History
In the spring of 1994, several individuals from the community came together to address the need for summer employment opportunities for youth in the Lubbock area. During those meetings, the need to create a program to help young people who could not find summer jobs and also needed to develop employment skills, discipline, and self-confidence became evident. Youth Corps was founded to fulfill this need and to serve other important purposes. These purposes include:- Teaching leadership skills
- Developing a sense of community by having youth participate in community projects
- Increasing self-confidence and self-esteem
Youth Corps
has tracked its results since the inception of the program and these results have been rewarding. To date, over 800 students have graduated from Youth Corps and continue to impact their siblings, their peers, their schools, and their communities. Of the youth who returned a survey and are Youth Corps graduates, 100% stated that they would recommend Youth Corps to other students, 96% said the program helped them with self-discipline, 89% learned the importance of leadership and team work, 72% improved their self-esteem and 85% improved their time management skills. 96% felt their chance in “succeeding in life” had improved through the Youth Corps training, and 98% felt that the community service projects “were beneficial for me and for the community.” 98% of the cadets felt the regimented discipline and physical demands of Youth Corps were extremely beneficial in instilling confidence, self-reliance, and a sense of great accomplishment. As one cadet responded: “If it had not been tough, I guarantee you, I wouldn’t have learned anything.”The program, while maintaining its original mission of providing employment opportunities, outgrew this narrow definition as it began attracting high achieving youth who needed the “polish” and structure to compete in today’s workplace. Subsequently, it was recognized by the Texas Attorney General as an outstanding youth program for all young adults – inclusive of all economic, social, and racial backgrounds. It is truly a microcosm of the society in which we live.
Youth Corps
(formerly 4th Corps) was originally a two-week camp only and was under the 501 (c) 3 umbrella of Broadway Festivals, Inc.; today it is a four-part year-long program under its own 501 (c) 3 designation as Youth Corps, Inc. The original founders of the program in 1994, David Langston, Bill Sowder, and Judge Mackey Hancock, are still members of the new corporation.In the thirteen years of the program, Youth Corps has continued to grow both in numbers of participants and in programs. In 1995 a new element was added to the program. Graduates from the previous year were asked to serve as Team Leaders to the new cadets. This concept worked exceptionally well as the Team Leaders served as mentors to the new cadets. The Team Leader element has continued every year since. In January 2000, Youth Corps was expanded to a year-long program by adding a Community Outreach program, which begins immediately after the camp graduation in July and proceeds through May of the following year. During the Community Outreach program Cadets meet one Saturday a month for employment workshops and community service projects. Also in 2000, Youth Corps committed to assisting the cadets in securing temporary employment from the end of camp until the beginning of school. In 2001, tutoring and parental elements were added to the program. New in 2002 Youth Corps cadets began to serve as the Color Guard for all the Texas Tech University men’s basketball games and continue to do so today. In 1994 the program involved about 30 cadets, while in 2007 Youth Corps graduated 73 cadets. Each year our Board and staff reevaluate the program we have in place and update it with current information.
Youth Corps Philosophy
Why the Program Works
Many young adult programs don’t work. Why is this one different and, more importantly, why does it work?
Youth Corps is designed for all youth, those from two-parent, middle-class families, as well as from low-income and/or single parent households. It includes all races, all economic groups, males and females, and, most importantly, successful youth who possess leadership skills, as well as, youth with significant problems.
And it is precisely because of this diversity that this unique camp is so successful. Youth Corps creates an atmosphere where youth from all segments of the community, reflecting the composition of our society as a whole, work together and become a unified team. This team, with no “labeling” as an “at-risk” program and where success oriented youth are carefully and deliberately integrated with less successful youth, provides peer role models within the team itself.
The 50 to 70 cadets are then divided into smaller groups called “squads”. In this small group setting (10-12 cadets per squad), the unique camaraderie that develops among the team members raises the expectations for “at risk” youth within the team, without drawing attention to the objective. The name itself “Leaders in Training” instills pride in these young people! The difficulty of the military styled camp becomes the common “adversary” for individual squads and further solidifies the unity of each team. Through this teamwork approach, the individual cadet then develops self-confidence, responsibility, self-discipline, and, of course, teamwork skills, all in the framework of real-life employment and leadership instruction and experience.
In addition to peer role models, each team has the added benefit of adult role models through the exemplary military staff that is utilized each year. This staff has the opportunity to share individually with every member of his/her squad. A true bond develops between each staff member and his/her cadets.
Youth Corps is an unusual concept, but one that has been carefully constructed and has proven successful year after year. Its impact on young lives is both remarkable and lasting.
At the conclusion of the two-week camp, the Community Outreach, lasting from July through May, allows Youth Corps to maintain contact with the camp graduates and allows the cadets to further utilize their employment, leadership and life skills in a supervised environment.