Service: Barn Project
Brayden Morrissette (front) and Jacob O’Neal painting with precision at the VYCC barn.
The red monitor barn that houses the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps is getting a facelift. The iconic structure located across the river from Interstate Highway 89 between Waterbury and Burlington, is getting a fresh coat of paint. While most painting projects aren’t especially newsworthy, this one is more than what meets the eye. This project is an example of the power and capacity of young people, and the embodiment of a unique nonprofit collaborative that is helping Vermonters find their way to meaningful work.
The painting project is being completed by students in the YouthBuild program at ReSOURCE. YouthBuild (YB) is a national organization and AmeriCorps program that empowers young people to pursue their education, career goals, and community leadership. Pairing high school academics with technical construction training and paid service projects, YouthBuild provides students with an alternative pathway to graduation and careers in the trades. ReSOURCE runs year-round Youthbuild programs, in both Barre and Burlington for area youth.
YB student Brayden Morrissette, a member of the barn painting crew from Essex, likes that the program allows him to be active in his community while learning through doing. He has built pride through the service projects he’s completed.
My favorite service project was when we were out in Waterbury and we were helping this veteran. His house was affected in the flood, and we went up there and helped him tear out the HVAC in his basement because a ton of water was flowing out of it still and it was all black water. It was bad for him to be breathing that in... I like going around the community and seeing things that we've done. It feels very rewarding.
A VYCC crew practices power tool safety while YouthBuild students paint the highest reaches of the monitor barn.
YouthBuild students aren’t the only ones serving on the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps’ campus. VYCC crews are gearing up for the 2024 season and are busy training and learning the technical skills that will allow them to complete trail, forestry, water quality, and build projects across the state during the next few months. Other crews are learning planting, weeding, and irrigation strategies on VYCC’s organic farm, where they’ll grow over 70,000 pounds of produce this summer and fall. Much of this food is distributed to Vermonters through the Health Care Share program.
While the YouthBuild and VYCC participants aren’t directly working together, they are all on a common path where paid service and training intertwine to create opportunities for personal and professional growth. This is at the heart of the mission of Serve Learn Earn, a workforce development collaboration founded by VYCC, ReSOURCE, and partners at Audubon Vermont and Vermont Works for Women. Together, Serve Learn Earn programs help over 550 Vermonters each year develop skills, earn credentials or college credit, and find pathways into jobs in the conservation and building trades sectors, all while completing service projects that strengthen and enhance Vermont communities.
“Research shows us that service and community-based work can build positive personal beliefs and a sense of agency. It helps build relationships and personal networks, while also grounding a person and increasing their sense of connectedness to their community. We know this is super important for a young person’s development,” shares Kate Gluckman, Serve Learn Earn director. “Additionally, we see that paid service can be even more impactful when paired with technical skill development that can lead to career and educational success. Service-based learning is a powerful tool to civically engage students, expose them to career options and potential employers, and connect them more deeply to peers and caring adults.”
VYCC is currently renovating the East Monitor Barn as part of a large campus investment plan to provide greater programmatic and residential opportunities for corps members. When it’s ready for it’s first paint layer, the YouthBuild students are sure to be up for the task.
Connect with ReSOURCE, VYCC, and the Serve Learn Earn coalition to learn more about training opportunities for youth and adults throughout Vermont.