Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (Colorado)

MISSION STATEMENT

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps engages young people in the outdoors, inspiring them to use their strengths and potential to lead healthy, productive lives. We teach responsibility for self, community and environment through teamwork, service and experiential education.

OVERVIEW

RMYC engages the strength and potential of youth and young adults to make a difference in themselves and their community through meaningful service opportunities, educational experiences, and group recreational activities. RMYC strives to meet the needs of the communities of northwest Colorado by offering a variety of programs and services for youth ages 10-25 years. RMYC is one of over 100 member corps of The Corps Network, and is one of 8 accredited corps with the Colorado Youth Corps Association.

HISTORY

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC) was established in 1993 by the City of Steamboat Springs in response to a community demand for more youth employment, educational, and recreational opportunities. In 1999, RMYC obtained 501(c)3 status enabling us to serve a greater geographic area to serve youth and accomplish projects, and greater capacity for programmatic expansion in response to fluctuating demands. The basic mission has not changed over time, but has been reinforced and expanded for greater success. 

PROGRAMS

RMYC programs focus on two primary outcomes: SUCCESSFUL YOUTH and SUSTAINED ENVIRONMENT. RMYC provides life-changing experiences for over 500 youth each year to develop successful, self-sustaining life skills that lead to productive and responsible community members. Our programs provide a progression of civic engagement, employment and education opportunities that lead to successful careers. A participant can begin this journey at age 10, and continue to gain new skills to age 25. We are one of a small minority of corps across the nation that incorporate an intentional education curriculum specifically designed for each age group we serve, focusing on job readiness, resume building, career development, leadership and life-skills, physical fitness, health care, nutrition, environmental education, and civic and social responsibility.

RMYC is unique in the world of service and conservation corps in that we are the only corps in the state of Colorado that engages corps members for extended (10 weeks +) 24/7 experiential work and living opportunities. Youth develop strong, healthy lifestyles by working on meaningful community service projects that protect habitats while maintaining outdoor recreational amenities that Coloradoans enjoy. We provide unique project services and training around higher level hard skills such as chainsaw certification, wildland fire fighting certification, high altitude sites (Colorado Fourteeners), intricate rock work, historic preservation, and wilderness specialty work such as cross cut saw use. We provide an affordable work force for public lands maintenance with trails, wildlife habitat, fire fuels reduction, beetle kill mitigation, historic preservation, noxious weed control, and more.