Ashley Hamilton: My Community Service Scholarship!

My name is Ashley Hamilton and am studying criminal justice at Portland State University.  I volunteer with Clackamas County Juvenile Department in their Restorative Justice Program. I specifically work with fifteen youth (ages 14-18) in the job-training program, Green Corps. In this program, youth learn barista training, food preparation skills, urban farming, customer service, cash handling, and wood chopping skills to successfully support their own business. With these skills, they grow organic produce for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares; the extra produce is sold at a local farmer’s market or donated to hungry families in the community. They also sell cords of wood to support their business or donate to families in need of warmth for the winter. Green Corps Fresh coffee cart sells lattes, smoothies, and Italian sodas at the local farmers market as well as any other community events they are invited to. Green Corps youth also learn how to fix bikes, which are donated to people without transportation. Upon successful completion of the program, the youth will have earned certifications in barista, food preparation, bike maintenance, and cash handling as well as up to twelve credits at Clackamas Community College. As a bonus, they get paid once a month based off the sales they earned.