Youth Conservation Corps in Minneapolis

Minneapolis STEP-UP workers join Tree Trust's Youth Conservation Corps to earn money while creating positive, lasting changes in their lives and in their communities.

In this video, the job trainees talk about what they've learned during a summer of hard work.

Learn more about the Youth Conservation Corps.

Celebrating Young Adult Conservation Corps Graduates

"I don't even know how to plant a tree," said Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein to a group of Tree Trust Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) graduates. "These are going to be skills you guys are using for the rest of your life."

On Friday, August 14, Tree Trust celebrated the graduation of 10 YACC participants with a ceremony and picnic at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis. Hennepin County Commissioners Mark Stenglein and Peter McLaughlin as well as Tree Trust staff showed their support for the graduates' accomplishments and enjoyed lunch compliments of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers.

Economic stimulus package benefits Twin Cities' lives and landscapes

To find Tree Trust at work in your community, just step out of the house. Take a walk in the park to see a crew of eight youth constructing a much-needed staircase. Visit your local library to see one of our job trainees stocking shelves. Take a ride in Minneapolis to see a crew building a house for a low-income family.

In 2009, we're employing and training over 1,400 young workers to make positive, lasting changes in their lives and in their communities. Compare that to the just over 800 participants we were able to serve in 2008. Not only are more young people receiving paychecks and learning how to be good workers, but also our parks and public spaces are getting safer, more accessible and more beautiful thanks to the impressive projects our job trainees complete.

We've been able to nearly double our impact thanks to new funding we received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.