Youth Corps crew celebrates on their last day

After four weeks of working in Portland’s parks and trails, the inaugural Portland Youth Corps crew is ready to graduate. To celebrate, the group got ice cream on Friday and explored Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park.

The Youth Corps program was established in 2021 to bring environmental education, income, and job experiences to young Portlanders, especially to low income and BIPOC teens who may not be aware of career opportunities in the conservation field.

The Youth Corps crew visited Wolfe Neck State Park on Friday to celebrate a month of hard work and learning.

Twelve teens in the first Youth Corps crew have spent the past month immersing themselves in conservation work, developing professional skills, and making lasting friendships. They’ve visited Fort Gorges, Jewell Island, The Ecology School, and community parks across Portland. They’ve talked to landscape architects, built survival shelters, learnt to identify plants, and developed a deeper appreciation for the natural world.

“I feel like, if anything, [the program] resparked my love for nature and being peaceful in nature. I feel like I lost it for a while,” remarked a crew member while reflecting on their experience.

Crew Leader Meghan Loury and Assistant Crew Leader, Michael “Ranger Mike” Vincent, are both proud of the group’s accomplishments and personal growth.

“They’ve done amazing,” Loury says. “They crushed it out there. Even during some really hot days, they were working together, supporting each other, and getting the job done. I’m lucky I got to be there leading them.”

Youth Corps members are grateful for Loury and Vincent, too: “l want to thank Mike and Meghan for making me work hard and never give up,” writes one crew member.

Youth Corps members worked together to snip and remove invasive plants in Harbor View Memorial Park.

What’s next for the Youth Corps?

A second session of the Portland Youth Corps program will begin next week with Loury and Vincent mentoring a new group of teens. Both crew leaders would love to see the program continue next year, but this depends on funding.

Portland Parks Conservancy partnered with Portland Parks, Recreation, and Facilities and Maine Audubon to raise the funds necessary for the 2021 Youth Corps sessions. The program’s budget includes providing each crew member with a $500 stipend, intended to encourage low income teens looking for jobs to consider the Portland Youth Corps. “Lots of kids need to earn money for their families. We want them to be able to pick between the Youth Corps and a job based on their interests, not a financial situation,” says Raine Raynor, Portland Parks Conservancy’s intern.

It took two years to raise this money – and the same amount must be raised every year to support the Youth Corps program.

Nan Cumming, Portland Parks Conservancy’s Executive Director, shares Loury and Vincent’s dream that the Youth Corps program continues in future years. Cumming has also expressed an interest in adding further crews so more teens can join, if funding permits.

“Hopefully, we will find folks who will want to support the program year after year,” says Cumming.