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“Before I got to AYW, I had just gotten out of jail. Before that, I was on some hard drugs, and homeless and bouncing around from place to place. My mindset wasn’t great and I honestly didn’t think school or anything else was going to work out for me.

My mom told me about this new GED program starting in Taylor and I wasn’t really into it at first. I had already tried three other schools, and none of them worked out. But after going to orientation, something felt different. It made me feel like I could actually do it. And I’m so glad I gave it a shot.

The only real challenge I had in the program was myself. But YouthBuild gave me a lot of confidence and helped me feel like I actually wanted to learn. I also met people outside of the crowd I was used to and that really helped me grow.

While I was in the program, I got my GED, Manufacturing Certificate, OSHA 10, and CPR certified. I even visited four different colleges. What made it really special was doing it with a group of people who also didn’t come from perfect situations. We all lifted each other up and made it through together.

Honestly, every part of YouthBuild was an adventure. Even when it felt slow or tough, I was still moving forward one step at a time. I’m super grateful for AYW and everything they helped me do. I wouldn’t have gotten here without them.

Right now, I’m working at Sonic and about to move into my first house, not just an apartment, a house! I was going to start college but decided to pause for now, and that’s okay. I’m still making moves. My whole family’s doing well and I’m excited to keep building my own future.

My goals now are to get stable housing, stay on top of my bills, and keep saving. YouthBuild helped me believe I could do that and more.” – Jonah

 

YouthBuild

 

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“Before joining AYW-YB, I was struggling to find work in Los Angeles. I had spent over seven months applying to jobs with no luck. I decided to turn my focus towards the trades and had been interested in AmeriCorps for a while.

What drew me to AYW-YB was the mission. Building affordable housing really resonated with me and during my interview, the people I met seemed really great. Moving to Austin and becoming part of the program felt like the right next step.

The financial challenges were real, the stipend was small, but the support I received made all the difference. YouthBuild helped me gain confidence in the trades. The training was hands-on, my supervisors were incredibly encouraging, and I had the chance to explore opportunities outside of AYW.

During my time in the program, I became a crew leader and completed a pre-apprentice electrical training program, earning my apprentice license. I worked on impactful projects like repairing the security shed at Wild Basin, building a fence for AYW Child Inc, helping complete a home at 1611 W 10th Street, and working with Habitat for Humanity in San Marcos.

I walked away with certifications in OSHA, NCCER, Solar Installation, and Pre-Apprentice Electrical Training, plus valuable skills in solar panel installation and home framing.

The highlight for me was the people, working alongside a great team and learning how to build a house from the ground up. YouthBuild gave me the tools, confidence, and connections to take the next step in my career.” – Jamila

 

YouthBuild

 

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Native, Non-native, and Invasive Plants

Native plant species have developed over thousands of years in specific ecosystems.
Non-native plant species are introduced into new ecosystems, and are generally considered harmless. They may find its own niche or share a niche with a native species and exist there harmoniously.
Invasive plants are non-native species that outcompete the native plants and harm biodiversity. They thrive in the places they are introduced to, overtaking the ecosystem and destroying any sense of balance it once had.

How do plant species migrate?

They can migrate both knowingly and unknowingly.

Knowingly — Non-native species that are considered ornamental or thought to be potentially helpful to an ecosystem may be purposely introduced somewhere, much like Louisiana’s invasive Chinese Tallow trees.

Unknowingly — Seeds and spores on clothing from hikes, larvae in boat crevices, and even animal feces allow for species introduction and migration.

The Problem of the Chinese Tallow Tree

The Chinese Tallow Tree is one of the most harmful invasive plant species we deal with, disrupting the balanced habitat of our Louisiana wetlands.

• Acidifies the soil, lowering the pH making it difficult for native plants to survive
• Blocks sunlight to the understory, reducing photosynthesis of native plants and outcompeting food sources for migratory birds and insects
• Reduces the habitat’s ability to absorb stormwater, increasing flooding and storm damage
• Withstands the ecosystem’s necessary prescribed burns, further displacing native plants
• Grows very quickly — from seedling to 6 feet tall in a year — and almost year round in our climate
• Creats a lot of seeds that birds and many other animals — like squirrels, raccoons, and possums — eat and spread
• Has no natural predators in Louisiana, like insects, mammals, and diseases

What We’re Doing & the Louisiana Iris

At the Northlake Nature Center, we remove adult Chinese Tallow Trees from the bog, opening up the floor of the forest to more sunlight and allowing for more nutrients and growth for native species — including the Louisiana Iris.

Irises are native to Louisiana wetlands — like swamps, marshes, and bayous — and support biodiversity during the spring migratory season. They tend to bloom in clumps in a field all at the same time and attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and small insect pollinators. Birds traveling from Mexico and South America to northern locations will rest here for shelter and food. These migratory rest stops and the food available are essential for migratory birds to make it to their final location.

The Grand Isle is also along this migratory path, and another great location for these irises. Partnering with The Nature Conservancy, we’ve transplanted irises from the Grouletta trail to other locations on the Grand Isle.

Are Chinese Tallow Trees all that bad?

No! There are many benefits to the Chinese Tallow Tree in its native environment in East Asia, where it’s been cultivated for many centuries. The problem, like with any species, happens when it’s introduced to a new ecosystem and reduces biodiversity.

Who We Are

The Louisiana Conservation Corps program of American YouthWorks prepares young people, ages 16-35, for careers in environmental conservation and disaster response.

Through paid training, participants impact our country’s urban and rural communities, from local green spaces to National Parks, by completing projects in habitat restoration, disaster response, wildfire mitigation, and conservation and forestry. Serving outdoors together, participants find a sense of adventure, purpose, leadership, community and belonging.

 

Conservation Corps Program

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“I first heard about the WTCW while serving as an AmeriCorps member in the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps in 2023. City of Austin project partners, including Sarah Campbell and Kirsten Schneider, had organized a tree climbing day for our professional development and mentioned WTCW as another avenue for growing in this field. The encouragement I received from folks at the urban forestry department and the gratifying feeling after I rung my first bell up in the canopy was incredible. There was no going back.

I continued my work in various Conservation Corps across the country with the goal of becoming an ISA certified arborist and landed back in Austin as a crew leader for the Texas Conservation Corps program’s Conservation and Disaster Response crew last year. Finally, this past winter, I applied to attend WTCW in Wimberley, Texas and was granted a full scholarship! The experience was life-changing in the best way possible and I am beyond grateful.

Our brilliant instructors, Bear, Roxy, Sydney, and Kate, created an atmosphere of empowerment, safety, and cohesion set in the heart of the Hill Country along the Blanco River. There I met a group of 15 extraordinarily impressive women who came from all over, with all different experience levels, and learned that we were capable of climbing a centuries old live oak tree together. Regardless of whether one wishes to pursue a career in arboriculture, I believe it is worthwhile to attend WTCW and to experience the strength and pure joy of solidarity amongst like-minded women. I will take their motto with me wherever I go: know what you know, know what you don’t know, and have the courage to say so!”
 

 

Conservation Corps Program

 

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“Sun comes up in a whiskey color. The morning has a chilly wind and I struggle with the burner on the camp stove. It’s 7:07 AM and the only thing I need in the entire world is a cup of black coffee. If I was home in Austin I would have just walked to any of the many coffee shops in my neighborhood, but on hitch we are deprived of those modern luxuries so I settle for instant coffee. Each sip tastes like acid as I watch my fellow crew members trickle out of their tents and pour their own cups. Together we prepare for the work day as the morning sun rises higher and heats distant hills with a pink glow. We’re at Enchanted Rock SNA, in the heart of the Texas hill country. In early 2025 Texas Parks and Wildlife purchased over 3,000 acres of the surrounding land, tripling the park in size. Our project for this hitch is to create a trail connecting the main trail system to part of the new property. This trail will act as a gateway to previously unobtainable lands, so there is much anticipation for us to finish and open the trail to the public.

We’re in the van by 8 AM and it’s off to the worksite. We drive through a gate and down a deeply rutted dirt road; I hold myself tight in my seat lest I crack my skull on the window. By 8:30 we’re digging, crafting new trail. Cutting tread is a very technical process. You have to cut into the ground and create a path that’s flat enough to walk on but sloped just enough to allow water to flow off and down the hill, otherwise you’re just making a convenient channel for water to erode the trail. And that’s to say nothing of the obstacles you’ll have to route around, such as boulders and stinging insect nests. And cactus. Seas of cactus. Prickly pear. Pencil cactus. Horse crippler. Everything I own is now penetrated by cactus needles.

We work all day in the shadow of the Enchanted Rock. The bald dome rises above the whole landscape like a crashed moon stuck in the earth, surrounded by boulder canyons and hoodoo pillars like fingers clutching the sky. E-Rock has been a fixture of legends for centuries. The Tonkawa spoke of the rock breathing and groaning at night, affixing it with some spiritual significance and there are many tales of human sacrifice and battles raged at the base of the dome. Looking at the landscape it’s easy to see why it became a place of spiritual significance. It stands out in the prairie like a monolith, imposing as it is beautiful. Today the park is flocked with visitors from all around, with potentially hundreds of people ascending the rock each day. The trail TAT is building could end up being one of the most trafficked trails in the region, being an important new piece of an iconic public land.

The work day lasts about 9 hours. That’s 9 hours of swinging tools in the late summer heat, all while sweat runs down your temple and the sun cooks you alive. After a few good hours my muscles are sore and dirt is clinging to my skin like a film, but I keep swinging on. We work in true wild areas, surrounded by live oak and rocky prairie. It’s here where I spend hours analyzing the tread, trying to create a true work of art with the dirt and rocks. The soil here is loose and tough to work with, so I have to put extra attention into what I’m doing. I work away the hours crouching as my back groans and sweat permeates my hard hat. At the end of the day we get to admire how much longer our trail has grown thanks to our labor. Before long we’ll finish and have a complete piece of work to call our own. Until then it’s work, work, work.

The day ends and we head back to camp. I stumble out of the van and into a folding chair to decompress. At camp we have a view of “Little Dome,” another dome formed from the same geology as the main rock. The sky is a deep blue and white puffy clouds are billowing in the sky. For a moment it’s quiet and I feel a cool breeze on my skin as I watch Caracaras fly above the mesquite trees. Soon I’m whipping up curry on the camp stove, cooking as fast as possible to satiate the burning hunger I’ve worked up. The sun goes down in a honey color as we eat and laugh about the day. As night falls the stars begin to light up one by one until the sky is dotted with thousands of pieces of cosmic jewelry. After dinner we sit for hours playing cards under the moonlight. In between losing games I look up to admire the sky, studying the white smidge of the milky way and catching occasional shooting stars that spark across the night.

One after another the crew lumbers off to sleep, leaving me alone to sit and write. The night is alive with an orchestra of crickets and the distant howl of coyotes. We’re 4 days into the hitch, with another 6 to go. Tomorrow will be another early morning, another bumpy van ride, another long day of work. Before I take off to my tent I look to the sky one more time, staring deep into the cosmos. For a moment I stand there, thinking how lucky I am for an experience like TXCC.”

 

Conservation Corps Program

 

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“Thank you for this opportunity; otherwise, I’d have a rake or shovel in the penitentiary. Please keep this program running for people like me!” -F.M.

 

“The Clean & Green Project is a rewarding experience with good structure and purpose. The leaders are kind and clearly instructive. By cleaning the roads, we make the city look great again, and with a full team, the time goes by fast. I support the Clean & Green Program.” – Anonymous

 

“Enjoyed it! So captivating and inspiring! Great leaders!” – Anonymous

 

“Today was an eye-opener for me to see all the trash and pollution that gathers. I hope we come together for the planet to make it easier on our planet.” – Anonymous

 

“The supervisors made this experience so fun! Never thought I’d say that about community service! They kept a positive attitude and encouraged everyone throughout the entire time! I’d consider coming back on my own!” – Anonymous

 

“Great experience, would do it again in my free time.” – Anonymous

 

“Proof you can learn something anywhere and anytime. By cleaning the environment, it will help you be a better person.” – Anonymous

 

“I was upset to have to do community service, but I learned a lot about the city and how waste is destroying our city. Our crew leader made my experience fun and educational.” – T.J.

 

 

Clean & Green Program

 

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“Before joining YouthBuild, I attended Austin High School. I moved out on my own at 16, after a very troubled childhood and dropped out. I began working at a restaurant to support myself. After a while, I realized that I needed to return to school and enrolled at Garza, an alternative high school in Austin. Although the teachers and staff there were supportive, I struggled to stay on track academically and eventually stopped attending.

After a coupld of years of going back and forth between work and trying to finish school, I found American YouthWorks (AYW) and enrolled. I joined the Casa Verde Builders green construction program, earned my diploma, and received several certifications while gaining real-world experience. Most importantly, I found a community that believed in me and provided the encouragement I needed to succeed. For the first time, I felt seen, supported, and capable of building a better future.

After graduating from the program in 2009, I was a grad CVB member and then began working with AYW as an administrative assistant. I was in that role for almost a year before funing cuts led to layoffs, and I found myself unsure of what was next. During that time, I experienced homelessness and spent several years traveling the country by hitchhiking and riding freight trains. When I became pregnant, I decided to return to Texas to rebuild my life and raise my son.

Once I returned to Austin, I reconnected with AYW to see if there were opportunities to get back on track. I completed a WERC internship program, which provided job training and support, and before long, I was offered a temporary staff position that grew into a full-time role. Today, I’ve been a proud AYW staff member for nearly a decade.

YouthBuild truly changed the course of my life. It gave me the tools, confidence, and sense of belonging I needed when I had nowhere else to turn. Now, as someone who has grown within this organization and built a life I’m proud of, I’m committed to giving back and helping our members find their own success.

For me, YouthBuild will always be home — the place that believed in me before I belived in myself.”

 

YouthBuild Program

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What roles and positions have you had at AYW?
How long have you been working with AYW?
As a Staff Member, what have you learned or what has been your experience at AYW?
How has AYW changed since you started as a staff member?
What is a hobby or interest you’d like to share?
Anything else to share with our audience?

 

What roles and positions have you had at AYW?

I started as a Crew Leader, then a staff position, in our Conservation Corps program working in the field in a position that is now held by AmeriCorps members. This was when the whole program was built around two 15 passenger vans. I eventually became the Lead Crew Leader, where I led my fellow Crew Leaders as well as my crew. I then moved into the program coordinator position, then program director. It was wanted of me to be involved in the exec team, and for 15 years now, I’ve been the CEO.

 

How long have you been working with AYW?

I just had my 30th anniversary on December 11th!

 

As a Staff Member, what have you learned or what has been your experience at AYW?

I’ve learned a ton about how many approaches can work. You may think you have the best idea, but it’s amazing how other people, with other abilities and experiences can be just as or more right. This is a continuous lesson for me — many approaches can work.

 

How has AYW changed since you started as a staff member?

We went from a very small organization to a much larger one — we’ve grown tremendously! And I think we’ve become much more advanced in the requirements to deliver youth development and even the project work has become much more complex. We moved from only being grant funded to having a revenue-generating, project-based funding model. We’ve diversified funding streams and the complexities of generating agreements with many different types of entities — from government agencies to other nonprofits and foundations. It’s a much more complex effort to do the cool work we do. The compliance and scrutiny that comes along with government and foundation funding requires us to be much more incredibly purposeful in the way we manage the programs and meet criteria.

What’s stayed the same, though, is the heart around giving young people opportunities to gain new perspectives, to see their own value, and do hard things and have a good time doing them.

 

What is a hobby or interest you’d like to share?

I play the drums and have long studied traditional folkloric dance and music practices.

 

Anything else to share with our audience?

Gratitude for the incredible relationships and experiences that this work has afforded me, from getting to connect with so many people that care about young people and care about their communities, to getting to work with and build relationships with all the organizations, from local to national agencies, people who care about the outdoors and affordable housing and all the community issues we care about as well. Opportunities to connect on a personal and professional level. AYW really is a vessel for doing good in the universe. Really grateful for it.

 

Donate Today!

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What roles and positions have you had at AYW?
How long have you been working with AYW?
As a Staff Member, what have you learned or what has been your experience at AYW?
How has AYW changed since you started as a staff member?
What is a hobby or interest you’d like to share?
Anything else to share with our audience?

 

What roles and positions have you had at AYW?

I started at AYW back in 2008 as a Conservation Corps participant, serving a 1,700-hour term. I really enjoyed that experience, and after finishing my term I was asked to stay on as a crew supervisor for a summer crew working with students from the charter school at the time. That led to me completing an additional 200–400 hours.

Not long after, my site supervisor became the principal of the charter school and brought me on to help on the education side of things. From there, I moved into managing the Computer Corps program for a few years. I played a big role in combining the Computer Corps and CVB programs, which eventually became YouthBuild Austin.

Around 2015, I helped start AYW’s in-house Print Shop and managed full-time AmeriCorps members who were supporting classrooms. In 2018, I started managing staff, and in 2020 I helped open the Pearson Review Center. In 2025, I stepped into the role of YouthBuild Program Director. Now, I’m back with the Conservation Corps program as the Austin Operating Site Director.

 

How long have you been working with AYW?

I’ve been with AYW for about 17 years now — 16 of those as a staff member.

 

As a Staff Member, what have you learned or what has been your experience at AYW?

It’s funny to say this, but Austin — and AYW — have been home longer than anywhere else in my life. A big part of that comes from being able to move between different programs over the years. I’ve learned how to work with people, how to manage teams, and how important patience really is.

Especially through YouthBuild, I’ve seen that people genuinely want to change their lives — they just need support and opportunity. Our role is to help create those opportunities. Everyone comes in with something to offer, and we all learn from each other along the way.

 

How has AYW changed since you started as a staff member?

One thing I’ve always focused on is helping AYW feel more professional as it’s grown. Early on, it felt very much like a small, early-stage nonprofit. Over time, we’ve become a much more structured and confident organization, with strong funding, community support, and clear systems in place.

We’re better at advocating for what we need, especially when it comes to partner cost share, and we’re intentional about working with partners who complement our strengths. Moving away from being a charter school really helped us focus on what we do best — workforce development — while bringing in partners like the on-site Goodwill Excel Center to focus on education.

 

What is a hobby or interest you’d like to share?

In my free time, I am a printmaker. I create and sell linoleum block-print art, and this year I’ll have done about 17 events.

 

Anything else to share with our audience?

We’re always looking for ways to grow and create more opportunities for participants. AYW really is a life-changing experience — it gives people a chance to see something different, build skills, and grow alongside others who are on a similar path.

 

Donate Today!

 
It was so exciting to have Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes present a City of Austin Proclamation officially declaring the day American YouthWorks Day. We were also thrilled to have Bank of America VP Carla Molina announce our Neighborhood Builders grant award, and to hear Former Constable George Morales share reflections on AYW’s impact in local communities. These moments of recognition of AYW’s commitment to education and career training programs preparing young people for meaningful futures made our celebration even more powerful.

We were also honored to recognize several remarkable individuals whose leadership and dedication have shaped AYW across decades. Susan Antone received an award for her exceptional fundraising support and unwavering commitment to the young people we serve. Margarine G. Beaman was celebrated for her longtime service on the Board and her dedication to guiding AYW through pivotal moments in our history. And in a deeply meaningful moment, Richard and Beki Halpin were presented with the Visionary Founders Award in recognition of their leadership, passion, and the legacy of opportunity they sparked 50 years ago. Their contributions continue to inspire the work we do every day.

We are especially grateful to all of the dedicated AYW staff members who contributed so much to the production, run of show, sharing program information, and celebratory spirit of the day – their work made this event shine! Our hearts are warm from celebrating in community, and we feel energized and encouraged as we look ahead to the next 50 years. Thank you for being part of this historical moment and for helping us continue building brighter futures together!

 

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