High Atlas Foundation Youth Conservation Corps Morocco 2023

Since 2021, the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) has been collaborating with the United States
Forest Service (USFS) on implementing the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) in Morocco,
training and empowering young women and men in environmental activities and engaging them
in the sustainable development experience.

As a result of YCC, youth become positioned for careers and leadership roles in natural resource conservation, as they assist the management and monitoring of those resources in Morocco.
The upcoming YCC-Morocco Program will begin on 15 July 2023 and conclude on 20
December 2023.

The overarching goal of YCC is to offer young people exciting work with local communities and
their integration with managing public lands and protected areas, harnessing environmental
stewardship and civic responsibility.

YCC also provides youth with career development support to help each individual identify and pursue their own professional path forward.

Program participants will be primarily located in Benslimane’s Ecolodge farm, about 60
kilometers from the center of Casablanca.

The 6-month YCC program includes a combination of career development, soft skills, and personal growth topics, in resource conservation, forest management, fire prevention and response, trail and rangeland management, mapping, bee keeping, building and maintaining organic nurseries, monitoring and evaluating local development, and other related training and outdoor applied development experiences.

Participants of the program will graduate with a Certificate of Achievement that positions them
for excelling in the related sectors and launching new cooperatives, businesses, and projects.

Eligibility criteria

• This program is targeting 15 Moroccan young women, aged 18 to 30.
• Applicants should be 18 years of age at the start-date of the YCC program.
• Applicants are expected to commit to the full period of the program (six months, Monday through Friday every week, with at least one additional weekend per month). (Applicants who do not complete the full program will not receive a Certificate and will not receive their full stipend.)
• Applicants should not perform any formal outside study or work during the program.
• Applicants will be selected among the most economically marginalized families, as one of the goals of the program is to assist vulnerable communities.
• Applicants will be placed at nature reserves during the program, knowing that program
  leaders will be with the youth at all times to ensure safety and proper coaching. Camping,
  hiking, and working outdoors in various weather conditions will take place throughout
  the program, as well as daily fitness activities.

Monthly roundtable discussions will take place with different leaders to support the YCC
participants in their empowerment process, and each participant will work on a specific
community project during the 6 month program.

How to Apply

Interested participants should complete this form and attach:

● A copy of a valid ID or passport that includes a photograph
● School or university certificate, if available
● Detailed health record signed by your physician, clarifying any allergies, chronic health issues, medications, and general health information.