Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Fourteen year-old Cortni Clausson hauls a bag of trash and an old political sign during a Youth Corps team cleanup.

Youth Ecology Corps is more than a summer job

Teens learn about environment, hiring process

DUGGAN KINNE, FOR THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published July 18, 2001

MASON COUNTY -- It's hard to find a job if you're under 16, but 78 youths are working this summer for the Ecology Youth Corps.

"It's my first real job with real wages," said Shelton resident Sean Clement, 15. "I delivered papers when I was 12, but only ended up making about 20 cents an hour."

The Washington State Department of Ecology's Summer Youth Corps is a statewide program that provides work for youths ages 14 to 17 picking up litter along the road and in parks and other public places.

"It's more than just a job though; it's a youth employment program," said Ariona, the southwest regional coordinator of the corps, who legally has a single name. "The program has an environmental-education component, and the process which the applicants go through to apply for a position is an education in itself."

In the southwest region, which includes four other counties in addition to Mason, Thurston and Lewis, there were about 500 applicants for the 78 positions available. In addition to completing a written application, each candidate goes through three interviews; those who get the highest scores are chosen.

"Even if they're not chosen, for many of the applicants this is the first time they've gone through a job application process, and we try to make it a learning experience for them," Ariona said.

The youths are paid $7 an hour and work in crews of three to six with an adult supervisor.

This is Al Salvi's third year as a Youth Corps crew leader. "It's scary out there on the road for some of the kids; I have to soothe them a little bit," he said. "The vest and hard hat aren't this year's fashion statement, and it has to be made clear about the importance of safety."

Half of the youths will work during July, and the other half during August. During the four weeks of work, there are three half-day and one-full day environmental education sessions. "The education activities have to do with developing their awareness of the connection between individual consumer purchases and habits and the trash that results," Ariona said. "Waste reduction, recycling, composting, packaging choices; we cover all this."

"If I were just concerned about the amount of litter they picked up, I would not be an effective supervisor," Salvi said. "Many of them need to learn how you're supposed to act, working in a crew and setting a good example out in the public. For me, the most rewarding part is helping these kids learn how to behave in a workplace."

Why does Clement think he was selected?

"I was able to show about 200 hours of volunteer work from the past two years, about 60 percent of it having to do with recycling," he said. "I also knew about some emergency medical things -- heat stroke, allergic reactions -- and had some experience with safety."

Duggan Kinne is a correspondent for The Olympian.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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