at the last minute....

Greetings Friends!

Crew Leader David marks the loop trail at Port Warren

This past week was full of contrast. From starting the week with the weather in the mid-30’s, to a warm windy Friday in the 70’s - we had the whole ‘in like a lamb, out like a lion’ thing.

Our grant will provide opportunities to improve the gateways into Phillipsburg.

It was a hectic week too - what seemed disjointed and chaotic actually represented a lot of work that we accomplished. We finished up and submitted a grant application, made a quick trip to another Youth Corps program to help them out, started planning for our gardens, starting winding up our project at Delaware River Park, plotted out a course for a new trail along the Morris Canal property at Port Warren and this morning we will be welcoming our new ‘nuc’ - (a nucleus hive) - of bees as we begin again in our beekeeping project. See? that’s a pretty good week!

I suppose it’s just that sometimes when we are trudging away at our goals, it’s good to take a look around at the landscape and see the progress we are making. It might seem incremental at best, but when you’re head down and driving, you have to take the time occasionally to see the progress you’ve made. Sometimes, that perspective is the fuel you need to get back at it, and be more determined to get things done.

Today we take a moment to wish our dear friend Happy Birthday! Carolyn Wallace is the matriarch of the Youth Corps movement here in New Jersey - she is a fierce advocate for opportunity youth, a mother (and grandmother) figure to the Newark community and all across New Jersey. Suffice it to say, the world is a better place because she is in it. Happy 86th, Ms. Carolyn!!

Next week will find us out on the trails, hitting the books, and welcoming more new Corpsmembers to the NJYC family. Here’s to getting things done! Have a great weekend!

More next week-

Michael

"Walking with Purpose" in the #CorpsNewEra.

Greetings Everyone!

An exciting week this past week at NJYC of Phillipsburg! We began a new cohort and the energy at the YC building is infectious (I know, terrible choice of words). Being back as close to “normal” as we have been in the past year is invigorating, and the timing could not be more serendipitous to our program or our partners.

We celebrated three of our Graduates last week: Kai W., Matthew M., and Gavin W.. Obtaining your High School Equivalency isn’t something that is easy - especially during a pandemic. With testing centers all around us closed, NJYC of Phillipsburg staff got creative and created a space for CM’s to utilize the HiSET at-home version of the test, and in no time at all - these three young men were able to pass the needed sections to obtain their diploma. Join us in congratulating them!

Work wrapped up in Walters Park at the pavilion. Phillipsburg Parks & Recreation asked us to help them remove the fixed concrete and wood benches and tables under the pavilion here in Walters Park to make way for improvements to a newer paved surface and new picnic tables. Crews have worked on and off over the past month, trudging through the snow to get to the job site, and we finished on schedule. Tough work, but satisfying to get completed!

NJYC of Phillipsburg staff attended The Corps Network’s National Conference this past week. Traditionally held in Washington DC in February- this year’s event was all virtual. TCN did an amazing job to bring the energy, enthusiasm, and excitement that the in-person conference provides! With speeches from the Corpsmembers of the Year, to learning best practices from some of the most dynamic Corps Programs all across America, to hearing from the White House on new initiatives to develop a Civilian Climate Corps - it’s safe to say we all came away feeling energized and focused.

The Closing Session of the Conference was titled ‘Walking With Purpose’ a presentation by Paul Schmitz, CEO at Leading Inside Out, LLC. Paul is a member of The Corps Network Board of Directors and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Corps Movement. In his presentation, which talked about mindful leadership he spoke on the difference between asset-based language and deficit-based language, how if affects our community building and problem-solving, and how self-knowledge in your leadership style can be one of the biggest assets you can bring to the table. He says ‘if we are confident about what we bring and humble about what we don’t - that’s the magic of leadership - that’s the sweet spot.” These words will sit with me for a while (along with everything else he spoke about) - but don’t take my word for it, you can listen to his presentation here, it’s fantastic.

Today, we’ll induct another eleven CM’s into the NJYC of Phillipsburg Family. They’ll begin taking the first few steps toward obtaining their education, serving their community, and developing a path to their future in the #CorpsNewEra. Lets wish them well, and remind them to ‘Walk with Purpose’.

More next week - until then, stay safe - be well!

Michael

Recent Presentation to ICL

Greetings Everyone!

This past week, temperatures warmed up, giving us some hope for the coming spring. Soon, we’ll be getting back to the soil, planting seeds and flowers and trees. While the pandemic has thrown our routines into havoc, the recurring rhythms of nature are a comforting constant.

Earlier last week, NJYC was invited by the Institute of Conservation Leadership to present to invited partners at their Winter Gathering. We chose to share how we have adapted to change over the past year by building on our public/private partnerships in performing ecological restoration work within the Delaware River Watershed Initiative, focusing on the Highlands Cluster Group.

Working with NJ Audubon, NJYC of Phillipsburg has become their on-call labor force to implement projects on the ground, and it has provided incredible opportunity to improve the landscape while changing the world-views of our Corpsmembers. All accomplished with significant support from William Penn Foundation. View our presentation to the partners, and let us know your thoughts.

Here’s looking to Spring!

Michael J. Muckle, Director

new website launch!

Greetings! We’re proud to launch our new and improved website - we’ve scoured the pages of all our fellow Corps programs nationwide and tried to emulate them as best we could to have an engaging, impactful and informative website.

Some of the new improvements are related to content - but we’ve also made our program more accessible by formatting it to be a smooth experience across platforms and devices. We’ve added an online application, an Alumni page, and included testimonials from Corpsmembers about their experience with us. It is our hope that by including these improvements, we’ll be able to develop a stronger online community and culture of inclusivity. In addition to our social media platforms, we’ll also use this forum to keep you updated on our activities, student successes, service projects, and more. We hope you’ll find it informative and useful.

As you peruse the site, please feel free to offer feedback and suggestions on what you’d like to see. We’ll do what we can to incorporate your ideas!

that’s all for now-

Michael M, Director