American YouthWorks receives funding from both CNCS and YouthBuild for its Casa Verde Builders, Computer Corps, Environmental Corps and Green Energy Corps.  These programs allow students and graduates to participate in community service, gain job skills and earn money for college while serving low income Austinites by building energy efficient homes, refurbishing computers and performing weatherization measures and by improving public lands through trail building and maintenance, habitat restoration for endangered species and invasive species removal. 

Here are a few things that our students and Corps members have accomplished in 2010 alone:

• Casa Verde Builders program participants built two houses, repaired eight homes and 33 participants graduated.
• Computer Corps saved 59 computers from landfills by refurbishing them and donating them to nonprofits and low income Austin residents.
• Environmental Corps completed the restoration and construction of 28 miles of trails, restored 337 acres of native habitat and performed $61,000 worth of in-kind work.
• Green Energy Corps members made improvements to 200 homes for low income families; including weatherization, repairs and accessibility projects.

Please help us continue to serve our community.

American YouthWorks is the largest grant recipient with an award totaling $24,700. American YouthWorks will use the funding to support the Computer Corps program, which combines computer repair training, refurbished computer distribution and a computer workshop series. Corps members will gain computer and life skills while providing a service to the community

Wristbands for the event are $5 and all proceeds benefit American YouthWorks.

For more information and to purchase wristbands, please visit the AIA website.

American YouthWorks Corps members set up booth at the Convention Center to present their skills and efforts, discover new green information, and fundraise on the weekend of April 23-25 at Austin’s Green Living Expo.

The Green Living Expo was an excellent opportunity for the various corps organization members (Casa Verde Builders, Computer Corps, Environmental Corps, and Green Energy Corps) to work together and learn more about each other as well. Generally,  Corps headquarters and activities do not afford additional time toward getting to know in-depth the objectives of fellow Corps programs. 

 This was also an opportunity to share the passion harbored from work done in the community from weatherization and home construction, park/trail/forestry and habitat restoration, refurbishing computer and technology donations, and generally working to assist and strengthen low-income and at-risk communities in the Austin area.

The booth was decorated by each Corps with ther respective individal flair.

GEC and ECorps constructed display boards using materials commonly worked with (natural woods or weatherization materials such as solar screens). E-Corps also had a table to display and demonstrate some of their commonly used tools. Computer Corps set up a powerpoint presentation with videos, photographs and information about all of the Corps programs and GEC guided booth visitors in online carbon footprint calculations.

To view the additional Green Living Expo snapshots, please visit our Facebook photo album of this event.

At the Convention Center, members also had the opportunity to explore what the Green Living Expo had to offer in more sustainable solutions for the way we live, food, entertainment, and build. There were hundreds of booths for sampling fresh organic cuisine and learning better ways to cook, book recycling programs through Austin Public Libraries, presentations and book signings from notable guest speakers in sustainability and green business, and various design ideas for work Corps members are utilizing (Rain water collectors, and innovative insulation and home construction designs).

Seminars were on three stages: Green Building, Sustainable Living, and Climate Change. Interim CEO Dick Pierce of Dick Pierce Designs presented on the Sustainability stage as an expert in Permaculture on Sunday, April 25th at 3pm.

In addition, GEC member Jake Clarke created an amazing magnet design that was offered to donors of $10 or more. This new American YouthWorks magnet has school location and contact information which an image depicting volunteers of all 4 Corps and Service Learning Academy programs working together. A number of these were handed out during the Green Expo weekend, but we still have a supply available for anyone interested in purchasing one now. The actual magnet size is 6.5” by 5”. Great for a refrigerator or filing cabinet, the magnet image actually pops out so you can use the border as a picture frame and have two magnets in one. For more information on donating and/or getting your magnet for a minimum donation of $10, please contact Brandon Kiger (bkiger@americanyouthworks.org). Quantities are limited so pick yours up today! 

Blog written by Angela Garner, GEC Member

We viewed a highly planned presentation then C-Corps members were paired up in teams with mentors from Whole Foods. The store is connected to the corporate headquarters. We took a tour of the facility, the grocery store and the corporate offices. We saw the basic systems of a major company, how they function on a daily basis, and the opportunities for working for this company. During our tour we discovered that the departments are actually like small businesses and they manage their own budgets and buy their own supplies.  After our tour, we had a lunch of assorted Whole Foods goods. It was delicious, and then we took a tour of our mentors work stations.

After that we went to the server room. Servers are basically huge computers which produce a lot of heat and they need to be kept cool in climate-controlled areas. The cooling systems and back up power systems keep them from overheating and losing important data. In addition, we viewed the server repair room.

Our mentors showed us what the corporate world has to offer us and the importance of graduating from high school and moving along to a higher education. We were there to see how information technology (IT) Staff perform their daily duties and work tasks.

This was an eye opening experience and we had a choice to attend this event.  The choice to attend opportunities like this is yours.  – Elais Laurila, C-Corps Member

Check out the the American YouthWorks YouTube Channel and subscribe for regular updates as C-Corps members continue to document more happenings around AYW.

Jenny Rodriguez plants a tree at MLK Service Day

Americorps members, Service Learning Academy students, and staff participated in the MLK service day January 16^th beginning at Huston-Tillotson University; hosted by Hands on Central Texas. We listened to the main speaker, Dr. Richard Reddick, and other amazing speakers, ate free breakfast tacos, and saw a performance by Cipher, a group founded by Jeff Da’shade Johnson. Cipher is a street project for outreach to youth in our community. Also, we heard a speech from a 4^th grader named Lamar, a little boy with a big heart. I must say he was an amazing speaker; his speech was about Dr. King and how proud of us he would be for the work we were doing that day.  After the festivities, we went to a site and planted trees one by one. We also helped each other dig and break through compounded soil so we could plant the young saplings in their new homes in order to spread their roots through the foundation. In the midst of digging we learned an important lesson—team work. It was hot but we worked together in our efforts to help our community.

–Elais Laurila, Computer Corps member

EVOLUTION

–Sam Lindsey, CCorps member

We arrived at Blue Santa around 12pm and when we got there we almost had to leave because they didn’t have enough for us to do but they said they would take us on a tour. While they took us on the tour of the warehouse they explained some details about what exactly they do. After that they took us into a big room filled with cardboard boxes and taught us how to fold up the boxes and tape them together. We folded up about 50 boxes and stacked them on top of each other.

When we finished that they took us over to some tables with bags that said boys ages 3-4 told us all to grab a bag and go over to the boxes of toys and pick out, 1book, 1game, and 1stocking stuffer which was like a hot wheels toy or an action figure. Once we filled our bags with toys we grabbed a piece of blue wrapping paper and wrapped up our bags and put them in boxes to be shipped off.

The Blue Santa service day was a lot of fun. After we finished all of our service we all got to sign our names on a big long wall so we could be recognized for our help!

–Alicia Ward, CCorps member

CCorps Trainer, Matt, and Warnetta celebrate the induction of new members

Teisha's mom brought food for the potluck to show her support

October 4^th through the 17^th I, Caleb Jones, attended the Computer Corps orientation in hopes of having the privilege of joining the AmeriCorps program. Though a lot of the orientation involved paper work and reviewing the policies and procedures, other members and I, had a lot of fun with the teambuilding activities. I learned a lot of things about computers that I did not know before, and a lot about the actual program. The first week was basically paperwork, but when week two started–the fun began. I got to take apart and put together a computer, which is something I have never done before and it was an awesome experience. We also took a trip a Goodwill that refurbishes computers, and got to see their computer museum. AYW student, Ateisha Flint, said “I really enjoyed volunteering at the River City Youth, and the marble game we played.” Unfortunately, not everyone who attended orientation made it in, though everyone was a worthy candidate, there were only so many spots open. About twenty other students and I are now AmeriCorps members, and we all look forward to what lies ahead in the Computer Corps program.

By,

Caleb Jones, Service Learning Academy Student