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Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Partnership
Location:
New Mexico
Case description (read more)
The Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC) was founded in 1995 to develop service projects for youth in the communities of New Mexico. The organization is located in Taos, New Mexico, and its crews, comprised of youth ages 16-25, travel to areas throughout the state to work on service projects. In 1997, the RMYC entered into a formal partnership with the Carson National Forest to contribute to restoration and maintenance projects on the forest during the summer months.
Primary partners
Rocky Mountain Youth Corps
Carson National Forest |
Primary objectives
- To provide community youth with the opportunity to contribute to restoration and maintenance projects on the forest during the summer months.
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Year of initiation
1997 |
What is fostering progress? (read more)
- Taking time at the outset to clearly convey the purpose of the RMYC and its mission, objectives and accomplishments to Forest Service employees on the Carson National Forest.
- The RMYC works hard to demonstrate, "that we are not a high school club or a fly-by-night operation, that we have a professional atmosphere that provides for technical project completion above and beyond expectations, that the power and skill set of our young people is certainly something to be respected and not taken lightly."
What challenges were faced and how were they overcome? (read more)
- The partnership has required“significant energy and attention” and the coordinators stress the need to “make the commitment as an organization to be responsive to input and address concerns" in order to maintain a long-term partnership.
- Consistent, predictable funding, as with many partnerships, is a lingering challenge.
What lessons can be drawn? (read more)
- For both partners, consistent communication through a close working relationship has engendered success.
- For others interested in starting a similar partnership it is important to do your homework:“Make sure that what you are after is within the lines of the Forest Service’s management goals.”
- Having a detailed agreement has specified how the work will get done and ensured that sufficient direction is provided to complete joint projects.
- Both partners found it necessary to ask questions to learn about organizational differences and to clarify what each would need to do internally within their own organizations as well as together in order to make the partnership work.
Contact information at the Forest Service
Related Links
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