In Episode 5 I talk to Thomas Hark, the founder of the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. Tom's story is unique because starting a youth conservation corps isn't something he just fell into, it's something he's been pursuing for virtually his entire life. One summer in college he decided to go down to Georgia and work for a conservation program that was sponsored by the Forest Service. He loved it. But after one year it closed down, which left him thinking, how can I create a program like this, but one that will last? He spent the next 40 years of his life trying to answer that question, and ultimately succeeding. But creating the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps wasn't always the end of the road for Tom, he always imagined something bigger. So after leaving the VYCC in 2015, he's been working on taking his dream nationally, in hopes of one day employing 1,000,000 young people every year.
Host: Jordan Rowell
Editor: Duane Peterson