Local Kids Working for the Community & Environment

Since 2005, Youth Corps has treated over 1,700 acres of noxious weeds on public and private land. They’ve raked, bagged, and removed untold tons of pine needles. But the program’s greatest impact is cultivating Nederland-area youth.

Youth Corps offers teens aged 14-17 more than a summer job. It’s an opportunity to engage in meaningful service work and develop valuable life skills – all while making money and building friendships. 

“Youth Corps has developed into a smaller, younger, and more local version of TeamWorks,” explains Ariel Gustafson, the Out of School Time Director at TEENS, Inc. “It’s fewer hours, but it still gets youth outside, teaches them professional skills, and allows them to give back to their community.”a

That includes project partners like the Gilpin Extension Office and Boulder County Wildfire Partners. “It’s great to see young, energetic people playing a role in creating wildfire-resistant homes in Boulder County,” says Jim Webster, Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager. “When it comes to preparing for future wildfires, many hands make light work. We are lucky to have TEENS, Inc. to assemble and train youth to help us get mitigation work done on the ground.”

But Youth Corps doesn’t just serve organizations. “We work with a lot of private landowners,” says Ariel. “Youth Corps does everything from helping with gardening to staining the deck – you name it! We’ve even built patios for folks. It’s a really cool opportunity for youth to help out community members.”

Take for example, Carrie Evans, a licensed clinical social worker based in Nederland, Colorado. “I heard about the Youth Corps through word of mouth. When I got into it, two years ago, I remember thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, it would have taken me seven years to get as much done as these kids did in a day!’ Painting, caulking, weeding, moving logs, and extending a garden bed. In my book it’s win, win, win – it supports TEENS, Inc., it helps me, and the kids both get a lesson and get paid.”

Mike Plante has a similar story. As a Gilpin County Master Gardener who moved to the area in 1995, he’s no stranger to maintaining his property. But, as he explains, “Raking pine needles is time-consuming. So I hired the Youth Corps last summer. They helped me drag branches out to the driveway and then rake my backyard. I think I hauled out 40 bags of pine needles. The nice thing about clearing pine needles is that it makes room for everything else to grow, like wildflowers.”

The greatest compliment to any service is repeat business. On that note, Mike said, “I’m scheduled for them to come back again this summer, this time for a full day.” Carrie, the forest service, and Gilpin and Boulder County will all be repeat customers in summer 2023.

Leading the charge this summer will be George Walters (left), a program manager at TEENS, Inc. pictured taking Chinook West students on a ski day in January.  “I’m excited to work outside this summer in the mountains of Colorado. I can’t imagine a better work setting. I consider it noble to get your hands dirty, but with the intention of supporting youth, the environment, and the community.”

Ariel agrees. “It’s not just a job. It’s a youth development program. The bottom line is the kids. There are two paid professional development days. We use the same core tenets as TeamWorks, the same model as TeamWorks, since we’ve found that to be very successful. We’re still teaching about collaboration, inclusion, healthy risk-taking, professionalism, and environmental stewardship.”

When asked about how to manage a group of kids aged 14-17, George didn’t hesitate:  “You lead by example. If you’re doing the same work alongside them and you’re doing it with a smile on your face, you can show that the work isn’t just work. I think once you’ve had the opportunity to do impactful work, I think it’s more likely that you’ll do impactful work again in the future.”

Torin Perret is a living example. As a highschooler, he worked in Youth Corps and TeamWorks, then went on to be a leader for both programs. “It was my first chance to get a paycheck, but it was also with people who I grew up with. So it wasn’t as daunting,” Torin says,”I think Youth Corps allows kids to still be kids but start laying the groundwork for a positive work ethic. I made a lot of good friends.”

Torin’s friendships weren’t limited to his peers. “Andrea Bianchi [current Director of Student Engagement at Chinook West] was one of my first Youth Corps bosses. To have a positive role model who I could relate to and learn from, that was super big for me. And we’re still friends today. If you have a good boss with your Youth Corps experience, you can go a long way.”

Torin went on to lead the 2021 Youth Corps program and today he serves on the TEENS, Inc. board. If you’re interested in getting involved with the Youth Corps, now’s the time. Youth aged 14-17 may apply to join Youth Corps here. Community members and organizations interested in hiring their services can inquire about hiring a crew by emailing Ariel@TEENSinc.org.