The first to lend a hand in saving a life or shaping one, the Association of Conservationist Employees (ACE) performs a public service unique among state governments anywhere.
The men and women of ACE train and supervise California’s youths who come to the California Conservation Corps (CCC) looking for a better path to start out on in life. ACE members train 18- to 25-year-olds who are seeking guidance and direction in their lives are given a chance at developing skills and building self-esteem in some of the most life-threatening and back-breaking ways possible.
The CCC has become one of the most important components in the state’s disaster response efforts. ACE members, and the young adults they supervise, assist in fire prevention and fire fighting, cleaning oil spills, flood prevention efforts, and joining in flood and earthquake relief efforts. When not pitching in with disasters, ACE members and their students also cut brush, thin forests, and reduce fuel loads. Some of the most satisfying work the CCC does is restore trails and bridges in state parks and make those scenic vistas accessible to the handicapped, as well.
The California Conservation Corps is the oldest conservation corps in the world.
For many, the CCC is considered a crown jewel of government and a model for other states to follow for its wise use of tax money to give at-risk kids a hand-up in life while using their labor to assist in the conservation of the state’s natural resources. ACE members blend academic and job skills training with personal growth opportunities in order to develop productive youths who can make substantial contributions as California workers and citizens.
ACE members are some of the most diverse civil servants, performing public service projects and emergency response while developing California’s youth.
