filed under: diversity/ethics
Empowering the Next Generation of Trails Professionals through Shared Experiences
The purpose of this guide is to highlight the work of service and conservation Corps who develop and manage identity-based programs and crews, discuss the intention and purpose of these crews, why they are important, and how they have been transformational experiences for Corpsmembers and partners.
Affinity and Identity-Based Crews and Programs
Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to highlight the work of service and conservation Corps
who have experience managing affinity and identity-based programs and crews.
The following case studies will discuss partnership and project development with Corps,
agencies, and sponsoring entities, and discuss the intention and purpose of these crews,
why they are important, and how they have been transformational experiences for the Corpsmembers. It’s important to note that affinity crews receive the same training,
development, oversight, and management as other traditional crew-based models.
However, there are specific identity-based components that make the programming
experience unique for the community of young people the crew is meant to serve.
There’s no one way to define an affinity crew’s intention or purpose. Some Corps
may explore using affinity crews as a mechanism for outreaching and recruiting from
populations of individuals they’ve historically had difficulty connecting with, build
organizational cultural competency and inclusive practices, and use this crew model to
act upon their organizational values and social justice efforts. There are some Corps
who have made conscious efforts in outreaching to particular communities but don’t
consider their efforts to be affinity or identity-based in nature - although from an
outsider’s point of view they may fit that definition. The case studies and examples in
this guidebook intend to feature corps Affinity crews with varying intentions, purposes,
and goals and will not adopt one definition for what this type of program is and what its
purpose should be.
Published February 2023
Corps are locally-based organizations that engage young adults and post-9/11 veterans in service addressing recreation, conservation, disaster response, and community needs. Through a defined term of service, Corps participants – or “Corpsmembers” – gain work experience and develop in-demand skills.
Market Research: Equity of Access to Trails
This study has been conducted in response to the imperative offered by the JEDI Task Force.
Improving Accessibility on Public Lands
Recommendations from American Trails
This study was intended to assess current—and projected—employment levels across these sectors with a particular focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) oriented occupations that require “mid-level” education and skills. This education includes post-high school training but stops short of a bachelor’s degree,3 opening the door to a greater number of students who are not focused exclusively on four-year degrees. The study was also designed to identify employer demand for occupations within these four sectors.
