Submitted by BV-YAN coordinator, Tammy Gallamore
The Beaver Valley Youth Action Network (BV-YAN) has been active in supporting many youth-led activities that support leadership and skill development.
These activities include a Leadership Journey, which develops basic leadership skills for youth ages 12-18 and a Youth Employment Readiness Workshop offered through virtual workshops last spring.
Most recently, the BV-YAN and the Village of Fruitvale collaborated on developing and offering a beginner work program. The Village of Fruitvale Downtown Beautification Initiative consists of four volunteer youth and one paid summer student gardener working to enhance the appearance of the village.
Youth were required to use their newly developed skills to submit a resume to apply for the position, interview for the position, track work hours, and submit time sheets.
Youth are also required to work independently and as a team further developing valuable life and work skills.
The youth have been working diligently improving the landscape at the RV Park, providing upkeep for the community gardens, and improving the appearance of Main Street boulevards and tree wells.
Continuing throughout the summer, the youth will proceed to paint the kiosk, bus stop and other community enhancements.
A special thank you to Atco Wood Products for supporting our youth and community with a donation of materials to help the Village of Fruitvale look beautiful, the Blooming Society for helping to coordinate the work and Liberty Foods for sponsoring the youth to help maintain their property.
BV-YAN would like to graciously acknowledge Fruitvale Public Works staff for assisting us with our clean up initiative.
Anyone seeing our youth in action participating in this initiative, please let them know what a great job they are doing.
The Beaver Valley Youth Action Network is funded by Columbia Basin Trust’s Basin Youth Network which helps communities increase local activities and opportunities for youth, enabling them to learn skills like leadership and engage more with each other and their communities.
Learn more at ourtrust.org/youthnetwork.
