Work With Tree Trust This Summer!

Tree Trust has many employment opportunities this summer. If you are interested in working outdoors on a landscape crew, Tree Trust may have the job you're looking for!

Summer Youth Employment Program

This program is for lowincome and at-risk youth ages 14-21 from Dakota, Washington and Hennepin Counties (not Minneapolis) and provides an opportunity for many young people to have their "first job." This is a 9-week, part-time (average 20 hours per week) program that pays $7.25 per hour and is perfect for youth who plan to return to school in the fall. Most jobs are outdoors with the Youth Conservation Corps and involve building environmental improvement projects like retaining walls and staircases, and doing landscape projects like  erosion control and trail maintenance. There are also limited individual placement opportunities in Dakota County with local businesses and other organizations for positions that include administrative, retail, customer service, and janitorial work.

Please note that this program does not serve youth from Minneapolis, Saint Paul or Ramsey County. If you live in Minneapolis you must apply through the STEP-UP program. We will not work in Saint Paul this year, but if you are seeking a job there, please see the Youth Job Corps website.

  

Applications are available on our website, and as in past years, program participants are chosen through a lottery system. The program is NOT first come, first served so  as long as you complete an application and submit it (online or by mail) by March 21 and meet the eligibility requirements for the program, your application will be considered. This is a popular program and we do not have enough positions for all youth who will apply, so there is no guarantee that you will get a job with Tree Trust.

Young Adult Conservation Corps

This program is for low income and at risk young people ages 18-21. It is an opportunity to gain real life work experience in a supportive setting. This program is more intensive than the Summer Youth Employment Program. It is 39 hours per week for 12 weeks on an entry-level crew. Successful participants have the opportunity to continue for another three months on the advanced crew, and following that for three more months as an intern. These promotions are merit-based and not all participants will continue beyond the entry-level stage.

There is a 3-month cohort that begins on March 11, and another that will begin in June. If you're not returning to school next fall, this program is a better fit for you than the Summer program since you have the opportunity to advance to the next level in the fall and continue your job with Tree Trust. If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, please view the learn more and fill out an application. Employment is not guaranteed.

Crew Leader for the Summer Youth Employment Program

If you enjoy working in the outdoors and have a passion for youth development, consider applying to be a crew leader with the Summer Youth Employment Program this year. You must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED and two years of work experience. Learn more about the requirements of the job here and apply if it looks like a good fit for you.

Let it snow...

YACC participant shoveling snow

Tree Trust's Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) spent much of the week shoveling snow from last weekend's snow storm. YACC participants provide snow removal for Hennepin County Libraries, Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, and foreclosed properties in the metro.

Over the past week YACC crews, along with other Tree Trust employment programs,  cleared snow from 205 properties and 9 staircases along the Midtown Greenway.

Yesterday advanced participants took a break from snow removal to attend the Economics for Success training, for which the curriculum is provided by partner Junior Achievement. Today entry-level participants will be in training on Construction Math and Measuring.

Young Adult Conservation Corps is recruiting!

Transform lives, transform landscapes, transform you! Tree Trust's Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) program is currently recruiting participants for its next 3-month session which starts on June 12, 2012. 

YACC is an employment training program that is based in landscaping and construction work. More specifically, YACC helps to improve the environment and the community by maintaining and developing greenspaces while helping  participants to build transferable job skills. We help you to reach future employment and educational goals while you earn a paycheck!

The work schedule is, Monday – Thurday (8am to 4pm) and Friday (8am to 3pm). Starting pay is $7.25 per hour with room for advancement.

To be eligible, you must:

• live in Hennepin County
• be low-income or at-risk (if there is any question as to what this means, please contact keithw@treetrust.org)
• be between the ages of 17 and 21
• be ready and able to pass a standard drug test
• have proper work ID (i.e. school ID or State Issued ID and either a Social Security Card or Birth Certificate, etc.)

Unfortunately, this summer we will not have funding for older youth (19-21) who are currently living in Minneapolis (keep us in mind in the future though, because sometimes we are able to support older Minneapolis youth!). We can work with Minneapolis youth ages 17 and 18. We are also accepting suburban Hennepin County residents ages 17-21.

If this position sounds like a fit for you, please fill out a YACC application and return it to Tree Trust at 2231 Edgewood Ave. S. St. Louis Park, MN 55426, fax it to 952-767-3650, or email keithw@treetrust.org. If you need help filling out the application, contact Keith at 952-767-3917 or keithw@treetrust.org.

The next available start date is fast approaching and we are excited to connect with enthusiastic applicants, so apply as soon as possible or share this with anyone you know who may be interested!

Additionally, if you would like more information about our program, see our website, email Keith, or contact Keith via Facebook. 

New Cohorts Starting for YB and YACC

Tree Trust's YouthBuild (YB) and Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) programs started new cohorts on Monday, March 5th. Young people will work hard on crews of five learning landscaping and basic construction skills in these two programs.

YouthBuild

YouthBuild crews attend school and work in alternating weeks. This provides them with an opportunity to work towards completion of their high school diploma while learning employment skills and earning a paycheck. They learn basic construction skills through rehabbing and rebuilding home and apartment buildings, primarily in North Minneapolis. Learn more about YouthBuild here.

Young Adult Conservation Corps

Participants of the Young Adult Conservation Corps program are not in school. They work a 39 hour week, four hours of which are spent in Tree Trust's classroom learning a variety of employment soft skills. Their work consists of basic construction on outdoor projects such as boardwalks, bridges, and retaining walls; property maintenance at foreclosed properties; planting and maintenance of trees; and invasive species removal. Learn more about YACC here.

New YACCers and YouthBuilders have gotten to know one another and Tree Trust program staff this week. Participants will be assigned to crews and crew leaders today. Young people in both programs will learn employment soft skills and hard skills while earning a paycheck. They will improve their employability, improve their skill set, build stronger connections with their peers and their community, and increase their confidence in their own abilities during their time at Tree Trust.

Tree Trust in North Minneapolis

On May 22nd, 2011, a tornado ripped through North Minneapolis taking two lives, injuring many, causing damage to homes and buildings, and tearing out trees. Since then, a variety of Tree Trust programs have worked in North Minneapolis to aid in tornado recovery. 

YouthBuild

In the immediate aftermath of the tornado, YouthBuild participants and staff members who lived in North Minneapolis were out in their community cleaning up debris and helping neighbors. These individuals live in North Minneapolis, and they also spend their days working there.

Our YouthBuild program rehabs and rebuilds homes and apartment buildings, primarily in North Minneapolis. This program typically only runs during the school year, but this summer, thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Helps - North Minneapolis Recovery Fund, YouthBuild was able to have a crew working in the tornado-affected area.

This program works with youth who are in school, but are at risk of not succeeding in education or employment. They learn construction skills and employment soft skills in their work rehabbing and rebuilding houses and apartment buildings. Since the tornado, participants have worked on tornado-damaged residences as well as rehabbed other buildings to increase the number of rentals available to those without housing as a result of the tornado.

North Minneapolis Reforest Project

Thousands of trees were lost in the tornado and our Community Forestry Department is doing its part to reforest North Minneapolis.

In the fall of 2011, thanks to a grant from State Farm Insurance, Tree Trust staff and volunteers distributed 202 trees to North Minneapolis residents to plant on private property. There were also five trees given to Nellie Stone Johnson Community School to plant on their grounds.

A number of North Minneapolis residents were unable to plant their own trees. We did not want that to stop them from participating in the program, so our Young Adult Conservation Corps, under the guidance of our Community Forestry Specialist, planted some trees for residents who could not plant them on their own.

Tree Trust has had a presence in North Minneapolis for many years. Our programs serve many disadvantaged youth and adults in that community and around the metro. Our Youth Conservation Corps, YouthBuild, and Young Adult Conservation Corps have completed many landscaping, construction, and home rehabbing projects in North Minneapolis. Community Forestry has brought our Learning with Trees program to a number schools in North Minneapolis neighborhoods over the years. Tornado recovery efforts are an extension of the services that Tree Trust already provides.

Young Adult Conservation Corps recruiting participants

Tree Trust’s Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) program is recruiting participants for its next session. The program is designed for low-income young adults, ages 18-21, and the upcoming session begins December 6th and lasts three months.

YACC crew building a boardwalk at Westwood Hills Nature Center

Participants are paid minimum wage to start. Their work consists of landscaping and construction work including parks improvement projects, year-round maintenance services along the Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority trail system, planting trees and shrubs, and mowing lawns and shoveling snow at foreclosed properties.

Additionally, there is an educational component to the program; participants spend four hours of their 39-hour work week in Tree Trust's classroom. They learn about topics such as: tool safety and operation, employment readiness (resumes, interview skills, etc.), and money management. They are also certified in First Aid and OSHA 10-hour safety.
 

You can find more information about the program here. If you have additional questions or need more information, please contact Keith Wyne at keithw@treetrust.org or 612-590-3655.

The start date is fast approaching and Tree Trust is excited to connect with enthusiastic applicants.