February 3, 2005
The Portland Trail Blazers, Camp Fire USA Portland Metro Council and Hands On Portland will tip off the Blazers Community Builders Youth Corps (BCBYC) program next week, a five-month mentorship curriculum designed to promote youth leadership, civic engagement and philanthropy in Oregon and southwest Washington.
The three-year old regional partnership includes education and training on social responsibility, leadership and philanthropy; hands-on community service; and team building for 30 Youth Ambassadors who will then pass along their new knowledge and skills to other young people in their home communities. In addition, the Youth Ambassadors will grant $40,000 to Oregon and Southwest Washington community organizations.
“The Youth Corps is modeled after the Trail Blazers Community Builders employee volunteer program with a focus on mentoring tomorrow’s leaders in the areas of service, responsibility and giving back,” says Traci Rose. “With the combined leadership of Hands on Portland and Camp Fire USA Portland Metro Council and their innovative approach to service learning and trail blazing efforts to engage youth collectively from around the state, we have had the privilege of expanding our program over the past year nearly ten-fold.”
The first meeting will take place February 11-12 in Salem’s Capitol Building, where key activities will include discussing the role and responsibilities of young people in our region and critical issues facing citizens in Oregon and Southwest Washington. From there, they will identify core social issues affecting youth, brainstorm ideas about how BCBYC resources can mitigate these issues, and identify target areas for future funding. This focus area is also where the Ambassadors will themselves spend 10 hours of volunteer time in their home communities, and eventually where they will make project grants later in the year. In addition, the Ambassadors will meet with Governor Ted Kulongoski and State Senator Margaret Carter, and tour the State Capitol.
Future meetings are scheduled for March, April and June in Portland-area locations. During this time, the Youth Ambassadors will develop and disseminate requests for proposals (RFPs), which they will then review and assess for funding. They also will be trained in philanthropy and project leadership. The BCBYC project will culminate in a Youth Summit, to be held June 4-5 in Portland. This event will include a public celebration of the Youth Ambassadors’ work, presentation of grants to regional recipients and participation in a community-wide service project.
In 2004, the BCBYC partnership resulted in the granting of $41,000 to 21 service projects that directly involved 800 Oregon and Southwest Washington youth and positively impacted more than 6,000 people. For example:
Nahalem Parks - Youth led movement to engage young people in positive recreational activities. Coastal community struggles with teenagers bored and tending to lean towards destructive behavior. Grant constructed first basketball court and hoop in city of Nahalem.
“Use Your Vote” (New Urban High School) - Project to make today’s students tomorrow’s voters by engaging under-18 youth in political advocacy and civic education.
Invasive Species Eradication (Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership) - Youth engaged in classroom learning of habitats and watersheds, planned project elements, recruited community volunteers, and led the effort to remove invasive species.
Her-os and He-ros Community Garden (Families First of Grant County) - Youth built community garden to provide fresh produce to low income families, educate community members about organic gardening; youth will support low-income housing tenants in the ongoing maintenance garden.
This year’s Youth Ambassadors hail from the Portland/Vancouver area, as well as Bend, Coquille, Eagle Point, Myrtle Point, Newport, Ontario, Philomath, Salem, Sisters, and White City.
ABOUT CAMP FIRE USA
Camp Fire USA is a coeducational non-profit organization that builds caring, confident youth and future leaders. Since 1912, the Portland Metro Council has been an innovative leader in youth-led community service and proactive youth development. In 2004, Camp Fire youth volunteered more than 2,600 hours of service to the community, winning SOLV’s Project Oregon “Best Youth Involvement Award” along the way. Through year-around educational and recreational opportunities and experiences, Camp Fire gives young people the skills and motivation they need to become successful adults. For more information, visit www.portlandcampfire.org.
ABOUT HANDS ON PORTLAND
The first and only organization in Portland of its kind, Hands On Portland makes volunteering easy and meaningful by providing well-managed and flexibly scheduled volunteer opportunities for more than 10,000 volunteers a year. Founded in 1996, HOP pumps more than $100,000 worth of people powerinto the Greater Portland community each year while working with 360 non-profit community partners. For more information on ways to volunteer, log on to www.handsonportland.org.
