Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Youth Corps is now accepting applications for summer jobs from residents ages 14-17 and from adults for team leader positions. Boulder County is especially in need of female corps members and leaders.

The deadline to submit youth applications is Friday, March 25. Other positions are open until filled.

The Youth Corps will hire up to 165 teenagers to work 30 hours per week, Monday through Thursday, from June 13 to Aug. 3 on a variety of community service projects. Team leaders will be employed from May 31 to Aug. 5 to work up to 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Projects include activities such as forest thinning, trail building, fence construction, historic restoration and landscaping. Youth Corps teams work in unincorporated Boulder County as well as in Lafayette, Longmont and Superior.

Applications are available online at www.BoulderCounty.org/YouthCorps. Applications can also be picked up at counseling offices in Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley schools; city and town personnel offices; most local recreation and youth centers and libraries; and the county human resources department at 2025 14th St. in Boulder.

This year, corps members will earn a starting wage of $7.36 per hour, with the possibility of earning a $100 bonus at the end of the program based on merit and strong attendance. Teens who have worked for the corps in past years can earn up to $7.86 per hour. In addition, corps members are eligible for reimbursement for the purchase of work boots and gloves. RTD bus passes for the purpose of traveling to and from centralized work meeting places may be subsidized.

Team leaders must be high school graduates and at least 21 years old with two years or more of college coursework. Assistant team leaders must be high school graduates and at least 18 years old, among other qualifications. A list of full qualifications is available online at www.BoulderCounty.org/YouthCorps. Team leaders start at $13 per hour and Assistant team leaders at $11 per hour.

The Youth Corps offers one of the best first-job opportunities available in Boulder County. Teams have completed projects such as building the new Benjamin Loop Trail at Betasso Preserve and building picnic table pads on open space. Other projects have included historic restoration of buildings, construction and repair of fencing, trail maintenance, removal of Russian olive trees and noxious weeds, replacing light bulbs with compact fluorescents, landscaping and forest thinning projects.

For more information, visit www.BoulderCounty.org/YouthCorps or contact Youth Corps program manager Judy Wolfe at jwolfe@bouldercounty.org or 303-678-6104.

-BoulderCounty