For many young people, getting outside can be the beginning of a much deeper connection to place. In Charlottesville, a pilot program is giving local high school students the opportunity to experience that connection firsthand—while earning a paycheck, building new skills and helping care for a trail that serves their community.
The Appalachian Conservation Corps shares the story of its Trailblazers program, which brought students onto the Rivanna Trail for hands-on conservation work and introduced them to potential careers in the outdoors. The experience goes beyond trail maintenance. It gives young people a chance to see themselves as stewards of the places around them and to discover that the outdoors can be a place to work, learn and build a future.
It’s a powerful example of what can happen when communities create meaningful access to the outdoors—and connect that access to opportunity.
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Appalachian Conservation Corps
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