Several months ago, it was announced that a new AmeriCorps program would be implemented in Camden with intentions of preparing young residents for 21^st century environmental positions, in addition to teaching them skills and proficiencies to be utilized in educational and professional capacities. The program, PowerCorps Camden, recently began the labor component of the initiative, which encompasses various water quality and storm water management related tasks.

The three-year initiative provides 60 jobs per year to youth living in the City of Camden. The first cohort of PowerCorps currently has a total of 28 crew members, fulfilling a six-month term of full-time services. Working at a multitude of sites across the city, members will address complex environmental issues through green infrastructure projects.

The PowerCorps are presently in a provisional period in which job skills are identified for each member. Once the period is completed, exact job roles and specifications are given to members to be upheld throughout the duration of their term. By identifying particular skills, PowerCorps will then be able to maximize efficiency in which all members will initially be in positions for which they show a certain level of talent and comfortability, while also acquiring new skills as the process continues.

Aside from conducting services, members also receive training in a number of areas that are critical to personal achievement. The program incorporates biweekly 8-hour sessions in which members are taught the fundamentals of financial literacy, home buying, time management, career building, and other necessities. In conjunction with the training sessions, members were given a pre-service survey that will later be compared with a post-service survey in order to measure self-growth and various measures of performance among each individual participating in the program.

Upon completion of their service terms, corps members will also receive three months of intensive transition support that will enable them to continue to develop. The support services will greatly benefit the members in ways that include securing career-track employment with partnering organizations, attaining educational awards that will assist those interested in enrolling in post-secondary education, and referring members to programs that will allow them to continue involvement in national service. The transition support extends to great lengths in helping alumni create avenues of success, even helping them to complete school applications and FAFSA, as well as conducting job searches and filling out applications that accompany the employment opportunities.

PowerCorps Camden is actually modeled after PowerCorpsPHL, a program of which was launched in Philadelphia in 2013. With annual goals of planting 1,000 trees, restoring 1,000 acres of public land, and educating 6,000 residents in watershed prevention, PowerCorpsPHL has used environmental stewardship as a means of instilling great values among its youth. Since the program’s inauguration, 90% of alumni have gone on to secure employment with PowerCorps-affiliated organizations, prolong their commitment to national service projects, and enroll in post-secondary education institutions. Recognizing the positive impact that PowerCorpsPHL has brought to the city of Philadelphia, PowerCorps Camden has collaborated with the Philadelphia-based program in efforts to streamline procedures vital to the efficacy of the initiative.

Because its neighboring city has experienced substantial levels of success, Camden has high anticipation for its own program. Separately of performance measures and statistics, general expectations include providing youth with skills that will prove to be advantageous as they move on to other opportunities, forming bonds integral to the creation of a sustainable support system, and engaging the community in efforts to increase residents’ knowledge of green initiatives and ways that they can assist in beautifying the City of Camden.

If the attitudes of the members are any indication of what to expect from the program, the PowerCorps Camden initiative is sure to be a welcome addition among the numerous programs implemented for the advancement of the community. During the recruitment process, all applicants were asked why they were interested in becoming a PowerCorp, to which many of the current members spoke about the desire to transform their lives, while also giving back to the city. Their genuine interest in setting higher standards for themselves, and the community as a whole, will go a long way in addressing pressing environmental challenges, in addition to aligning with Camden’s existing youth violence prevention and workforce development efforts.

It is expected that the program will generate an even higher level of interest when the next round of recruitment rolls around. PowerCorps administration will cater to this increased popularity by promoting the initiative in an assortment of ways that includes formal presentations, social media outreach, both paper and online applications, interest forms, and informative flyers sent to their coalition of partners of which includes the Mayor’s Office, Center for Family Services, Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, the Department of Public Works, American Waters, and Parks and Recreation among other local organizations. The citywide momentum continues as PowerCorps Camden serves as a collaborative effort that could have a significant impact on the City of Camden by enhancing the community through environmental innovations and the provision of opportunities to young leaders interested in creating positive change.

--Submitted by Alexander Darling