ALBUQUERQUE — In a significant step towards empowering Indigenous youth and addressing the climate crisis, the Indian Youth Service Corps (IYSC), a groundbreaking National Youth Service Corps initiative, was officially launched. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, alongside Tribal leaders, community partners, and young Indigenous individuals, announced the program and unveiled its guidelines, marking a new era of conservation and youth development. The IYSC is designed as a partnership-driven program that offers invaluable education, employment, and training opportunities to Indigenous youth through hands-on conservation projects. These projects will be implemented across public lands, Indian lands, and Hawaiian homelands, equipping young people with skills for well-paying jobs while contributing to crucial environmental conservation efforts.
Building upon the successful foundation laid by the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps over the past decade, the IYSC program is specifically tailored to provide Native Americans and Alaska Natives with pathways to engage in the conservation and preservation of vital natural and cultural resources. Participants will be directly involved in projects encompassing construction, restoration, and rehabilitation of natural, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, and scenic resources. This comprehensive approach ensures that participants gain practical work experience, essential basic and life skills, formal education, targeted training, and supportive mentorship throughout their involvement.
“Indigenous people hold a deep and enduring connection to the Earth. By expanding their access to nature from an early age and consistently, we can cultivate the next generation of dedicated stewards for our planet,” emphasized Secretary Haaland. “Beyond executing essential conservation projects that will revitalize landscapes and ecosystems on both Tribal and public lands, the Indian Youth Service Corps places a significant emphasis on vocational skills training, fostering economic empowerment, and facilitating meaningful career development opportunities for Indigenous youth.”
The formal authorization for the IYSC program was established in 2019 through the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. Further solidifying its framework, the John S. McCain III 21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act amended and broadened the Public Lands Corps Act to officially establish the IYSC, demonstrating bipartisan support for this critical initiative.
National Park Foundation Invests in the Future of Conservation
Reinforcing the importance and potential impact of the IYSC, the National Park Foundation (NPF) announced a significant new commitment to fund $1 million in IYSC projects. This pledge builds upon the NPF’s ongoing dedication to supporting Tribal youth service corps projects nationwide. Currently, the NPF is actively funding over ten projects spanning from Maine to New Mexico. These initiatives are engaging Tribal youth in a diverse array of conservation and preservation activities, delivering invaluable skills development, personal and professional mentoring, and crucial career preparation. Moreover, these projects play a vital role in safeguarding Indigenous cultural practices, languages, and traditional ecological knowledge, which are essential for effective land management strategies.
“The profound imprint of Tribal history and culture is unmistakably present across our national park landscapes,” stated National Park Foundation President and CEO Will Shafroth. “By supporting the Indian Youth Service Corps, we are actively engaging and connecting Tribal youth to the crucial care and preservation of sacred places throughout the nation’s public lands.”
In a virtual roundtable discussion, Secretary Haaland and Shafroth were joined by Tribal leaders, community partners, and several current and former Indigenous members of the Conservation Legacy Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps and Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. These participants shared their personal experiences in conservation, highlighting the transformative impact of such programs.
Program Guidelines and Project Activities
The newly released IYSC guidelines provide a comprehensive framework for the participation of Tribal and partner organizations in the program. Key objectives of the IYSC include fostering a deeper awareness of Indigenous culture and history, and diligently conserving and protecting Indigenous landscapes, stories, and shared experiences for both current and future generations. These guidelines were meticulously developed in close consultation with Indian Tribes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other relevant stakeholders. They empower the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce to effectively implement this vital new national youth service corps program.
IYSC projects encompass a wide spectrum of activities, including critical research projects, the preservation of oral histories, comprehensive habitat surveys, climate change mitigation efforts, essential trail restoration, invasive species removal, fire fuels reduction, watershed restoration, recreational expansion initiatives, and the development of educational, informational, and communication materials for public engagement.
These diverse projects are strategically designed to promote Indian self-determination and stimulate economic development within Tribal communities. Projects can be implemented on Tribal lands or on federal lands that hold ancestral connections for Tribes. Crucially, all projects undertaken on Indian lands will be designed and managed collaboratively, ensuring thorough consultation with the relevant Tribal government prior to the commencement of any project.
The Department of the Interior underscores its unwavering commitment to strengthening Tribal sovereignty and governance, diligently fulfilling the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities, and engaging in robust and meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations. This year, the Department is allocating significant funding to support the IYSC, including $2 million to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, $700,000 to the National Park Service, and $600,000 to the Bureau of Reclamation, demonstrating a substantial investment in the program’s initial success and long-term sustainability as a vital national youth service corps.
