Boys and Men, Personal Reflections, Politics, Tough Kids Cool Counseling

Please Support Trapper Creek Job Corps and the Other Job Corps Designated as Civilian Conservation Corps

16 Comments

Hi All.

I’m asking for help. All of the Job Corps designated as Civilian Conservation Corps are slated to be cut.

Below, I’m pasting information about Trapper Creek Job Corps. I’m also providing a link to a form letter with talking points, as well as an Excel sheet with contact info for various Senate Offices.

Thanks in advance for your help. Job Corps was started as part of LBJ’s war on poverty. It’s a program that gives youth and young adults ages 16-24 a chance to learn a trade and become a taxpayer who contributes to our country in positive ways.

I hope you will spread this message far and wide!

Here’s the letter:

Dear Friend of Job Corps.

This is not a drill. This is 911.

The media is out there; Secretary Acosta (Department of Labor) and Secretary Purdue (USDA) have made the agreement to eliminate the USDA’s role in the Job Corps Program. This means that Trapper Creek (as well as the other 24 Forest Service Centers, or CCCs) will be transferred to DOL, and Trapper Creek will be more or less eliminated as we know it. Our students will no longer be served by this program. Our communities will no longer be served by the extensive support of our amazing students. Our 55 hard working staff at Trapper Creek (and over 1,200 Nation-wide) who have dedicated their professional lives to helping disadvantaged youth will lose their jobs. It is clear this is an assault on our youth, our communities and our people.

My understanding is as such: the decision is to eliminate operations of the CCCs by September 30, 2019. This is not an arbitrary date: it is the last day of the fiscal year. Should this movement take place successfully, the contingent will have won; Trapper and the CCCs are over and done for. We lose our jobs and the thousands of young people served by the CCCs ever year will be without services. However, Congress was just notified today of this decision and, frankly, are not happy. The Forest Service Job Corps program has always had huge support from both sides of Congress; Democrats believe in the humanitarian component while Republicans believe in the fiscal responsibility of training young adults in poverty to learn the hard skills to get a living wage job and the soft skills to stay employed.

WHAT I NEED YOU TO DO: below are two documents.  The spreadsheet attached has contact information for Congressional folks in your states. Please make as many contacts as you can to them as well as to local political folks; mayors, city council, etc. We need as many calls and emails as possible from as many folks as possible. Democrats are already putting things in writing; Republicans are on board but all together too quiet. These folks need to hear of your displeasure of this decision.

Also attached is a form letter (5.23.19 CCC Agency Letter), talking points if you will, to use when visiting with these folks.

Please forward this message to all parties you know that care about our youth, our communities, our staff and the program at large. Facebook is a great tool to move information as well.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: do not use government time, equipment or material to move this information. You are welcome to use Facebook if you do not identify yourself as a Federal Employee.

The Talking Points letter is here: 5.23.19 CCC Agency Form Letter with Talking Points

The Excel spreadsheet with contact info is here: Copy of CCC Contact Sheet

 

 

 

16 thoughts on “Please Support Trapper Creek Job Corps and the Other Job Corps Designated as Civilian Conservation Corps”

  1. I went to trapper creek to change my life in which it did made become a better person it’s not every day u get this opportunity to change the people of trapper creek job corps would make u a. Better person but simply being there for u so why would u want to take this away something that helps folks to get back on there own two feet

    Reply

    2. My husband made a complete turn around in his life because of his CCC camp experience. Their belief in his ability turned him from an almost failing student to one of the top in his class. He went on to become a very successful teacher. Sally Oja

      Reply

      1. Thanks Sally. That’s a great story. Please feel free to share it with the DC folks at one or more of the addresses below! jason_thielman@daines.senate.gov
        darin_thacker@daines.senate.gov
        corey_sellers@daines.senate.gov
        meghan_thacker@daines.senate.gov
        liz_dellwo@daines.senate.gov
        kellin_clark@tester.senate.gov
        pam_haxby-cote@tester.senate.gov
        dylan_laslovich@tester.senate.gov
        justin_folsom@tester.senate.gov
        henry_ring@tester.senate.gov
        kellin_clark@tester.senate.gov

  3. This program has changed young people in so many aspects of their lives. Getting the need to succeed and developed as an individual or the whole center’s. I would be disappointed if you choose to shut the program down. Trapper Creek Job Corps has taught me with tremendously. It would be great to keep this center due to Forestry and so on.. To keep this briefly please keep this program up in running.

    Reply

  4. This is crazy. So many hundreds of people went to Trapper (and many other FSJC centers) and did a 180 on life, and now people want it shut down to make themselves look better? That’s ludicrous. Definitely calling people once I’m off of work.

    Reply

  5. Trapper creek has helped me shape my future truly, not only do I have endless forest service fire job offers. I have a background and career from the facilities maintenance program through trapper creek, and because of this program I make more than 2x minimum wage in my area, have my own home and can support my family. Due to the knowledge, training, and support I have received from this program I turned my life around 150%. I feel as though it is unfair to the future young adults who didn’t have the opportunity to be able to have this chance. If it wasn’t for trapper creek I wouldn’t be where I am today.

    Reply

    1. Hi Mariah. I love what you wrote here. If you feel like it, please copy and paste it and send it to some or all of the DC email addresses below. Your story is a great one. Thanks! jason_thielman@daines.senate.gov
      darin_thacker@daines.senate.gov
      corey_sellers@daines.senate.gov
      meghan_thacker@daines.senate.gov
      liz_dellwo@daines.senate.gov
      kellin_clark@tester.senate.gov
      pam_haxby-cote@tester.senate.gov
      dylan_laslovich@tester.senate.gov
      justin_folsom@tester.senate.gov
      henry_ring@tester.senate.gov
      kellin_clark@tester.senate.gov

      Reply
  6. Pingback: NYMHM for 26 May 2019

  7. Leave Job Corp alone we have paid the start for them and they are helping young people and communities. We will just have to pay for start up for another program in the future

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s