Heart of Oregon Corps operates an outstanding YouthBuild AmeriCorps program in Redmond, Oregon, impacting the lives of young people and their community by providing access to economic opportunity through education, skill-building, and service. YouthBuild AmeriCorps programs engage low-income, out-of-school youth age 16-24 as AmeriCorps members, providing an education component to help the members earn a high school diploma or GED, and allowing the members to build skills and serve their communities by building affordable housing for homeless or low-income residents. Heart of Oregon Corps YouthBuild AmeriCorps program is exceptional among YouthBuild AmeriCorps programs, providing extremely high quality education and construction training, while simultaneously promoting a sincere and enduring ethic of service in its members.

Like most YouthBuild AmeriCorps programs, the AmeriCorps members are high school dropouts, many whom are receiving public assistance, and many of whom were youth or adult offenders. The program’s challenge is to re-engage these young people and help them to build the skills they will need to enter post-secondary education or the workforce and to be a positive force in their community. To do this, Heart of Oregon Corps combines exceptional education, service learning, and green-conscious construction practices, along with supportive case management services, to transform its members into service-minded community leaders.

The program recasts service for these members, most of whom have had experience with community service as a punishment. One way the program does this is through  innovative service learning projects, such as a recent project in which members wrote and illustrated a coloring book about Cesar Chavez, which they then read to local elementary school children. Projects like these help the members to build leadership skills, learn about history, and provide service. The program’s recent Community 101 project is another such example. Here, students were given $5000 to grant to community organizations. The project engaged the members in determining a need to address—they chose environmental recreation—and in seeking out potential subgrantees. The members received applications for funding, which they thoughtfully reviewed, and potential subgrantees were asked to present to the students about their proposed project. This initiative allowed students, most of whom have been the recipient of community services, to take the role of those providing the community with resources. It is this shift in self-perception that can be truly transformative for a young person.  

The members’ primary service activity, building and rehabilitating homes for homeless and low-income individuals, is coordinated thoughtfully and with a mind toward helping young people to build leadership skills. Construction Manager Penny allows members space to engage in team problem-solving while providing them with the supervision and guidance to get the job done right. All three houses that the program built or rehabilitated during 2009-10 were ENERGY STAR rated, making them 15%-30% more energy-efficient than standard homes. Participating in the physical transformation of their communities by building green housing inspires pride in members and helps to establish the ethic of service that will last with programs beyond their service year.