Et cetera : AmeriCorps NCCC Team Goes Beyond Their Mission to Help At Risk Youth

By: Casey Kearney

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) Team Cedar 6 is making good use of their time in Oxford, Michigan. The team is assigned to work at Crossroads for Youth, a non-profit organization that has programs designed to help at risk youth make positive strides in their lives and beat the odds that are stacked against them. The team spends half of their day doing maintenance work around the campus which would otherwise be left undone due to lack of manpower. The other half of their day Corps Members are divided in groups of two and work closely with the youth in various units.

They have made major improvements in the appearance and functionality of cabins used for summer camp. Their work includes tasks such as: sanding and varnishing new bunk beds, painting the walls and floors of cabins, taking down, repairing and painting shelves and installing new doors. Due to inclement weather and other complications the team has helped in a variety of other tasks. They were able to organize the basement of the Administration Building, where all files are kept, in just a matter of days. The staff showed their gratitude stating it had been in disarray for far too long. They also organized a clothes donation closet in their housing and made the garage sparkling clean. The interior of the campus buildings are not the only things that have benefited from the hard work AmeriCorps NCCC. When the weather allows the team loves to spend time outside cleaning up brush and fallen trees to make the beautiful land that Crossroads sits on usable to current residents, staff and future summer camp goers for various outdoor activities. Several Corps Members literally jumped in and got their feet wet while fixing up boat racks and building a rope fence to protect the beach area! They loved every second of it on a beautiful Michigan spring day.

Maintenance work is an enjoyable part of the day for the whole team, but it certainly does not beat getting to work with the youth. The Corps Members are really enjoying the connections they are making with the residents in their assigned units. They are divided up amongst The Girls center, Boys Center, Life Preparation Center and Achievement Center. The different teams plan activities for their groups every week. Their activities include various life skills, cooking lessons, recreation, adventure center initiatives, and arts and crafts. Planning has been a challenge at times, testing the Corps Members creativity and unique ways to engage youth who tend to shy away from participating in things foreign to them. Throughout their time at Crossroads for Youth the team has seen a change in their selective units attitudes towards them. The residents went from wary to welcoming, not to say they do not still like to purposely give AmeriCorps a hard time for their own entertainment every now and then. Kids will be kids! Everyday is a learning experience for everyone involved.

Cedar 6 also spent several weekends doing Independent Service Projects at a local K9 Rescue in Oxford, Michigan. It was a nice change of pace for the team. They did deep cleaning in all of the kennels. The project sponsor was thrilled with how quickly and efficiently the team worked. It was mentioned that it would have taken nearly two months for them to complete what the team finished in two weekends because they do not have nearly as much help as they need. The team also spent a lot of time walking the dogs, giving both the Corps Members and the dogs a chance to run around, play and just have a great time in the sun. The project proved to be therapeutic for the entire team and the animals.

Throughout their time in Oxford, Michigan AmeriCorps NCCC has been welcomed by the community. They have run into many friendly people eager to hear about AmeriCorps and all it has to offer. Cedar 6 has left their mark in this community and hope that their work at Crossroads for Youth has done as much for the organization as it has done for them.