Mobilizing Young People to Help Communities Recover from Disaster: A Case Study of CALCC Programs after the LA Wildfires

<p dir="ltr">How are service corps programs supporting communities as they respond to and recover from disaster? This paper provides insights into who is working in such service corps programs, what are their motivations for serving, and how they hope to contribute to creating more resilient communities post-disaster. The study integrates data collected from members of three different California-based conservation corps that worked to support communities as they responded to the Wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025. The results, which compare across the three service corps programs, provide insights into who is participating and how these programs can provide workforce development while simultaneously engaging young people to support communities after disaster strikes.</p>