader and inspiration to everyone he works with. “

When Jesse’s fellow Corpsmembers were asked what they have learned from him they had to say this:

“He taught me the power of positivity day in and day out and that if you truly care about something to work hard every day to achieve it, you can not only create change in your community but can excite and inspire others to do the same.”

“Jesse taught me to stay positive through thick and thin, keep a level head and always look on the good side.”

“He showed me how to be a great communicator and not to be afraid to step up to the plate and say and do what is needed in a leadership role.”

“I feel lucky to have Jesse as a mentor, I think he truly believes in the influence that Mile High Youth Corps and AmeriCorps can have on young adults, and his belief comes through in his overwhelming concern and compassion towards every single Corpsmember. He has been a key agent in helping me to always see the bigger picture and to understand truly what service means. Jesse had made a huge impact on me and how I have come to view my own term of service.”

Jesse has worked tirelessly over the past two years to help his fellow Corpsmembers recognize the impact they can have on their community and themselves. As a result of his passion for service, dedication to the Corps and exceptional work ethic, Jesse has been hired to continue his work with Mile High Youth Corps as a staff member. He will serve as the Programs Specialist: Conservation and his job duties will include the supervision and program management of the two roles that he filled as a Corpsmember, the AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation crew and the Conservation Alumni Mentor.

Congratulations Jesse! You have a heart for service and your ability to connect to young adults will continue to inspire us and the nation.

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Outcomes for 2012!

As 2012 comes to a close we would like to reflect on the amazing accomplishments of our Corpsmembers. All our Corpsmembers were eligible to receive AmeriCorps Education Awards upon completing their terms. The total amount earned by our Corpsmembers this year totaled $$253,36.. This is one of the many achievements of our Corpsmembers. See below for many more statistics that make up only a snapshot of the work that took place at Mile High Youth Corps in 2012.

• 6 miles of trail constructed in the Hayman burn area
• 13 miles of trail constructed and maintained
• 50 acres of noxious weeds removed/1,584 feet of fence constructed
• 11,722 trees cut down
• 85% of the project work completed will last more than 10 years
• 100% of enrolled summer AmeriCorps members earned their Education Award

The Following Statistics represent the work of our Second Term Water Crew.

• Homes serviced over 1,000
• Toilets installed 1,242
• Gallons of water saved annually 8.6 million gallons
• Olympic pool equivalent 13.4

Thanks to all of our Corpsmembers who made 2012 a year to remember!

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Opportunity Nation Summit

This post is guest authored by Gabe, an ACLC Corpsmember and Assistant Crew Leader of the Trail Blazers.

We landed in Washington D.C. – our nation’s capitol – on a rainy Tuesday morning. A long walk through the airport, a stuffy ride on the Metro, and a drizzly-walk down many blocks to our hotel. Dry off, change of clothes, and a quick lunch in the hotel. We had our first meeting of the trip that afternoon with The Corps Network – the organization that had brought us from Mile High Youth Corps to D.C. for the Opportunity Nation Summit. We were representing one of several Corps from across the country that was brought out for the Summit. We had a chance to mix and mingle with Corpsmembers from Brooklyn to San Francisco  and discovered that all of us are working to make a difference in our communities through the conservation projects at our Corps. We learned what to expect the next day at our Summit: lots of information, lots of people from all over, and free breakfast and lunch.

The summit was a bit of a blur. There was countless presentations and speakers. Young people from across the country, from all different walks of life, telling their stories. Most of them spoke about an opportunity afforded to them throughout their life that changed their focus or their direction. They all told passionate stories, nearly all of which resonated with the young people in the audience. Other speakers were not so young, politicians from Iowa, Florida, and Massachusetts. These politicians also spoke of opportunity, but rather than the opportunities in their own life they spoke of the importance of creating and maintaining opportunities in the lives of young Americans. After all of these presenters and speakers one thing stands out: the set of initiatives put forth by Opportunity Nation.

1. Engage employers as part of the solution – one of the main goals is for young people to be employed. So it only makes sense for employers to collaborate towards figuring out how young people can fit the need of their job openings.

2. Incentivize innovation through an Enterprising Pathways Program – this federal Enterprise Pathways Program would fund career and technical education programs through a competitive grant.

3. Reauthorize and reform federal policies to improve Career and Technical Education (CTE) – CTE programs should rely more on the collaboration between secondary schools, post-secondary schools, and the working industry.

4. Pair college planning support for low income students with asset development – Access to affordable college for high school students should be much more readily available.

5. Boost Mentoring – increase the amount of youth mentoring programs across all communities.

6. Drive community collaboration to reconnect youth – an increase in the efforts and approaches to re-engaging high school dropouts and other disconnected youth is imperative.

7. Increase pathways to secondary and post-secondary success for all youth – States and school districts should support multiple pathways to secondary and post-secondary success by encouraging flexible scheduling and recognizing competency based learning.

8. Invest in current programs that work – Federal policymakers should significantly scale investments over the next five years to expand programs that have a consistent and proven track record.

 

We all had a great time at the Summit in D.C. and we left with a wealth of knowledge to bring back to our Corps. This was a great opportunity to meet with other young people like ourselves who are out there making a difference in their own communities. Thanks to MHYC for giving us this opportunity to represent our organization and thanks to Nancy for taking us out to see all the amazing sites!

 

“I propose to create a Civilian Conservation Corps to be used in simple work…”

“…More important, however, than the material gains will be the moral and spiritual value of such work.”

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WE’RE HIRING!!

Mile High Youth Corps is now accepting applications for multiple youth positions in two separate programs.

The AmeriCorps Leadership & Conservation program is a demanding, team-based, leadership experience providing diverse service opportunities in education, community outreach, youth development, and physical labor to achieve a common goal: environmental conservation.  ACLCs have the opportunity to work across all of our other programs and play an integral leadership role at Mile High Youth Corps. The position is a 10-month commitment, earns a bi-weekly stipend of $553.07, and is eligible for an AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,550. Corpsmembers must be able to serve from January 28, 2013 to December 13, 2013.

The Energy & Water Conservation program gives young people the chance to help residents in the Denver Metro Area to upgrade their homes and save money. Corpsmembers will perform efficiency upgrades on utilities in homes to reduce utility bills and benefit the environment. In addition, energy and water crews educate clients on conservation measures, which will help residents further reduce their consumption and costs. Positions are a 5-month commitment, earn a stipend ranging between $256-$288 per week, and are eligible for a $2,114.00 AmeriCorps Education Award. Corpsmembers must be available to serve from January 28, 2013 to June 28, 2013. For all positions, for which we are currently hiring, applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 24 and must have either their GED or High School Diploma by the start date for each program.

Click here for more information about these and all open positions at Mile High Youth Corps.

Check out these pictures to get an idea for some of the projects you would be working on.

Taking a break after installing a high-efficiency toilet!

Removing some noxious weeds.

About to install a high-efficiency toilet!

Cutting down some trees to prevent wild fires.

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The Impact of My Summer

This post is authored by Nate, an ACLC Corpsmember and Assistant Crew Leader for the Trail Blazers.

The start of the summer term at MHYC was something that I had been looking forward to since the final cold day of January, when my term began.  Luckily for me, time did fly as I had fun working on water and energy crews in the early spring.  January and February quickly melted away and before I knew it, the beginning of summer and the day I had been most anticipating had finally arrived.  A scavenger hunt designed by Jesse helped to serve as a virtual sorting hat, leading me down a path that would eventually lead to an amazing summer.

I’m sure I would have been happy serving on any of the four crews based out of our Denver office, but as luck would have it I soon found that I was to be a Trail Blazer!  The name Trail Blazer just sounded so cool to me!  I never would have thought that moving to Denver after college my official job title would end up being Trail Blazer.  Okay, maybe it wasn’t my official job title, but still pretty cool.  Every morning this summer, I got to crawl out of bed and get ready for the day knowing that I wasn’t just getting up to go to any old job — every morning this summer, I woke up a Trail Blazer.

What exactly does a Trail Blazer do, one may ask.  Well, after being trained by the forest service in an S-212 chainsaw class, I got to cut down trees everyday.  Not only did I get to cut down trees, but I got to work with an awesome crew of seasonal Corpsmembers.  I was worried that my summer experience was not going to be as fun as my previous term fall forestry term, but to my surprise, our crew was just as amazing.  Throughout the term I was constantly impressed by the initiative and skill that the seasonal Corpsmembers showed.  They went from never having touched a chain saw to all becoming grade-A sawyers.  One of my leadership roles was to keep track of the number of trees and acreage we cut.  At the end of each day, I would ask each Corpsmember how many trees they had cut down that day and I never was disappointed.  By the end of the summer, we didn’t just cut down 11,722 trees — we cut down 11,722 bad trees. The trees we removed were dead, infested with pine bark beetles, or overcrowding healthy parts of the forest and we made a huge environmental impact by taking them out.

After all was said and done, our crew didn’t end up winning the MHYC Summer Olympics.  But for me, after our success in the community, the crew Olympics didn’t really matter.  My summer was still one of the most fun and rewarding times I have ever had.  I learned a lot about myself and was able to witness first hand the impact that a group of hard-working, committed youth can have while serving our community.  It was a great to see such a diverse group of youth from different backgrounds, each at different points in their lives, uniting in order to grow together and do great things.

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2012 Summer Olympics

The Summer Olympic Games– It’s a contest of unbelievable physical strength, agility, speed, and determination but in Denver at the end of the summer, it’s also … barbecue time!

That’s right, jolly old England isn’t the only site of the Olympics this year. Friday, Mile High Youth Corps hosted our 12th Annual MHYC Olympics and Summer BBQ! Every year at the end of the Summer of Service program, all of the crews meet head to head to battle it out in the ultimate test of human ability — trying to stomach Jack’s cooking!

Crews competed in events including an egg-in-a-spoon relay race, water balloon toss, and the grueling hula-hoop pass. Throughout the afternoon, crews were awarded points based on their performance in the various events: 100 for 1st, 50 for 2nd, 25 for 3rd. When they weren’t competing, each crew also designed and created a team flag for the chance at even more points. And to round it out, 100 bonus points were given to the team with the best sportsmanship throughout the day.

Corpsmembers race to the hoop in the Hula-Hoop Pass.

A little basketball, a little lacrosse — it’s Swattin’ Flies!

On a hot summer day, the Water Balloon toss is the perfect event to lose.

Alex, intent on Egg Relay domination, heads to the finish.

After several hard fought events and some quick tabulations, the results were in and the MHYC Olympics would have a brand new champion! The Trail Blazers took a strong 3rd place finish, The Ridge Runners came in a close 2nd but in the end, it was The Path Finders taking home the gold!

The Path Finders are the 2012 MHYC Summer Olympics Champions!

The Summer BBQ also marked the end of the Summer Photo Contest on Facebook where crews had a chance to bring home the one-of-a-kind Golden Helmet. Corpsmembers, friends, family, and staff could all go online and “like” their favorite crew picture with the winner taking home the trophy and celebrating with a special dessert.

With your help, The Path Finders took a commanding lead early. The Trail Blazers inched past and  took the lead on the last day, but the Path Finders weren’t done yet. With a new MHYC record 126 likes and comments, The Path Finders are taking home the new Golden Helmet!

Congratulations Path Finders!

We all had a great time at the Olympics this year! It’s always bittersweet to end our Summer of Service program, but we are happy to go out with a bang! Thank you to all the Corpsmembers who served this summer; we are incredibly proud of the work you have accomplished and we hope to see you all back next summer!

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Project Spotlight: Rocky Mountain Arsenal

July’s Project Spotlight is Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge!

Photo Credit: USFWS

MHYC has been working on various projects at The Arsenal for the last several years. Some projects have included trail maintenance, fencing, and most commonly, removal of the invasive Russian olive tree. This species of tree devastates the surrounding areas and is notoriously difficult to remove.

The Arsenal consists of 15,000 acres of shortgrass prairie and is home to more than 330 species of fish and animals. This land was previously a grazing area for herds of wild bison, then farmland for settlers moving west. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Army transformed the space into a chemical weapons manufacturing facility. Beginning the in the 1980s, the Army began a massive environmental cleanup of the area and the site was later designated as a national wildlife refuge.

Today, our crews work tirelessly during the summer months to preserve the wild and natural beauty at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Crews keep areas of the park safe for visitors and management alike and help protect the abundant wildlife of the area.

Photo Credit: USFWS

Rocky Mountain Arsenal is open to visitors for free, seven days a week excluding federal holidays. For more information, please visit www.fws.gov/rockymountainarsenal

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HEAL THE EARTH…HEAL YOURSELF

Critical Point, Tread, Inside Edge and Back slope. Don’t forget to cut your slough and Berm! Crew Leaders learned about these terms and how to create the perfect trail at the Colorado Youth Corps Association’s training May 24-26.

Volunteers from OSI (Outdoor Stewardship Institute) and VOC (Volunteers Outdoor Colorado) came to beautiful Golden, CO to train this summer’s youth corps leaders. Colorado Springs & Denver Crew Leaders joined Crew Leaders from around the state for a three day training. Workshops included trail building and maintenance, rockwork (where we learned how to talk to the rocks), and ecological restoration.

Participants were inspired by the volunteer teachers who had spent years in the woods, preserving the earth. One teacher was even missing a diaphragm, yet spent the entire day outdoors keeping up with the 20 year olds and passing on his knowledge of conservation. The most important message: STAY SAFE! You only get ONE body.

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Camping Crew, Two Down, One to Go

Mile High Youth Corps Fall Forestry camping crew returned to the city after their second hitch (ten days out in the field camping and working) on Thursday. The crew has spent their time in the Pike National Forest doing sawyer work. With chain saws in hand, they’ve been busy thinning the forest in the Hayman burn area just outside of the small town of Deckers. The crew has one more camping hitch of the season, they’ll head back into the mountains tomorrow morning.

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