Non Technical Summary
Hurricane Helene caused unprecedented flooding resulting in over $41 billion in damages across 37 counties in western North Carolina, home to over 40% of the state's population. The agriculture sector was devastated and school systems closed due to damaged buildings or damages to necessary infrastructure, roads, water systems, etc. This proposal targets agricultural stakeholders in four of the hardest hit counties, creating a Youth Service Corps program to provide needed labor for recovery efforts as well as structure, community and learning for high school students. At the same time, it will build local capacity for communities and the next generation to mitigate and recover from future extreme weather-related disasters. The goal of this program is to support disaster recovery, foster socio-emotional resilience of impacted youth, and rebuild resilient food and agricultural systems in the areas most impacted by Hurricane Helen. Through a combination of individual and group recovery projects, students will assist farmers and agricultural stakeholders with necessary repairs while learning career and personal skills that will better prepare them for employment and civic engagement in the future. We will leverage existing on the ground networks (Extension, 4-H, county agencies, schools, etc.) to help select teacher coordinators, students, and projects with the greatest potential to provide immediate solutions with lasting impacts on the agriculture communities' long term sustainability. PI Cruz is from the targeted region and has been very involved with the recover to date, affording her the knowledge and connections to hit the ground running with this innovative WNCstrong Youth Service Corps.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
807	6030	3020	50%
903	0199	3020	25%
608	6099	3020	25%

Knowledge Area
807 - Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery; 608 - Community Resource Planning and Development; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other; 0199 - Soil and land, general; 6030 - The farm as an enterprise;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of WNCstrong Youth Service Corps is to support disaster recovery, foster socioemotional resilience of impacted youth, and rebuild resilient food and agricultural systems in the Western North Carolina areas most impacted by Hurricane Helene. To meet this overall goal, we have 5 specific objectives:Develop and implement a new Youth Service Corp with youth age 16-18 in 4 WNC counties.Deliver essential labor through youth mobilization to assist farms, food businesses, and community gardens in rebuilding and restoring critical infrastructure, focusing on sustainable practices that increase resilience to future extreme weather events.Enhance social connectivity as well as community and individual-level resilience .Promote youth civic engagement, leadership skills and agricultural career awareness among youth in the impacted area.Create more resilient and locally self-reliant agricultural sectors in the region.

Project Methods
We will develop and implement a new WNCStrong Youth Service Corp with youth ages 16-18 in 4 WNC counties. We will first recruit two high school teachers in each county to coordinate and mentor the students. High school teachers will be responsible for recruiting and advising at least six youth per county to participate in a 30-week paid internship for 10 hours/week. The youth internship program will consist of five main programmatic elements:Workforce Development & Rebuilding: Youth participants will be paid a stipend to support disaster recovery efforts, assisting farms, food businesses, and community and school gardens in their efforts to rebuild infrastructure, restore soil health, and reestablish production. They will work with a network of agricultural professionals, learning and including supporting their efforts responsive to agriculture production and market development. Their work will also include the implementation of sustainable practices to ensure resilience to future extreme weather events. Stipends will be paid for by non-federal sources. We have already secured $100,000 to fund 24 students for a 30-week internship. If this project is funded, we anticipate fundraising more money to increase the total number of student internship opportunities. After the internship program concludes, youth will have job experience, be better prepared for future employment, be better prepared for future weather emergencies, and have an expanded network and connection to their community.Disaster Recovery & Preparedness: Participants will engage in hands-on projects such as debris removal, soil testing, fence restoration, waterway cleanups, and rebuilding of green infrastructure to mitigate flood risks. These activities will be developed and led by community leaders to support their most streamlined path to providing local food products into the local economy. Activities will connect youth to the environmental challenges of their region, fostering a sense of ownership and stewardship over their local ecosystems.Social Connectivity & Mental Health: Recognizing the stress and trauma experienced by youth affected by the hurricane, a strong component of the program is socio-emotional support. This program will provide youth with a sense of purpose, value, and contribution to a larger community effort, creating a community of care that will support their sense of belonging and wellbeing. Culturally relevant agricultural practices will be integrated into the program to deepen participants' connection to the community and the land. A hub of community resources, WNCStrong Youth Service Corp will facilitate participants' connection to third-party mental health resources when appropriate.Career and Professional Development & Mentorship: Monthly career development sessions will focus on environmental resilience, sustainable agriculture, leadership skills, and agricultural career awareness. These sessions will be co-developed with local experts, Extension agents, and business leaders, providing practical knowledge and career guidance. Each participant will also be paired with a mentor from the food and agricultural sector, helping to explore future career paths and leadership roles. In addition, each student participant will be offered the opportunity to attend one of the North Carolina 4-H Pre-College Programs on NC State's campus over the summer through a fully funded scholarship including housing and meals. These programs include the Horticultural Science Summer Institute, Resource Conservation Workshop, Poultry Science Summer Immersion, Livestock Camp and VetCamp and represent the diversity of agricultural career pathways students might be interested in. Each of these programs offer immersive, experiential learning opportunities from visiting industry sites, farms, workshops led by faculty and spaces for reflection and application of future career plans.Civic Engagement & Advocacy: Through this program youth will be trained in advocacy and community leadership. They will learn to participate in local planning processes, disaster preparedness efforts, and community-driven resilience initiatives. Each student participant will be asked to develop one personal project for the end of the internship. Projects could include creating videos about their communities, schools or a local farm, writing for local news outlets, or delivering presentations to local government bodies or community organizations, fostering youth leadership and civic responsibility.