American Youthworks Prepares Youth for Success
American YouthWorks (AYW) annually connects over 400 youth and young adults, ages 16-35, with innovative education, paid career training, certification attainment, and comprehensive job readiness services. Through award-winning programs, Conservation Corps (AYW-CC) and YouthBuild (AYW-YB), participants gain valuable job skills through projects that address critical challenges in the community. These include constructing micro homes for people experiencing homelessness, disaster response, wildfire prevention training, increasing community resilience, and providing access to affordable housing and healthcare.
AYW-YB serves 200+ youth, ages 16-24, teaching technical skills in Manufacturing/IT, Healthcare, and Construction while earning a GED or high school diploma. Participants receive paid training, certifications, and personalized support to ensure career or education success.
AYW-CC engages 200+ young adults, ages 18-35, in conservation projects and disaster recovery. Participants gain hands-on experience, including FEMA disaster response training, and connect with industry professionals and project partners for job opportunities that advance their commitment to serving the community.
Disaster Response and Recovery has been an area of significant growth in the AYW-CC program and prepares young people with job skills training for family-sustaining careers. Training prepares them to address catastrophic events like wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and ice storms, while building job-ready expertise in emergency management, environmental resilience, and related fields.
Recently AYW-CC was deployed by FEMA for 30 days in Roswell, NM to help the community rebuild after severe storms and devastating flooding. Sidney Glasshoff, Texas Conservation Corps Disaster Response & Logistics Coordinator in Austin (and program graduate), served as the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team (ADRT) Incident Commander alongside 19 Texas Conservation Corps staff members and partner organizations. Sidney shared about her experience that “disaster response is more than just the physical work. It’s about connection and growth. I watched team members step into leadership roles, growing in confidence and skill. The people we serve leave just as big of an impact on us as we do on them.”
Just like Sidney, participants share their disaster response service was life-changing. By helping communities during times of extreme crisis, they gain a deep understanding of interdependence and resilience. What a young person learns while sitting with a survivor on the porch of a flooded home while they’re processing overwhelming loss, builds a perspective of the interdependence of our communities. This shapes a resilient workforce of professionals and leaders dedicated to service, people, and solutions.
AYW programs are designed to build skills that prepare youth for today’s job market and for lifelong success. Through training experiences such as deployment in large-scale disaster relief and recovery efforts, participants develop the skills necessary to work in local, state, and federal Emergency Management Agencies. We think Sidney summarizes it best: “I am incredibly grateful for this experience and proud of what we have accomplished. Serving the Roswell community in this capacity has been an honor, and I look forward to continuing this work in the future.”