Main Features - May 2008

• Conferences: IAVE and NSLC
• Celebrating the 75^th Anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): The CCC Legacy in a Warming World
• Young People Around the World Celebrate Earth Day and Global Youth Service Day 2008

From April 2-6, I travelled to Panama City to present at the 20^th International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) World Volunteer Conference on “Volunteering for Human Development: More Solidarity Less Poverty.” The conference offered eight full-day forums and a variety of workshops on topics such as “volunteering and the role of government” and “research in volunteering and youth volunteering.” The conference was co-hosted by YMCA Panama and was attended by nearly 500 practitioners, researchers, and government representatives, plus approximately 200 young people engaged in volunteering or service from around the world.

As the representative from ICP, I conducted a workshop based on our recently published paper, Innovations in International Youth Volunteering. We discussed some of the findings and lessons learned from the study, including innovative strategies for involving young people in service. On the second day of the conference, I also presented on National Youth Service: Meeting Critical National Needs at the Forum on Government. On the final day of the conference, participants from the forum on government and the forum on research had an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas for how research can contribute to more investment from governments in volunteering.

One important theme that was discussed at this year’s IAVE conference was how volunteers can contribute to social change. This is a relatively new topic for IAVE and is line with ICP’s view of the potential of youth service to contribute to positive community change. The effort to advance this new understanding of volunteering as more than charity was led by CIVICUS and UN Volunteers (UNV), who have recently established a formal partnership with IAVE. They are leading the effort to bridge the gap between volunteering and activism and to highlight the importance of volunteer action for development. Since 2001, ICP has been working to connect service with social change and we are thrilled to see this agenda taken up by such established and reputable organizations as IAVE, CIVICUS, and UNV.

After returning to Washington from Panama, I flew north to Minneapolis, MN to attend the National Service-Learning Conference (NSLC), hosted by the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) from April 8-13. While the theme of volunteers as agents of social change was a small part of the IAVE conference, it was the centerpiece of the NSLC. The theme of this conference was “Youth for a Change,” and presenters examined the ways in which youth are empowered to become agents of social change through service-learning.

On Wednesday, I attended the Service-Learning World Forum, which focused on how service-learning is being used in different parts of the world to empower young people to promote development and social justice. Representatives from over 40 countries attended this forum, including Liberia, Palestine, Taiwan, and Argentina, to name just a few. Over the course of the next three days, the conference tackled the themes of education, social justice, and the environment.  In addition to inspiring keynote addresses by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pedro Noguera, and Brither Yusef, there were also excellent workshops conducted by educators, young people, researchers, environmentalists, and others working in the field of service-learning and youth development.

Reflecting on my participation at these two subsequent conferences during the first weeks in April, I am struck by the commitment of so many practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and young people themselves to create more opportunities for young people not just to volunteer, but to engage with their communities, learn about the issues facing them, and take action to make a change. ICP has been at the forefront of this movement to increase opportunities for young people to improve their communities for the better while building skills for their future success. We are proud to count among our allies NYLC, IAVE, CIVICUS, and UNV among many other organizations and individuals around the world working to develop programs and promote policies that empower young people as agents of change.

Celebrating the 75^th Anniversary of the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC): The CCC Legacy in a Warming
World

By Alex Etra, ICP Service Fellow

March 31^st 2008 was the 75th Anniversary of the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The occasion was marked by celebrations honoring the legacy of the CCC and its successor, the Service and Conservation Corps movement. ICP would like to take this opportunity to briefly highlight the history of the CCC and the Service and Conservation Corps and celebrate their impact on the field of national service. Yet, in addition to celebrating the legacy of the CCC, this anniversary is also an occasion to reflect on the future of youth conservation efforts and the Service and Conservation Corps Movement.

History
The CCC was created in 1933 when President Roosevelt signed the Emergency Conservation Work Act. Over the course of its nine year existence it become one of the most successful, recognizable, and popular programs of the New Deal. The CCC was designed to function as a work relief program that hired young unemployed men (ages 18-27) to work on conservation projects throughout the U.S. Working out of government administered camps, Corps members received a dollar a day to work on conservation projects such as soil erosion, tree planting, telephone and power line installation, and the construction of buildings, trails, and logging and fire roads throughout the nation’s local, state, and national parks.[1] More than anything else, the CCC planted trees — about 2.5 billion of them from 1933 to 1942, according to a report issued by the Corps in 1942.  By 1942 some 3 million young men had participated in the program.

Today, many of the projects completed by the CCC at state and national parks remain in use, including the Colorado River Trail at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, the Cabins at Caddo Lake State Park in Karnack, Texas, various park buildings at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, and the observation tower at Moran State Park on the San Juan Islands in Washington, to name just a few prominent examples. Because of its simplicity and effectiveness, the CCC grew to become one of the less controversial and more popular New Deal programs. Over time the program garnered considerable bipartisan support.[2] Yet despite its popularity, Congress cut funding for the CCC with the advent of World War II. Although no national service program of comparable scale has come into existence since the CCC, it has proven to be an enduring model and source of inspiration to those in the field of national service.

In fact, today’s Service and Conservation Corps—leaders in the field of national service—are the direct descendents of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Although disbanded in 1942, the idea of the CCC was revived in 1957, when the Student Conservation Association (SCA) placed its first college students as volunteers in national parks and forests. Just over a decade later the late Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson used the SCA model as the basis for legislation that created the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC). At its height during the mid-1970s, the YCC received $60 million in funding and enrolled some 32,000 young people each summer in programs operated by both the Departments of Interior and Agriculture and individual states. Late in the 1970s, an even larger federal program was launched, the Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC), which provided young people with year-round conservation-related employment and education opportunities. With an annual appropriation of $260 million, the YACC operated at both the federal and state levels.[3]

In 1983 the emerging Youth Corps movement went through a renewal with the birth of the first Urban Conservation Corps programs. The Urban Conservation Corps eventually added a new dimension to the field by engaging young people in the delivery of human services as well as conservation work. In 1992, the Youth Corps movement again began to receive federal funding when the Commission on National and Community Service awarded approximately $22.5 million in grants to 23 states, the District of Columbia, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (for disaster relief projects) and five Indian tribes.

In 1993 President Clinton signed The National and Community Service Trust Act which provided federal support to many kinds of community service programs besides the traditional Youth Corps. Currently the nation’s 116 Conservation Corps operate across 42 states and the District of Columbia. The Corps annually enroll more than 21,000 young people who provide their communities with nearly 16 million hours of service in year-round and summer programs.[4]

Celebrating the Legacy
In honor of the CCC and the legacy inherited by the contemporary Service and Conservation Corps, states across the country have planned 75^th anniversary celebrations. In Massachusetts, the State House was the site of a CCC luncheon celebration for alumni and their families. A CCC symposium is being held at Grand Canyon National Park on May 31 and June 1. Kentucky's Cumberland Falls State Park will host a reunion of CCC members from Sept. 27-30.  In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed April 12, 2008, as "Civilian Conservation Corps Remembrance Day." California, which has long been a leader in the Conservation Corps movement, held a range of ceremonies throughout April to honor Corps alumni and celebrate the many national park facilities throughout the state originally constructed by the CCC.

California is going even further. In addition to commemorating the CCC, Governor Schwarzenegger demonstrated his commitment to voluntary service by creating a cabinet-level position of Secretary of Service and Volunteering. According to  Schwarzenegger, “Like the storied program we honor today, this new first-in-the-nation position will help provide opportunities for Californians to come together to beautify and preserve the state we call home.  As we begin this exciting new chapter in California's history of service, let us honor the workers of the CCC by carrying on their fantastic legacy of hard work and accomplishment.” Although the 75^th anniversary of the CCC is an excellent occasion to honor the legacy of the first and largest national service program in U.S. history, it is also, as Governor Schwarzenegger suggests, an occasion to look to the future of national service and youth conservation corps.

The Future of Youth Conservation and National Service
Today, the Corps Movement remains as strong as ever and is currently undergoing another period of renewal and adaptation as the nature of conservation itself is changing. Although more traditional conservation efforts continue, the Service and Conservation Corps is writing a new chapter in its history as it begins to undertake service projects designed to mitigate climate change and increase energy efficiency as the public and government increasingly recognize the growing importance of these issues. In an effort to draw on the legacy of the CCC as it broadens its service and conservation efforts, the Corps Network is calling for a “Green New Deal”—the centerpiece of which will be a Clean Energy Corps—to engage young people in service to mitigating climate change while simultaneously helping them acquire skills and knowledge for future employment.[5]

Already Conservation Corps across the country are developing innovative service projects to address climate change and energy efficiency. Warm Homes Montana, a statewide program initiated by Governor Brian Schweitzer, enabled Montana Conservation Corps crews to help weatherize 600 low-income homes in 2005. The impact of the initiative convinced the governor to increase funding the following year, enabling Corps members to serve more than 1400 households. In Ohio, the Ohio Civilian Conservation Corps at Quilter, housed in a Community Action Agency, builds professionals through service: Corps members join the CAA weatherization team after they have had experience through service and achieved related certification. Denver’s Mile High Youth Corps members install fluorescent lights, showerheads, carbon monoxide/smoke detectors, adjust thermostats, replace toilets with high efficiency tanks, put aerators on faucets, and educate residents about energy conservation. The state estimates average annual energy savings at $109.90 per home. The California Conservation Corps (CCC) has partnered with local community based organizations to weatherize homes all over the state. Public utilities have trained Corps members in energy auditing, weatherization, lighting conservation and photovoltaic installations, and the CCC has partnered with a community college for training in construction, lighting, HVAC, and solar hot water installations.[6]

Based on the success of these and other programs, the Corps Network, ICP, and a coalition of Green Jobs and Service organizations have begun pushing for legislation and funding to scale up innovative program models. A recent amendment to the GIVE Act (which reauthorizes and funds the CNCS) included funding for a pilot project called the Energy Conservation Corps (ECC). The ECC would demonstrate the efficacy of this approach to service and conservation. Although the GIVE Act has not yet passed, it enjoys considerable bipartisan support (it failed to pass by a single vote) and is expected to receive floor consideration again in the months to come.

Conclusion
The 75th anniversary of the CCC is an occasion to celebrate the tradition of national service and reflect on its future. The contribution of the CCC to the field of national service and society at large is still very evident today. Whether in the infrastructure created or the example of service set, the CCC demonstrated the promise and potential that national service holds. It is this legacy that we honor and celebrate and it is this legacy that the current generation must now seek to emulate by making an equally ambitious commitment to service. That is why on the 75th anniversary of the CCC, ICP and the Corps Network (among many others) are calling for a Green New Deal—with a Clean Energy Corps at its heart—that will honor the legacy of the original conservation corps and point the way forward for the next generation of Service and Conservation Corps members.

Young People Around the World Celebrate Earth Day and Global Youth Service Day 2008

By Kelly Fox, ICP Office Manager

Thousands of youths across the world rallied in support of youth environmental and civic engagement in the last half of April to mark the 38th Earth Day on April 22nd, 2008 and 20th Global Youth Service Day, April 25th, 2008.

This year, Earth Day's official theme called for action against climate change, urging participants to contact their local government and parliament officials with demands for a moratorium on new coal-fired plants, investment in renewable energies, building efficiency, and protection for the poor and the middle class in the transition to the new green economy. Young people around world took action in their communities in a number of ways:

• The Emirates Environmental Group in Dubai hosted their annual Inter School Public Speaking Competition. The competition, under the patronage of the Ministry of Education, was founded in 2001 and aims to provide a platform for youth to speak out on environmental issues, on that grounds that youth participation is crucial to assessing problems and planning solutions to sustainable development and preservation of the planet’s resources. This year’s competition, on the theme of “Young Environmentalists” was the group’s largest yet, with over 600 students from 92 schools from across the United Arab Emirates participating.
• In India, the Environment Education and Awareness division of The Energy and Resources Institute co-sponsored a week-long campaign with the Ministry of Environment and Forests to create awareness of and support for public transportation.  EEA has been celebrating Earth Day with the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the past 11 years in keeping with the belief that children are the best ambassadors of environmental messages. In this year’s campaign, hundreds of students from 50 schools in Delhi and the National Capital Region. Students pledged to use public transportation, interviewed commuters about transportation habits and distributed information about public transportation, and participated in a poster-making contest on the them.
• One hundred young people with outstanding civic service records from around the world gathered in Orlando, Florida to attend the first Jane Goodall’s Global Youth Summit. The summit focused on the relationships between the environment, water issues, poverty, and wildlife conservation. Participants were drawn from 28 countries and collaborated to create one year action plans to promote their local service projects.
• In Caracas, Venezuela, youth groups from 14 different Venezuelan universities committed to the Citizens of the World program run annually by VITALIS. Students met to discuss recommendations on energy and water conservation, waste reduction, biodiversity preservation, and reduction of toxic contamination.  VITALIS also supported the launch of the 2008 Bayer Encuentro Juvenil Ambiental (BEJA) program, co-sponsored by the Bayer Corporation and UN Environment Programme. The competition selects youth leaders from countries in Asia, eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa to serve as environmental envoys for their countries. Envoys will study environmental protection practices at a one week trip in Germany.

During the coming year, ICP will be working to gather more information on programs like these, which engage young people in environmental service to respond to global climate change. We will make this information available on our new online database of youth service programs and policies at www.icicp.org/Resources.

On Global Youth Service Day, co-sponsored by Youth Service America and Global Youth Action Network, millions of young people across the world highlighted and carried out thousands of community improvement projects. Among the highlights, as reported by YSA and GYAN:

• New York, New York - The NYC Young Women's Volunteer Summit featured workshops and service activities relating to women’s issues throughout the city. The Summit, held on Saturday, April 26, was spearheaded by the NYC Commission on Women's Issues, the Mayor's Volunteer Center of NYC, Children for Children, and CosmoGIRL! Magazine, in partnership with the City University of New York.
• In Haiti, the two lead agencies mobilized thousands of youths throughout the country in an effort to raise awareness about environmental sustainability. The Association Jeunesse Excalibur planted a thousand trees along with participating local organizations. The Center for Thought, Education and Debate hosted a forum on environmental issues, as well as a conference in Port-au-Prince with members of the Youth Ministry to discuss issues affecting young people in Haiti.  
• In Sierra Leone, African Youth for Peace and Development planned a clean-up campaign in an orphanage as well as an elderly home in order to render services to this community as well as to educate youth volunteers on the realities and needs of the underprivileged and handicapped.
• In Russia, the Russian Volunteer Development Center of IAVE organized close to a million participants in this year's celebration of GYSD. The organization works to encourage more Russian citizens, especially youth, to get involved in service in order to strengthen socio-economic conditions within the country. This year they carried out a wide range of activities and events in 15 different regions of the country, under the theme of "Russia Youth Generation - Energy of Health and Kindness."
• In Indonesia, the Lembaga Manajemen Pendidikan Indonesia (LMPI Foundation) brought together youth from more than 75 schools from 7 different cities across the country, in projects that will benefit more than 60,000 students.  The theme this year is: Strengthening our Global Future through Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship. Young people performed different service projects within their schools and educated themselves about important global issues that affect their communities.

ICP applauds the efforts of YSA, GYAN, and partner organizations around the world for their work in coordinating and mobilizing young people to participate in the largest Global Youth Service Day ever. ICP supports the work of GYSD to expand the impact of the youth service movement by launching new service organizations, policy changes, and sustainable service programs to create a culture of engaged youth, and strives to build on that momentum to create a supportive atmosphere of youth civic engagement that will bring lasting positive social change to the communities of young people around the globe.