When planning a parade, crowd control must be considered. If you want to go on a hike through public land, trails have to be cleared and easy to follow. When planning an event, logistics must be well managed. Who does or helps do these things? TEENAGERS! (with adult supervision). Teens are peppered with opportunities to join trade programs through their school or to land a first job, but there are more programs outside of the school system for teens to prepare for their future careers. From the Rolla Junior Police Cadet Program to the Youth Conservation Corps, students get to explore new careers before graduation.
On Mar. 16, 2024, the Rolla Junior Police Cadets (RJPC) put some of their training into practice at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, helping the Rolla Police Department with crowd control. Cadet Destiny Anderson from RJPC has helped the Rolla Police Department perform crowd control during the parade.
“Most of every [other] Wednesday we have a training. Like [the] last two Wednesdays have been crowd control for getting ready for the St. Pat’s parade because we’ll be helping with traffic and making sure everything goes smoothly,” Anderson stated.
A common reason cadets join RJPC is if they are interested in a career in law enforcement and want the experience RJPC can bring them.
“There was flyers up in the cafeteria about the police program and how it would help prepare you to go to the Academy. And I want to become a behavioral analyst for the FBI when I get older, so I just need it,” Anderson explained, “I just want to be able to have the experience … and just the connections of the people that just so I can have recommendations for colleges and stuff like that.”
Cadet Caleb Pelc, another cadet in RJPC, has a similar interest in a career in law enforcement.
“Well, law enforcement, this is something I’ve always been interested in,” Pelc said.
RJPC is just one of many programs that allow students to explore different careers. One other broader program that helps students learn more about career opportunities is the Youth Conservation Corps. Different branches YCC allows students to explore include the National Park Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Forest Service. Public Affairs Officer Cody Norris works for the Mark Twain National Forest Service and has worked with YCC on several occasions.
“I was first introduced to the YCC program on the Sequoia National Forest in California. The first couple of years I was there, I put out news releases helping recruit students for the YCC program. Then, I had the opportunity to be the organizer for a YCC Crew,” Norris explained.
Students have the opportunity to gain not only experience but also skills that can help jump-start their career in not only the Forest Service but also the Park Service and the Wildlife Service.
“It [YCC] provides an understanding of the level of both professionalism and of the expectations of work outputs. It also instills a love and respect for the natural world and a stewardship mindset on how to maintain it for future generations. These are all things that will help anyone start a career in the Forest service,” Norris stated, “I got to see the participants grow quite a bit over the summer. They were more self assured, more capable, and much more ready to enter the workforce in the future.”
Program Coordinator Natalie Casey has been in charge of the application, selection, implementation, assessment, planning, and design of YCC on the Mark Twain National Forest since 2023. Casey sees the exposure to different aspects of the program as one of many benefits to YCC.
“Participants gain firsthand experience across multiple program areas; including Recreation, Timber, Wildlife, Heritage, Engineering, Office Administration, and Customer Service,” Casey stated, “It is a fun and interesting experience with all the health benefits of being outdoors and great starting pay!”
