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) improves communities and the lives of youth by putting young people to work in urban neighborhoods, public parks and open spaces. We have a 17-year track record of engaging youth in jobs that help the planet and provide pathways to a promising future. By integrating paid work experience on community projects with career exploration, education and lifeskills training, the Corps helps youth develop the skills they need to succeed in the classroom, the workforce and everyday life. Through hands-on service, youth gain the knowledge, skills and motivation they need to make positive changes in their community, their own lives and the world.
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 activities, MHYC helps youth develop the skills they need to succeed in the classroom, the workforce and everyday life. Mile High Youth Corps programs encompass the following elements:
RESULTS
Mile High Youth Corps 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 2008 alone, MHYC youth contributed more than 50,000 hours of service to the Denver metro area, earned 31 GEDs and earned 91 AmeriCorps education awards, totaling $138,838 for post-secondary education. The most important accomplishment of Mile High Youth Corps is how it transforms the attitudes and perceptions of urban youth. A former Corpsmember summed it up:
“At Mile High Youth Corps you can walk with your head high, get the support,training and education you need and know that you belong.”
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.
