Introduction of the Youth Corps Act of 2011

Floor Speech

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Youth Corps Act of 2011 to help increase opportunities for youth in Hawaii and nationwide.

In the worst recession since the Great Depression, 2010 marked the highest unemployment rate for youth ages 16-24 since the Labor Department began tracking the figure in World War II. Nearly 1 in 5 youth were unemployed in 2010.

Youth Corps can help. Modeled after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps, today's Corps Network includes 143 programs in 44 states and the District of Columbia. Youth Corps programs have helped 600,000 youth gain critical education, civic engagement, and job training skills.

A shining example of a Youth Corps leader is my constituent Mari Takemoto-Chock, who is one of six 2011 Corps Member of the Year. Mai grew up on Hawaii Island and thrived at excellent public schools. Once she attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa, she became aware of the daunting opportunity gap between young people of different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.

Last spring and summer, Mari served as a UH Fellow in my Washington office, where she was one of the most effective employees I have ever had. Wanting to do more on-the-ground service, Mari became an AmeriCorps VISTA intern for Kupu, the Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps. There she helped develop and implement Kupu's new Urban Corps program.

In 2011, Kupu itself is honored with a Project of the Year award. Kupu in Hawaiian means ``to sprout, grow, germinate, or increase'' and like the Kupukupu fern that grows after a lava flow, Kupu brings life back to the people, the land, and the ocean. Kupu used Recovery Act funding to create a Recovery Youth Conservation Corps. The program provided education and job training to 45 underserved young adults; produced nearly 83,000 service hours, and yielded nearly $1.5 million in community improvement projects.

Unfortunately, Youth Corps programs today must cobble together funding from a wide variety of sources, and they operate with tremendous uncertainty. The Youth Corps Act of 2011 would provide more stability for Youth Corps affiliates and the youth they serve by authorizing a new program through the Workforce Investment Act, WIA.

I thank Congressman Andrews for his continued leadership on this bill and urge my colleagues to support this effort.

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