Community
Community is at the very center of Oregon Youth Corps and is seen in nearly every component of its new strategic plan. In the vision: strong, stable communities. In the mission: experiences that strengthen communities. Community is found in the Oregon Youth Corps position, and is a defined key value. Oregon Youth Corps believes that community is what will help continue to drive programming success at both a local and statewide level.
Providing opportunities through a focused strategy allows local programming to identify the method and projects that best help address larger needs, while uniting a cooperative and closer community. This strategy also supports community resiliency with the following benefits:
Programs invest time, effort, and energy, connecting local opportunities with resources in order to advance programming for their community’s youth. Bridging communities with individual youth development connections is critical to the framework for future success. Communities benefit from having youth who are more prepared for life’s next steps. Additionally, communities gain youth who can contribute:
Providing opportunities through a focused strategy allows local programming to identify the method and projects that best help address larger needs, while uniting a cooperative and closer community. This strategy also supports community resiliency with the following benefits:
- Stronger and healthier communities and natural resource landscapes
- Shared knowledge of a model to address community issues
- Interconnected partnerships helping achieve shared interests and initiatives
- Youth taking an active role in helping their community.
Programs invest time, effort, and energy, connecting local opportunities with resources in order to advance programming for their community’s youth. Bridging communities with individual youth development connections is critical to the framework for future success. Communities benefit from having youth who are more prepared for life’s next steps. Additionally, communities gain youth who can contribute:
- Essential employability skills necessary in business and industry
- Positive individual and community interactions
- Earned wages
- A mindset for life-long learning and awareness of community issues
Involving Community Engagement in Program Development
Many successful organizations/entities credit much of their success to the partnerships that support their efforts.
Is your organization looking to build a program that supports the advancement of youth workforce development, or is your organization looking to align with Oregon Youth Corps grant programming? Below are a few areas where organizations can involve community engagement into their program development/offerings.
Ask the question: Who or what in your community can help engage or support:
Is your organization looking to build a program that supports the advancement of youth workforce development, or is your organization looking to align with Oregon Youth Corps grant programming? Below are a few areas where organizations can involve community engagement into their program development/offerings.
Ask the question: Who or what in your community can help engage or support:
- underserved and underrepresented youth recruitment
- developing projects
- provide trainings/workshops
- advancing educational connections
- fostering community connections
- participant or program sponsorship
- teaching interpersonal and workforce skills
- learning/enrichment experiences
- incentivizing participation
- connecting with mentors
- greater community understanding
