Our History
Today’s Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps program started in the mid-1990s under the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Modeled after the federally funded Youth Conservation Corps program that was present in Hawaii between the 1970s and 1980’s, this newer version provided ten to twelve summer internship positions each summer until 1999.
Since 2001 the HYCC has been managed and developed by Pono Pacific, LLC for the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources and the various other program funding partners. Currently the program has summer and year-round internships for young adults between the ages of 15 to 30 years of age. There are programs on most of the major Hawaiian Islands. Currently, the program assists over 100 aspiring youth annually by providing programs which train, equip, and mobilize them to make a positive difference for Hawaii and beyond. Each year, young adults involved in HYCC programs provide over 54,800 service hours to their communities which equals to about one million dollars of service work!
Young adults from all over the state are given the opportunity to not only learn about conservation, but actively participate in helping to make Hawaii better. In addition, they gain life skills which will prepare them for the future.
The program is growing and is actively working to better develop its curriculum and provide more spaces for youth who desire to be involved. What can you do to make a difference? Get involved! Click here to find out more information about our programs and to see which program fits you the best!