Innovation
Worcester County Youth Restore Cypress Park
Eighteen Worcester County young people got down and dirty this summer, working and learning in Pocomoke's Cypress Park.
With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance contracted with Worcester County Public Schools to recruit, train, and supervise young people who worked inside the park's new Delmarva Discovery Center museum, as well as revitalizing trails and building boardwalks through the marshland in the surrounding parkland.
When they began, the youth found that the stream running through the park was trash-strewn and overgrown. In addition to cleaning out the stream and nearby gardens, one group of youth tested the water each day and monitored changes over time, polishing their chemistry skills in the process. They learned to mark their work locations with GPS units, and returned to the same locations to test the water quality over time. As they revitalized the stream, they saw the measurable impact of their work on a daily basis.
Another group was tasked with rebuilding and adding to a boardwalk trail that local resident Don Molloy had first blazed 15 years earlier. Mr. Molloy volunteered to help out again. Under his guidance, the young workers extended the boardwalk through the park. Now, visitors can walk from the Discovery Center, through the park and the cypress forest, to the river.
A third team worked in the gift shop, helped around the museum, and undertook routine administrative and maintenance tasks.
Even before the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance was certain it would receive ARRA funds, WCPS (a long-time vendor for year-round youth programs) had begun to lay the groundwork for a summer program. WCPS conducted a mass certification of youth through the schools and through agencies serving out-of-school youth, getting a jump on the ARRA-funded expansion.
Each youth recruited through WCPS began with a week of skills training and employment preparation, culminating in completion of a portfolio with examples of resumes, completed job applications, and other world-of-work necessities. During that week, WCPS identified each youth's aptitudes and preferences, making work assignments accordingly. The youth practiced interview skills and then interviewed with the employers. Placement decisions were as strategic as possible, to provide the youth with positive experiences related to their studies or their interests.
Altogether, WCPS recruited 107 youth for this year's summer program. In addition to the Delmarva Discovery Center, young people worked in Assateague State Park, at Atlantic General Hospital, and in work sites such as in police stations, libraries, and child care programs.
ARRA funds made a huge difference for summer programming in the three counties that comprise the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance's service area (Worcester, Somerset, and Wicomico), according to Eileen Cross, Youth Program Coordinator. "Last year we put around 100 kids to work the whole summer. This year, with ARRA, we were able to put 350 kids to work" (100 funded by the Workforce Investment Act's year-round youth funds, plus 250 ARRA-funded youth). Most summer program participants earned minimum wage, or a bit above, depending on the vendor and each youth's age and experience.
The Lower Shore Workforce Alliance hosted a celebration luncheon at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, in Princess Anne to recognize the youth, the employers, and the vendors (WCPS and others). Selected youth from each vendor reflected on their summer experiences, and program vendors and long-time employers were acknowledged. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara Mukulski sent representatives, as did Congressman Frank Kratovil. More than 250 of the 350 summer workers were able to attend the luncheon.
Cross anticipates that there may be funds for some of the youth to continue working at the summer work sites beyond the summer.
Contact:
Eileen Cross
Youth Program Coordinator
Lower Shore Workforce Alliance
410-431-3835 Ext. 222
ecross@lswa.org
|
