SAMO Youth

SAMO Youth propagating native plants at a nursery.

Cecilia Lopez

 

About the SAMO Youth Program

For college students interested in pursuing environmental careers, our SAMO Youth program has been opening doors for 27 years.

SAMO Youth is a workforce development partnership program between the National Park Service and Santa Monica Mountains Fund that provides training and park work experience for young adults

The SAMO Youth Program provides employment experience and mentorship for college age students. The goals of the program are to create a meaningful park work experience that 1) promotes an ethic for conservation and stewardship, 2) inspires students toward careers in public service, and 3) provides job experience that produces competitive job skills.

This program is designed for college age students and recent graduates from the Greater Los Angeles area and Ventura County, to work for eight weeks on habitat restoration, trail maintenance, plant and wildlife work. It’s a full-time position with 8-hour days. The work also requires engaging with members of the public, greeting them, and answering questions about the Santa Monica Mountains.

The work is hard but fulfilling. It involves spending the day outdoors in hot, dusty conditions. Participants of the program have gone on to work at more than 16 national parks throughout the country and various conservation-related organizations.

 

Three SAMO Youth pressing a native flower in newspaper.

Denise Garcia

"The most surprising thing to me about the work we did was the hands-on experience with machinery and equipment. From working with weed whackers to the telemetry devices we used with wildlife—we were given so much trust and respect. That level of trust was very appreciated and gave me more trust in myself as well."

- SAMO Youth participant

Some History

The SAMO Youth program was spawned from an initiative with the Natural Resource Conservation Service in 2000. In that first year, we partnered with Woodrow Wilson High School in Los Angeles. At first, we hired 9 students per year, then began recruiting from other LA and Oxnard schools in 2004. Since 2020 the program has hired college students and recent graduates, growing into cohorts of 18 participants and 3 crew leaders.

After the summer season is completed, eligible SAMO Youth are extended and integrated to different park operations, working part-time while attending college.

While the park benefits from the measurable results that SAMO Youth accomplish, it is with great intention that the program focuses on leadership development, personal and professional life skills that are transferable beyond the SAMO Youth program. The students gain work experience and opportunities to practice many life skills, including safety, problem solving, communication, and teamwork.

 

Three SAMO Youth catching an island sunset at Channel Islands National Park.

Neil Allison

 

Our Partners

While we provide work experience in the National Park Service and in the mountains, we feel that it is just as important to collaborate with partners and perform work in the communities that youth are from. This allows the program to demonstrate that being good stewards of the environment is important in all communities.

Key partners of the program include the Santa Monica Mountains Fund and the National Park Foundation.

 

SAMO Youth stretching plastic fencing for pitfall trap repair.

Reyna Nestor.

"Many people from East Los Angeles don't know what National Parks are since many of us don't have the transportation to enjoy these parks. I will bring these resources and give back to my community. They deserve to know what National Parks are."

- SAMO Youth participant

Funding

The SAMO Youth program is made possible through the generous support from Public Lands Corps, Youth Partnership Program, Park Base Funds, and the National Park Foundation.