Submitted by Earth Corps
As an AmeriCorps grantee, Seattle-based environmental nonprofit EarthCorps is proud to align with AmeriCorps' equity initiatives by leading a movement that
reduces barriers to program entry and celebrates our Corps Members. AmeriCorps, a federal agency for community service, has a rich history of improving lives, strengthening communities, and fostering civic engagement through service and volunteering - and, for the last 30 years, AmeriCorps members have tirelessly contributed to an ecosystem that has empowered communities across the country.
Environmental nonprofit EarthCorps is an AmeriCorps grantee that welcomes young environmentalists from across the United States to Seattle for a hands-on training program. Colloquially known as Corps Members, participants learn technical skills in restoration by developing and supporting long-term sustainability plans throughout the region. EarthCorps' Corps Members are tomorrow's leaders, change makers, and environmentalists, but historically, inequities have created additional obstacles for low-income BIPOC youth.
In January of 2022, EarthCorps welcomed Evlyn Andrade, a new executive director who recognized two challenges - first, low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation; and second, low-income youth and youth of color face more barriers to environmental pathways and careers. That year, Andrade launched a three-year strategic plan that centered equity and environmental justice at the forefront of EarthCorps' mission and work. With that shift, EarthCorps committed to serving frontline communities and ensuring equitable opportunities for all youth invested in tackling the climate crises.
That same year, AmeriCorps released its four-year strategic plan. Recognizing that "race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity of members and volunteers [does not represent] the demographic diversity of those we serve" (1), AmeriCorps established a plan to "reduce barriers to recruiting members and volunteers with a greater understanding of the communities being served" by "increasing the member living allowance" (1).
As a long-term partner and grantee, EarthCorps is proud to align with AmeriCorps' initiatives - to celebrate and recognize each Corps Member's impact and to actualize a more equitable model. In past years, members had provided feedback that the low living stipends created
An equitable world where all people and nature thrive together.
This article was originally published on the EarthCorps blog. Read the entire post here.
Learn more: EARTHCORPS.ORG
