Our kids are growing up without a strong sense of belonging and connection, communities across our state are suffering workforce challenges in key service professions, and we are more divided than ever.  The answer—and a win three times over—is the creation of ColoradoCorps.  This new program will enable 18-26 year olds, coming out of high school, community college, or college, to serve communities across our state in key professions—including nursing, teaching, law enforcement, fire fighting and fire mitigation, and counseling—and build valuable skills.  

Why A ColoradoCorps?

Communities across Colorado are suffering key shortages in critical service professions.  For our rural communities, these shortages can be particularly acute, threatening the ability to provide key services.  The answer to meet these shortages is a call to service—and the creation of a ColoradoCorps.

In high school, community college and college, ColoradoCorps will provide an accessible pathway into critical service professions. In each category—including nursing, teaching, law enforcement, fire fighting, and counseling—there would be pathways for young people to work in these critical public service roles.  The work of ColoradoCorp members will keep Colorado communities safer, healthier, and stronger.

For young people, ColoradoCorps will be a training ground that would help them build critical skills.  It will combine paid work and community service with career training, mentoring, and credentialing—so that participants don’t just serve their communities, they launch careers.  The program will, where appropriate, be a part of a continued education and professional development path, enabling participants to earn credentials or school credit while gaining hands-on experience in high-need fields.

For our future, ColoradoCorps will foster a stronger sense of belonging and connection for young people, many of whom are asking “Will I be able to build a future here?” ColoradoCorps will not only help them answer that question, but it will help build a new generation of civic leaders.  In that sense, this critical program will be an essential investment in our state’s future and in our civic culture.

How Will ColoradoCorps Work?

ColoradoCorps will create the platform for students—in high school, community college, and college—to access their interest in public service.  It will lower barriers to entry, 

create a call to public service, and make the case for why such service is invaluable.  As part of the ColoradoCorps program, participants will work in critical public service roles—schools, clinics, fire departments, law enforcement agencies, or conservation projects—and receive access to valuable mentorship, be a part of a cohort, and have access to educational opportunities.

ColoradoCorps will build on existing infrastructure that supports such opportunities and raise the profile and importance of a public service pipeline program.  It will partner with Serve Colorado and its AmeriCorps programs, Colorado’s community and technical colleges, and interested nonprofit organizations and philanthropic partners.  And it will provide a blended funding model—leveraging existing AmeriCorps and Serve Colorado dollars, state investment, local community support for otherwise unfilled positions, and private-sector partnerships.

Why Will Participants Be Excited to Join ColoradoCorps?

For young people, their future is often a question mark and there is a lack of accessible opportunities to serve. By offering a paid, structured work opportunity that develops both technical and soft skills—leadership, teamwork, problem-solving—ColoradoCorps provides a path forward.  It will afford education and training benefits that translate directly into meaningful careers and access to a cohort of peers. Like in the Americorps program, ColoradoCorps will enable participants to gain professional skills, serve communities together, build friendships, and gain a sense of belonging.

For many ColoradoCorps participants, it will be their first professional step into teaching, nursing, firefighting, law enforcement or behavioral health—fields that need them and will welcome them.  We know from the experience of AmeriCorps that participants in public service programs are more likely to stay in their communities, keep working in public-service careers, and contribute to local economies.

Given the success of Serve Colorado or AmeriCorps in Colorado, we are ready to build on this foundation and scale it up. Serve Colorado has already started that process, supporting programs like the Youth Mental Health Corps and the Colorado Climate Corps. ColoradoCorps will unify those initiatives under a statewide umbrella with shared standards, employer accountability, and credentialing that counts statewide.

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ColoradoCorps is a win three times over.  First, it meets critical needs for Colorado communities, filling critical workforce gaps, especially for rural and underserved areas.  Second, for young people, the program provides an accessible opportunity to develop valuable skills and pathways to in-demand careers.  Third, for our state, it will help foster a culture of service and civic connection that makes Colorado unique.  In today’s increasingly divisive world, we need a stronger sense of connection, community, and pride in serving one another, providing young people with a sense of purpose that promises to transform their future—and ours.