OUR MISSION
To help urban youth make a difference in themselves and their community through meaningful service opportunities and educational experiences.
WHO WE ARE
Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) is part of a network of more than 100 youth corps nationwide, which works to improve communities and the lives of youth by putting young people to work in urban neighborhoods, public parks and open spaces. MHYC serves Denver metro area youth ages 16-24. MHYC strives to meet the needs of a diverse community by offering year-round programs for high school graduates, school-year programs for out-of-school youth, summer programs for high school students and intensive specialized programs for college-aged young adults. Participants, called Corpsmembers, work on crews with 8-10 of their peers to complete community improvement and conservation projects for multiple city, state and nonprofit agencies. MHYC is a member of the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps and the Colorado Youth Corps Association and is the only accredited youth corps serving the Denver metro area.
WHAT WE DO
MHYC provides young adults with comprehensive services to help them develop technical job skills, prepare for the workforce and achieve their educational goals. Through paid work experience, service to the community and educational services, MHYC helps youth develop the skills they need to succeed in the classroom, the workforce and everyday life. Mile High Youth Corps programs encompass three key elements:
RESULTS
MHYC crews complete a variety of projects that improve neighborhoods, protect the environment and help the disadvantaged. These projects contribute great benefits to the community and provide many educational opportunities for Corpsmembers. In addition to their accomplishments on service projects, many MHYC youth achieve their personal and educational goals while in the Corps. In 2006 alone, MHYC youth contributed over 41,000 hours of service to the Metro Denver community, earned 21 GEDs, and received 50 AmeriCorps education awards totaling $100,776 for higher education.
WHAT IS A YOUTH CORPS?
Youth corps are state and local programs that engage youth and young adults (ages 16-25) in full-time community service, training and educational activities. Corps are heirs to the tremendous legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a Depression-era program that engaged six million young men in conservation work. From 1933-1942, President Roosevelt's "CCC boys" dramatically improved the nation's public lands, while also receiving food, shelter, education and a precious $30-a-month stipend that saved many of their families from hunger. Like the legendary CCC of the '30s, today's corps are a proven strategy for giving young men and women the chance to change their communities, their own lives and those of their families through service.
Many Corpsmembers join the Corps for a second chance to succeed in life. Guided by adult leaders, who serve as mentors and role models as well as technical trainers and supervisors, crews of 8-12 Corpsmembers carry out a wide range of conservation, urban infrastructure improvement and human service projects. In return for their efforts to restore and strengthen their communities, Corpsmembers receive: 1) a living allowance; 2) classroom training to improve basic competencies and, if necessary, to secure a GED or high school diploma; 3) experiential and environmental service-learning based education; 4) generic and technical skills training; 5) a wide range of supportive services; and 6) in many cases, an AmeriCorps post-service educational award.
Today, there are 118 youth corps operating in multiple communities across 31 states and the District of Columbia. In 2002, they enrolled over 24,000 young people who provided their communities with 18.3 million hours of service in year-round and summer programs. These corps mobilized 110,000 community volunteers who contributed an additional 1.8 million hours of service.