Youth Program Enhanced Preservation Efforts at Local National Parks
August 30, 2012, Press ReleaseJOHNSTOWN, PA, August 30, 2012—This summer, nine local youth from Cambria County participated in a collaborative work experience program with the National Park Service and the Pennsylvania CareerLink Cambria County’s Youth Services operated by Goodwill of the Southern Alleghenies.
The Youth Services department provides employment and training services to youth ages 16 through 21. The services are federally funded by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) through the Southern Alleghenies Workforce Investment Board (SAWIB). Participation is based on specific eligibility and suitability guidelines, and subject to availability. Participants are matched to businesses and organizations in the community, where they learn work ethics and new job skills while completing a temporary paid work experience.
The youth worked at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood National Memorial, conducting trail management activities, painting, installing safety handrails, and other recurring maintenance projects. In addition to work experience, the Goodwill crew received an education on the history of the parks and their contributions to the local communities. Over the summer, the youth went on special interpretive tours and made visits to Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Friendship Hill National Historic Site, and Flight 93 National Memorial For more information on Goodwill’s Youth Services, please contact Ann Torledsky, Vice-President of Workforce Development at (814) 536-3536, ext. 230 or atorled@goodwilljohnstown.org. To learn more about Goodwill, visit www.gogoodwill.org.
Youth at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Farmington, PA. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.
Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (GICV), Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1962 to empower individuals and families with employment barriers to achieve their fullest potential in the community through work services. Headquartered in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, GICV serves individuals with disabilities and disadvantages, dislocated workers, youth, and other job seekers throughout south central Pennsylvania in the counties of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset and a portion of Westmoreland by providing education and career services as well as job placement and postemployment supports. GICV is a community-based member organization of Goodwill Industries International, a 179-member network in the U.S., Canada, and 13 other countries. Learn more at www.gicv.org.