Conservation Leadership Corps
Baltimore Community Summer Program
The 2013 Baltimore Conservation Leadership Corps (BCLC) program provided 32 local youths with an opportunity to earn money during the summer while making a difference in their community and the environment. These local high school students committed themselves to working on conservation service projects in Baltimore City and County parks, becoming an integral part of SCA’s mission of building the next generation of conservation leaders by engaging in hands-on service to the land.
The summer of 2013 marked the 7th year of the BCLC made possible with the support of Johnson Controls Inc. and additional supporters. The BCLC is a partnership between the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and Civic Works. The BCLC summer program provided these participants valuable life skills, conservation skills, conservation ethics, and job preparation techniques. Members completed 7,308 total program hours during their 6 week employment program. Monday through Thursday, crews worked in the field \on conservation projects while Fridays were reserved for envrionmental education totaling.
“We’ve worked around bugs and insects that we’ve never seen before. We’ve also learned the tools that we will be using and the safety necessary when using the tools… For this summer job, working with the SCA gives me the opportunity to get more job experience, get to learn about the outside world, to know other people, make new friends and to make some money to take care of me and my family and so I can just have money to spend during the summer time.”
– Kwamel Couther, BCLC Member
This year, the SCA Baltimore Summer Program completed 972 hours of the newly expanded and improved SCA Green Jobs Readiness Curriculum (GJRC) that is used nationally by Community Programs. The GJRC is a 233-page binder that is organized around three broad themes: Work Readiness, Eco-Literacy, and Green Career Pathways. Under those themes, the GJRC outlines goals and experiential learning activities for topics that include: Leadership & Teamwork Skills, Social Skills, Diversity and Inclusion, Financial Literacy, Ecology and Conservation, Environmental Justice, Food Systems, Non-Renewable & Renewable Resources, Land Management & Recreation, and Climate Change. These important life skills and professional skills will help members succeed for the rest of their lives.
“I was a part of this program last year and I loved it so much I decided to come back… This job made me aware of things that I never really noticed. It made me think about what I did in my community and how it affects our earth. I was also able to meet some amazing people throughout the whole experience. Thank you for believing in our mission “Conservation Begins Here.”
– Shauna K, BCLC Member
