Rocky Mountain Youth Corps
Founded in 1995, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC) provides paid community service opportunities to youth in central and northern New Mexico ages 17 to 25. Corpsmembers receive life-skills training, professional certifications, and academic scholarship while working on a variety of conservation and prevention programs. RMYC provides the resources they need to find a pathway to a healthy and productive life.
Since inception, we have engaged over 3,000 Members with 1,577,350 hours of service, $4 million in education scholarships, and $13 million in take home pay.
Historically, young women have faced barriers in conservation. Women hold a mere 38% of positions in environmental sciences. The inception of the "Fems & Thems'' Crew within the LGBTQ+ framework at RMYC empowers cisgender women and LGBTQ+ individuals to actively embrace conservation careers. This experience can be both life-changing and life SAVING. This forward-thinking endeavor constructs a nurturing environment for growth, while also enriching the diversity within the RMYC Conservation model.
With Envision Fund support through the Santa Fe Community Foundation, the program has:
- Updated orientation materials to include expanded gender & pronoun options
- Expanded training related to LGBTQIA+ topics
- Partnered with the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico to deliver Trans 101 & 202 educational classes for corpsmembers & staff
- Provided Gender Variance training breaking down gender, identity, expression & pronouns that fall outside of culturally defined norms
- Partnered with Communities Against Violence providing Violence Prevention & JEDI training
- Updated RMYC Harassment Prevention training to include language related to various forms of harassment related to LGBTQIA+ workers
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The Santa Fe Community Foundation invited local nonprofits to submit stories related to our June topic of LGBTQ+ Pride
MathAmigos
Since 2017, MathAmigos has helped students struggling with math with their love for education and a belief in the power of innovative teams. It was founded after a conference at the Santa Fe Community Foundation by a retired Cal Tech mathematician from the IBM Watson Research Center with a love for Cuisenaire rods, a math and computer science teacher retiring after 21 years at Santa Fe Prep, and a retired physician and medical educator experienced in curriculum.
Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project
Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project is a nonprofit organization focused on education and protection of the cultural landscape of the northern Rio Grande Valley. Working with youth is a core initiative of the project.
Teatro Paraguas
Since 2004, Teatro Paraguas has presented close to 100 contemporary Latinx plays and plays by New Mexico playwrights, as well as poetry readings, flamenco concerts, children's theatre, workshops and community events such as our annual El Día de los Muertos celebration.
