World Heritage Day, the International Day for Monuments and Sites, is being celebrated today--April 18. This year’s theme is Heritage for Generations to encourage intergenerational transfer of knowledge and celebrate youth leadership in cultural heritage.

Additionally, April is National Volunteer Month and the ACHP is honoring those who volunteer their time for historic preservation.

HistoriCorps, an organization that engages volunteers in historic preservation projects on public lands throughout the U.S., was designated as a Preserve America Steward for demonstrating a successful use of volunteer time and commitment in order to help care for the nation’s historic heritage.

HistoriCorps was founded in 2009 and since then the organization has logged more than 124,000 volunteer hours on 240 projects in 24 states. That equates to almost $2.9 million in labor value.

A large focus for the organization is getting youth involved in the historic preservation process. HistoriCorps works with youth-centered organizations including youth corps, conservation corps, and others to do the hands-on work necessary to save historic buildings and structures for public benefit across the U.S.

“Young people are exposed to a growing career field in historic preservation trades, and often get a leg up in the work world via participating on HistoriCorps projects,” said Liz Rice, HistoriCorps Volunteer Workforce Manager. “We also offer a Certificate of Achievement in Heritage Conservation and Construction via our HistoriCorps Institute program that combines field and academic work. Some projects, most notably Forest Lodge, WI, offer stipends to students and young people pursuing the certificate.”

For the 2018 project season, students will work on various projects at parks and historic sites in New York and Colorado.

HistoriCorps makes preservation accessible and meaningful to people of all backgrounds and skillsets by offering free volunteer opportunities that include all meals, training, and tools. They partner with federal agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management, and other federal, state, and local agencies and organizations to save buildings and structures for public benefit, freeing up resources to continue to sustain these building for future generations.

Learn more about HistoriCorps by visiting https://historicorps.org/