Arkansas Human Development Corporation (AHDC) is pleased to announce the receipt of a $1,563,071.00 grant from the U.S. Forestry Department through its Urban & Community Forestry Program to implement a collaborative pilot program entitled Pathways to the Future. The grant will be monitored by USDA, Forest Service, Southern Region and the project will support workforce development activities in four counties in eastern Arkansas, including Lee, Monroe, Phillips and St. Francis. Establishment of a Workforce Advisory Board, implementation of a summer youth employment program, and providing workforce preparation services to youth are objectives of the grant. Encouraging Arkansans to consider forestry occupations and engage in urban forestry planning, planting and management is the overall goal of the initiative.
A consortium of training providers will implement the services under the initiative. AHDC is the recipient grantee and will take the lead on administration, final eligibility determination and program submission and the following collaborative organizations: East Arkansas Regional Youth Employment Initiative; FDC Holdings, Inc; Great Rivers Education Service Cooperative; and, Minorities in Conservation, Inc. will implement the local operations plan, including but not limited to outreach and recruitment, partner and employer recruitment, initial eligibility review, follow-up, establishment of various advisory groups, collection of data for programmatic reporting, issue resolution and coordination with the Arkansas Forestry Commission.
The program began in earnest in April 2024 and approximately 140 youth between the ages 16-18 and residing in one of the four counties referenced above have been determined eligible to participate in the summer youth employment component. We are grateful to the cities, counties, community-based organizations and forestry related employers who’ve agreed to provide training opportunities and oversight of the youth.
