Rey’na Guy
Ten months ago I was a college drop out and undecided about what direction I wanted to go in life. I was bored with my life and wanted to go out and explore new opportunities and challenges.
Environmental and Social issues have always been a personal crusade for me and I decided to do some googling. I was interested in Americorps and through the site I was directed to MHYC. I fell in love with the program and was eager to start a new path for my future.
Since February I have crossed so many hurdles and embraced a myriad of experiences. I am no longer scared of the “unknown” and each day I found myself learning life lessons. Through MHYC I have had the chance to make a difference in the community through land conservation, youth development, and the energy program. The skills I have learned here have helped me grow as a person in every aspect of my life. My future is no longer cloudy and is full of promises. This one year alone has changed my perspective in life and I have turned into a motivated, courageous, and energy conserving young lady. Thanks MHYC!
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Kaitlin Barrer
When I first turned the lock and stepped into my new Denver apartment on the morning of January 27th, 2009, I spotted a medium-sized red suitcase in the doorway of the largest bedroom. I called “hello” cautiously down the hallway and waited. As far as I knew, my two roommates—both soon-to-be fellow Americorps Leadership & Conservation Corps coworkers—weren’t arriving till the weekend. Just as I shrugged my shoulders and started towards the other bedroom, a rosy face with glasses popped out from behind the door.
“Heeeeeeeeeey there roomie!”
It was David Ruth, a fellow Michigander. He was a complete stranger, but all at once a competitor for use of the stove, toilet and sprawl space during Red Wings games. Someone to squish up against in the back seat of carpooled rides to work. Someone to talk to about family back in Michigan when homesickness struck.
Yes, David was a stranger, but before we even met, he was a friend. That’s the beauty of the ACLC program at Mile High—it equips you with a brand new group of friends to help you navigate a new stage of your life in a new city.
And to spend eleven months of service with, of course. I slept better during sweaty, ten-hour days of shoveling and wheel barrowing knowing that my roommates were equally exhausted. We’ve field-tripped to the epicenters of the energy conservation movement. We’ve pulled big honking toilets out of the ground and screwed in our own slick “high efficiency” ones. We’ve stepped into the apartments of people whose home countries we couldn’t identify on a globe, changed their light bulbs, drank their gift of coffee and left with a smile.
We wouldn’t trade the memories we’ve made this year for any entry-level corporate position five times our pay. But we just might take that job next year.
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Steve Lynch
A year ago, I stood at a distinct crossroads in my young life. Twenty-two, with a B.A. from the University of Illinois, I had very little to speak of in regards to career aspirations. Having just finished spending the summer in a tiny mountain town in remote Southern Colorado, enjoying my freedom and lack of responsibility, I knew that I had to make a step forward, do something socially conscious. My two older sisters had worked in AmeriCorps programs after graduating college, and strongly recommended that I look into a doing a year of service work.
I spent the next few months rigorously searching for jobs and volunteer opportunities, finally settling on an AmeriCorps position at Mile High Youth Corps because of its location (Denver being one of five cities that I had targeted in my job search), the type of work and the commitment to developing leadership skills.
Six months later, I harbor no regrets, and believe that I am a stronger (both mentally and physically, thanks to chainsaw work) and more ready to tackle the challenges that await the youth in America. I see my time at Mile High Youth Corps in a wholly positive light and I am anxious to utilize the skills and abilities gleaned from such a valuable program.
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Ben Watson
Being an ACLC at Mile High Youth Corps is a completely unique experience that I will never forget. After college I worked for a while with some different organizations and was finding it difficult to find a job that I truly enjoyed and cared about. I was always interested in doing something like Americorps or the Peacecorps but I wasn’t at a point where I wanted to commit 2 years of my life like Peacecorps requires. This program seemed ideal and was fairly in line with a lot of issues I care about. Throughout the year at MHYC I learned a wide variety of technical skills such as chainsaw operation and trail building. You definitely learn a lot but the main thing that has made this experience so worthwhile to me is the relationships I have formed with my fellow corpsmembers and the feeling that the work I did had a real tangible impact on my community. We definitely worked hard but had a blast at the same time.
