Hopa Mountain announces training program and competitive grants for youth service

Hopa Mountain http://www.hopamountain.org announces training program and competitive grants for youth service program leaders

The Governor’s Office of Community Service and Hopa Mountain, a Bozeman-based nonprofit organization, announced today a training program and opportunity for competitive grants for youth program leaders through Youth Leaders in Service. This National Corporation for Community Service grant program is designed to train and support adult leaders of youth service as they engage rural and tribal youth, ages 11-17, living in Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota’s Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Reservations, in leading service activities that create healthier communities. Teams of youth program directors will have the opportunity to participate in a three-day training program January 20-22, 2012 and apply for grant support to implement their youth-led initiative throughout the spring and summer of 2012. The application deadline is December 12, 2011. The application is at http://www.hopamountain.org/YouthLeadershipInService.php.

Participating teams may also choose to apply to receive up to $7,500 in support to launch a service-learning afterschool program. Funds must be matched 1:1 in cash or in-kind support by grantee organizations. Rural and tribal youth program leaders working in communities with populations under 35,000 are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to participating organizations that serve a high percentage of children that are eligible for free and reduced lunch programs.

"We are so pleased that more teens will have an opportunity to implement service projects that contribute to rural and tribal community vitality through Youth Leaders in Service," said Jan Lombardi, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office for Community Service. The Corporation for National and Community Service and Hopa Mountain are partnering to engage young people in service-learning projects that simultaneously support student development and meet community needs in areas such as health and education. "Hopa Mountain is committed to engaging youth and their program leaders in service learning that supports civic engagement and social entrepreneurship," said Lombardi.

Hopa Mountain’s mission is to invest in rural and tribal citizen leaders, adults and youth, who are working to improve education, ecological health and economic development. "Through Youth Leaders in Service, rural and tribal youth will have the opportunity to design and implement innovative service projects in cooperation with local community partners," said Bonnie Sachatello-Sawyer, Executive Director of Hopa Mountain. Hopa Mountain will provide ongoing training and technical assistance to selected youth program leaders and teen citizen leaders throughout the Northern Rockies.

For more information about Youth Leaders in Service, please call (406) 586-2455 or email [email protected]. Two, hour-long conference calls will also be held on Thursday, November 17 at 11 a.m. and Wednesday, December 7 at 12 p.m. to provide more information about Youth Leaders in Service and how to apply. Interested participants can dial 1-866-200-5786 and enter conference ID 7759909# when prompted to participate.