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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!

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What is your name and position 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?
What is a hobby or interest you’d like to share?
Anything else to share with our audience?

 

What is your name and position at AYW?

Courtney Reeves, CORE Service Coordinator

 

How long have you been working with AYW?

Feb 2026 will be my 10 year

 

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

I graduated from American YouthWorks in 2009, and AYW has been part of my life ever since. Over the past 10 years of working here, I’ve learned the true meaning of resilience, community, and support. My journey started as a homeless teenager searching for stability, and through AYW I found not only opportunity but also a family that believed in me. From Administrative Assistant, Recruitment and Outreach, to now serving as CORE Service Coordinator, I’ve seen firsthand how life-changing this organization can be — for me and for every young person who walks through our doors.
AYW changed my entire life by pointing me in the right direction, thanks to Miss Yvette, Miss Jessica, Mr Matt, and to Mister David, I am what I am today

 

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

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my kids. Who you will see often on campus! Traveling, spending time outdoors and reading.

 

Anything else to share with our audience?

AYW changed my life, and I’m proud to be part of giving that same opportunity to others. Every day, I see our members grow, succeed, and discover their own strength. It’s an honor to be a part of their journey, and I’m excited to see the impact AYW will continue to make for years to come.

 

Donate Today!

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What is your name and position 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?

 

What is your name and position at AYW?

Megan, AYW Placement Coordinator

 

How long have you been working with AYW?

I became our Individual Placements Coordinator in 2023. Before that I served three terms with Conservations crews: my first with TXCC in Austin in 2019, the second with Southwest Conservation Corps in Durango, Colorado, and the third one with TXCC again with the very first San Antonio Crew. It’s been quite the adventure these past 6 years!

 

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

It’s hard to answer this in just a few sentences! If I have to boil it down, I would say that my time at AYW has taught me about the incredibly vast world of conservation and “land management” (a term I had not heard before working here), and about the deep value of teamwork, especially in challenging situations and projects. I’ve also learned a lot about myself and what matters to me in my own professional development as well as the professional development of our AmeriCorps members.

 

How has AYW changed since you started as a Staff Member?

AYW has gone through a number of changes over time to meet the changing needs of our partner organizations, the interests of our members, and the ever-changing nature of the world we live in. AYW’s resilience and the passion we have for our members, and the members’ own resilience and ability to inspire us, always keeps us motivated to continue growing and improving!

 

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

I enjoy mountain biking and off-roading in my jeep! While there aren’t any mountains in central Texas, there are still hundreds of miles of dirt trails to explore across the state. While serving an AmeriCorps term with Southwest Conservation Corps in Colorado, I had the opportunity to rent a bike and ride it down a trail I had helped build, and to take my jeep to some really cool alpine locations in the San Juan mountains — all experiences I remember very fondly and hope to do again someday!

 

Donate Today!

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What is your name and connection to AYW?
How long have you been working with AYW?
As a participant, what has been your experience at AYW?
What is a hobby or interest you’d like to share?
Anything else to share with our audience?

 

What is your name and connection to AYW?

David López, Former Student, Forever Grateful Alumni

 

How long have you been working with AYW?

4 years

 

As a participant, what has been your experience at AYW?

AYW completely transformed my life by guiding me onto the right path. Thanks to the support and wisdom of Miss Yvette, Miss Jessica, Mr. Matt, and Mr. David, I have become the person I am today.

 

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

I like working with computers and helping others.

 

Anything else to share with our audience?

Because of the love, guidance, and values you instilled in me, I now have the honor of giving back as the founder of D.O.D. Radiología e Imágenes.

 

Donate Today!

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What is your name and position at AYW?
How long have you been working with AYW?
As a Staff Member, what have you learned 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 is your name and position at AYW?

Erick Nino, Houston Development Director

 

How long have you been working with AYW?

7 and a half years

 

As a Staff Member, what have you learned at AYW?

I say the positive aspects that I take from being at AYW are the successful stories of the members that we train, and also understanding the service that we give Clean and Green program members.

What I take as most important for AYW, is knowing that the members that we are training are succeeding in life. Every time I hear about their successful stories, including members from programs that I have coached, and hearing them thank the program as part of their success, because we are a whole unit, when I hear about their successful stories I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. All of our hard work and the nitty gritty details do something and make a difference for someone. I have members reach out to me asking for references when they apply to new jobs, and I know that they are remembering what they learned with me and taking it forward. And it is great to hear when they come back and say thank you and that they got the job.

When I got out of the military and got through college after the military, I was looking for an organization where I could implement the same values I already had. I wasn’t looking for AYW, but AYW popped on my radar by surprise after I finished college. I had moved recently to Texas and didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was looking into teaching, and American YouthWorks popped up. It said opportunities for Clean and Green as a crew supervisor. When I started reading the job description it reminded me a lot of the military. Leading crews for community service, reporting. I did some research on AYW and saw their crew models, and it reminded me of what I did in the military. It is an organization that helps transition veterans to active environmental service. They offered me this path of transitioning to civilian life. Going through college afer the military was a huge adjustment. What solidified that adjustment was American YouthWorks.

 

How has AYW changed since you started as a Staff Member?

I have to say it’s changed for the better. Let me be clear when I say changed for the better in Houston specifically. When it got started it was a young office with a lot of young staff including myself. We were started because of Hurricane Harvey, so there were a lot of new programs. The people who were starting them were very passionate about the programs we were starting. When I look back now, we look more professional now, we are now recognized as a good program in Houston, not just for the community but also for members. We are just more polished, we have a good presence in the community, they know us.
We started with a conservation crew, GulfCorps program, and Clean   Green. After Covid, we started HEAT and summer crews.
We’ve come a long way into solidifying our programs, working hard to solidify professional development for our members. We are delivering better opportunities so when our members leave, they are better equipped for the labor market.

 

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

I enjoy listening to music, especially analgue music on vinyl. I have a vinyl collection. I like actual physical media. I have a huge movie collection! I enjoy tangible things you can open, look at, and explore, with extra features, commentary from directors and actors.
I enjoy listening to music for countless hours, looking at the vinyl.
I’m passionate for cooking, getting the cookbooks and making a meal that would make Gordon Ramsey proud!

 

Anything else to share with our audience?

I’m proud of working with like-minded staff, coming to work and working with people who are passionate about the job they do. When I see all the work put in by the staff and crews, it makes me really proud of the team I work with. I feel like we are very passionate about the work we do. We care a lot. That’s something I’ve observed with the people I work with. We are passionate, we want to be good environmental stewards, caring for the environment. I feel like our job as staff is deeper than caring for the environment. I feel proud when we look at the new young generation, and proud that as we mold them, they are taking that. When they see the motivation of the staff, they are willing to buy into the program, and that’s why they want to come back. Staff make that positive member experience possible.

 

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