LA Conservation Corps YOUNG ADULT CORPS PROGRAM
Nearly 93,000 youth between the ages of 18 and 24 – or one out of every five young people – in the greater Los Angeles area is both out of school and out of work. Similar statistics existed in 1986, when LA Conservation Corp’s Young Adult Corps program was founded as a place where young adults could come to gain the work skills and educational opportunities they had missed or rejected. Since then, the program has provided more than 3,600 young people with paid employment training, free academic enrichment classes and personal counseling. All participants are also trained in environmental conservation theory and practices.
In exchange for these benefits, the young people perform advanced community and environmental service to improve both the environment and the quality of life for greater Los Angeles area residents. As a result, the young peoples’ ties to the community are strengthened, and their potential for future success is increased. For more information, contact Dan Knapp at 213-362-9000 ext. 242.
Training Categories Habitat Restoration Young people who choose this LA Conservation Corps training pathway learn about: • Plant biology • Native and non-native plant identification • Species removal, propagation and planting • Pesticide application processes • Plant care and maintenance • Soil and the hydrologic cycle • Tool safety, use and maintenance Urban Forestry Young people who choose this LA Conservation Corps training pathway learn about: • Botany and ecology • Tree installation and care • Nursery management • Tool safety, use and maintenance Building & Vocational Trades Young people who choose this LA Conservation Corps training pathway learn about: • Construction math • Blueprinting • Power and hand tool safety, use and maintenance • Grading and foundation processes • Painting techniques
Environmental Education All Adult Corps participants are trained in environmental conservation theory and practices via LA Conservation Corp’s award-winning Los Angeles Environmental Awareness Program. Young people who choose this LA Conservation Corps training pathway also learn about: • Public Speaking • Curriculum Development • Research Skills • Animal Identification
Training Showcase: Recycling Across Los Angeles (RACLA) This training opportunity is sponsored by the California Department of Conservation, Division of Recycling to teach LA Conservation Corps young people how to provide recycling education to the public and proper CRV beverage container collections services to the public. RACLA corpsmembers learn how to develop and service recycling accounts, and promote recycling through a comprehensive education program. They help set up recycling campaigns and drives at elementary schools and set up mechanisms for ongoing recycling, including delivery of recyclable materials to nearby recycling centers. For more information, please contact Robert Skillman at 213-749-3601.
Training Showcase: Redondo Beach Bluffs Funded by The California State Coastal Conservancy, managed by the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission and in partnership with Urban Wildlands Group, this training opportunity teaches SEA Lab participants how to conserve eroding coastal bluff habitats. They learn how to remove non-native plants and replace them with native vegetation to restore the Redondo Beach Bluffs, home of the endangered Palos Verdes and El Segundo blue butterflies. Participants also learn about nursery management, seed germination, plant growth and reproduction, plant taxonomy, and data collection, analysis and reporting.
Training Showcase: Brownfields Remediation The California Environmental Protection Agency sponsors this training opportunity that provides LA Conservation Corps participants with extensive, hands-on environmental remediation training led by experts in the field. Upon completion, participants earn certification in lead abatement, asbestos removal, CPR/First Aid, HAZWOPER, construction principals and safety. For more information, please contact Alex Lopez at 323-526-146.
Training Showcase: Youthbuild Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and in partnership with East LA Community Corporation, LA Conservation Corps participants are learning basic construction skills by helping to build affordable housing. During the course of the project, these young people learn about safety, OSHA standards, tools and environmental concerns. They are directed by professionals in such activities as framing, installing dry wall, laying flooring and more. For more information, please contact Alex Lopez at 323-526-1460.
Training Showcase: Trees for a Green LA The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) sponsors this training opportunity for LA Conservation Corps young people, who manage the distribution of thousands of free shade trees to LADWP customers annually. LA Conservation Corps young people have successfully distributed and planted more than 25,000 trees to date, which has increased air quality and significantly reduced air conditioning bills for LADWP customers across L.A.