Participate in Give to the Max Day!

Give to the Max Day is on Thursday, November 15. Consider making a contribution to support Tree Trust's employment training, community forestry, and environmental education programs this year.

Give to the Max is a great way to see the impact that your gift can have when it's joined with the gifts made by thousands of other people on the same day. Learn more about Give to the Max Day and make a contribution to Tree Trust or another great nonprofit on November 15. 

Youth Voting Registration Event

In an effort to encourage young people to vote, Tree Trust is hosting a nonpartisan event to register youth ages 18-21 to vote. The event will take place at the Brookdale Library in the Brookdale Room on October 8 from 4:30 to 5:30 PM.

Youth will be assisted in determining if they are already registered or not, and they will learn where their polling place is so that they know where to go on Election Day.

There will also be a short presentation called “How Voting in the US Works…in Under Five Minutes” to help educate youth on the Electoral College. 

Pizza will be served to youth participants at the event, and the first 25 youth who register to vote will receive a gift card for Godfathers Pizza.

Summer Projects

Tree Trust's Summer Youth Employment Program is working in parks and recreation areas all over the metro. We have been out taking photos to document the progress of some of the projects. Have a look at some of the work that young people are doing in your neighborhood!

Father Hennepin Park 6.28.12

Father Hennepin Park 7.5.12

Crews at Father Hennepin Park in Minneapolis are building a tiered retaining wall along side a staircase that was build by Tree Trust crews last year.

Three Rivers French Park 6.20.12

Crews at Three Rivers French Park in Plymouth are doing a construction paver installation.

McMurray Fields 6.28.12

Crews at McMurray Fields in Saint Paul are building a retaining wall.

Midtown Greenway 6.28.12

Midtown Greenway 6.28.12

Crews along the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis are building a retaining wall along the bike path.

North Valley Park 6.29.12

Crews at North Valley Park in Inver Grove Heights are building a 33-step timber staircase at the disc golf course.

Schmidt Lake Park 6.20.12

Schmidt Lake Park 6.20.12

Crews at Schmidt Lake Park in Plymouth are building a retaining wall at a playground.

The Summer Youth Employment program has youth crews working all over the metro on the Youth Conservation Corps. Keep an eye out and perhaps you'll see some of their work up close! We will continue to document their projects over the course of the 9-week program. See more photos on our Facebook page.

Tree Trust needs host employers for youth

Are you interested in hosting a work experience for a Tree Trust participant? Tree Trust's Youth Development Services Program and our Summer Youth Employment Program provide services to young people ages 14-21 who are low-income or have varied needs. Program participants may be placed in internships in the community as part of a real world work experience.

Tree Trust partners with as many private businesses, nonprofits, schools, and governmental agencies as we can to provide a variety of employment experiences for our youth participants. We match up participants with employers based on the type of work the employer provides and the abilities and interests of the participant.

Some of the work that our participants have done includes childcare, adult care assistance, administrative, retail, janitorial, customer service, and others. Youth work up to 20 hours per week, depending on abilities. Participants earn minimum wage ($7.25/hour) to start, which is paid by Tree Trust, and may have opportunities for merit increases.

Tree Trust provides an orientation to each partner organization and trains host site supervisors. Participants complete an orientation to the program prior to being placed in a position. Host sites are given the opportunity to interview youth prior to accepting them in order to provide a real-world work experience and ensure a good fit. Youth and employers are supported throughout their placement by Tree Trust staff, and employers are expected to provide a supportive work environment for youth. 

If you are interested in hosting a work experience for a local youth, please contact Paula Van Avery at paulav@treetrust.org or 952-767-3883. Invest in our youth and our Twin Cities community by hosting a Tree Trust youth this year!

Winter Program Highlights

To an outsider, it appears that the slowest time of year at Tree Trust is the winter. Our Community Forestry department holds planting events in the spring and fall in order to work in ideal weather conditions for young trees, and our Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) works with participants in the summer since they are in school for the rest of the year. 

We may not have as many program participants and volunteers in the winter, but that does not mean that winter is slow for our staff. Those programs involve a lot of planning and evaluation throughout the rest of the year in order to improve them and provide participants and volunteers with the best possible experience.

Additionally, Tree Trust has many other programs that involve participants year-round. Highlights from some of those programs follow:

Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC)

• YACC's graduation ceremony was held on December 2nd; 13 young adults graduated from the program
• A new YACC cohort began on December 6th and will involve 16 young adults in on-the-job training in landscape and construction, as well as employment soft skills
• A new crew leader has also been hired, but has not yet begun work with Tree Trust

Youth Development Services (YDS)

• YDS has a new case manager; Sally Murphy started on November 14th
• Sally will be working with youth in Eden Prairie and Brooklyn Center High Schools to help youth with education, employment, and life skills

YouthBuild

• YouthBuild youth participants have been busy restoring and rehabbing homes and apartment buildings in North Minneapolis
• Participants are currently working to replace the roof of a home that was affected by the May 22nd tornado

All of our programs provide meaningful experiences for youth and adults, whether they are program participants or volunteers. No matter the season, there is never a dull day at Tree Trust. If you would like further information about any of our programs, please visit our website. For regular updates, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

State shutdown affects Tree Trust

Youth Conservation Corps
More than 600 youth were scheduled to start their summer jobs with Tree Trust’s Youth Conservation Corps program in June. These youth expected to participate in a nine-week program that would provide them with job skills, wages, and an opportunity to earn high school credits.

However, this plan was interrupted when an agreement on the Minnesota state budget was not reached.

Funding from the state and federal government accounts for approximately 85 percent of what is needed to operate the Youth Conservation Corps program. The lack of an approved state budget, subsequent funding agreements, and the shutdown of several state offices forced Tree Trust to make some difficult decisions.

We have gone to great lengths to minimize expenses and stretch available funding in order to provide a valuable summer work experience for as many youth as possible, and to ensure the completion of critical projects for our partners.

The state government shutdown has negatively impacted 500 of our youth participants who reside in the City of Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin, Dakota and Washington Counties. Here is how youth from specific areas have been affected:

• In Hennepin County, 317 youth began working before June 29, but most of their jobs were suspended by July 8. An additional 38 youth were scheduled to begin in June, but their jobs were delayed. If a state budget and adequate funding is not approved by July 27, these positions will not resume this summer. (84 of the Hennepin County youth who began working will continue through the summer, unaffected by the shutdown.)
•  In Dakota County, 23 youth began working the week of June 20, but were suspended on June 27. An additional 108 jobs were scheduled to begin June 27, but were delayed. A state budget and adequate funding must be reached by July 20 for Dakota County youth to participate this summer.
• In Washington County, 48 youth began working the week of June 27, but will be suspended on July 15. If a state budget and adequate funding is not approved by July 27, these youth will not resume working for the duration of the summer.
• In Minneapolis, 48 youth began working the week of June 20. If a state budget and adequate funding is not approved by July 15, these positions will be discontinued on July 29 for the remainder of the summer.
• At this time, the jobs for 32 St. Paul youth who began working in June have not been affected.

Tree Trust is hopeful the state budget will be resolved soon, and we are communicating with key partners, funders and officials to stay abreast of the situation. Affected youth and their parents have been notified, and we will contact them if a budget is approved and funding becomes available in time to resume programming.

Additional Tree Trust Programs
Like many nonprofits, the state shutdown has temporarily suspended the operation of some of our critical partners, and interrupted access to some government funds that have already been committed to our organization.

Tree Trust has been developing plans to minimize the impact on our operations if the state fails to reach a budget agreement in the coming months.

We remain committed to the individuals and communities we serve, and will continue to creatively and strategically guide the organization through this difficult time.

We could not make this commitment without the dedicated volunteers and donors who help to support our work. We ask that you continue to support Tree Trust in any way you can.

Tree Trust's 2010 results

In 2010, we directly served 4,816 people through our programs. 67% of those served were under age 18, 56% were female, and 64% of participants in our employment training and case management programs represent ethnic minorities.

This past year we engaged 432 citizens who volunteered 1,454 hours with our Community Forestry program. These volunteers distributed 1,453 reduced-cost trees to homeowners, and planted 464 trees and 402 shrubs throughout the Twin Cities. An additional 21 ,volunteers provided 99 hours of administrative assistance.

Our Learning with Trees program involved 2,119 students in the creation of outdoor classrooms on the grounds of three Twin Cities elementary schools.

Our Community Support Program matched 816 parents with employment experiences at 169 host sites throughout the metro. 97% of participants who earned wages while participating reported they gained positive work experience and would recommend the program to others.

466 youth received individualized case management services and support through our Youth Development Services program; of these youth, 143 were also placed in internships. 82% of participants who exited the program in 2010 reported they have more confidence in their ability to find and keep a job as a result of being in the program.

Our summer Youth Conservation Corps program employed 889 youth who worked more than 90,000 hours and earned more than $700,000. 94% of participants who responded to surveys reported learning important skills that will help in future jobs.

87 youth completed community improvement projects while participating in our Young Adult Conservation Corps paid job training program. 92% who responded to exit surveys said their future employment opportunities were expanded; 84% said we helped them reach their employment goals.

Our YouthBuild program provided 37 young adults with paid job training and academic enrichment while they rehabbed three Minneapolis homes that will be sold to low-income first-time homebuyers. 100% of exited participants completed OSHA-10 safety training; 94% earned a high school diploma or GED, or returned to school to earn a diploma or GED.

Despite the struggling economy, Landscape Services, our earned-income venture, increased revenue from private sources significantly in 2010, proving to be a sustainable source of income to help to support our programs.

Life after summer

We often refer to the summer as our busy time of year; and no doubt it is a busy time for Tree Trust. But for many Tree Trust programs, fall marks the time when we take a deep breath and get ready for what we’re about to take on during the school year.

Community Forestry
Community Forestry has always been a part of Tree Trust, and over the years we’ve given people easy ways to improve the local environment and become more enlightened about their own ability to make a (green) difference.

This fall the Community Forestry Manager, Karen, is busy facilitating our fall planting events (five this year!), working with three Learning with Trees schools, and gearing up for what we expect will be another busy spring community planting season. “It’s always nice to think about how many people we’ve educated and involved, and the difference it makes for everyone,” says Karen.