Youth Corps One Year Anniversary

The public is invited to join elected officials, civic leaders, Youth Corps members and their families to attend one, two or all three celebrations in October to mark the accomplishments made during the first year of the Youth Corps program in Santa Barbara County.

All three events will each be held from 11:00 a.m. to Noon on the following dates and locations:

• Wednesday, October 6, at the Santa Barbara County Youth Corps’ Headquarters in Santa Maria at Preisker Park, 330 Hidden Pines Way.

• Thursday, October 7, at the Youth Corps’ Headquarters in Lompoc, next to the Old Lompoc Theater at the intersection of H Street and Ocean Avenue.

• Thursday, October 14, at the Archway of the County’s Historic Courthouse, adjacent to the Sunken Garden, 1100 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara County’s Youth Corps program began about one year ago in a two-year partnership between the Workforce Investment Board of Santa Barbara County, and the non-profit Community Action Commission. The primary goal of the CAC’s Youth Corps program is to offer young men and women ages 14 to 21 an opportunity to earn a paycheck by serving their community and providing them with life skills training, education and real world work experience.

The Youth Corps program has three crews with training and experience in green construction, trail building, habitat conservation, green landscaping and many other important job skills. Currently, about 80 young people are in the Santa Barbara County Youth Corps program.

The Workforce Investment Board, is dedicated to serving the workforce needs of businesses, adults, laid-off workers and youth throughout Santa Barbara County. The WIB is a public/private partnership created by the Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and is staffed by the County of Santa Barbara.

Job seekers and employers can take advantage of free services at two Workforce Resource Centers (“One-Stops”) to help find work or new employees. Programs include employment services for job seekers, the latest labor market information and regional workforce research for businesses, as well as training that specialize in helping people gain the skills and confidence necessary to find and obtain a job. The One-Stop Shops are at 1410 S. Broadway in Santa Maria, (805) 614-1550, and 130 E. Ortega Street in Santa Barbara, (805) 568-1296. Information is available online.

The Community Action Commission, 5638 Hollister Ave., Goleta, CA 93117, is a non-profit social service agency serving Santa Barbara County since 1967, providing a variety of services to approximately 10,000 low-income individuals and families throughout the County. For more information, go online or call (805) 964-8857.