In 1989, Sam Duran created the Urban Corps of San Diego to address two problems that he viewed as interconnected: youth dropping out of high school with no job or job training, and the environmental degradation of the inner city communities. Sam hit upon a solution that has successfully addressed both: The Urban Corps of San Diego. Sam’s project provides young adults, aged eighteen to twenty-five, a life-altering opportunity to obtain a high school diploma and receive paid, on-the-job training in environmental projects.

In the early days of his project, Sam invested so much of his own earnings in the project that he struggled to pay his own rent. He often called upon friends and family to chip in and help him with the project’s payroll. But Sam persevered. He started out with a handful of youth and a never-take-no-for-an-answer approach. Coupled with tireless energy, enthusiasm to tackle problems head-on, and determination that every young person should attain a chance at a better life, Sam drove the Urban Corps to work its miracles. Partnering with local government, state government, and local businesses, the Urban Corps put its students to work in urban forestry, recycling, graffiti removal, and environmental services and projects throughout San Diego County. Working four days a week, the young people in the program receive on-the-job training via fee-for-service contracts, and the disadvantaged youth earn a salary as well. One day each week, they study for their high school diploma at the Urban Corps on-site charter school. For those young people who have already graduated high school, they must enroll in or work toward a college or trade school degree to qualify for employment in Urban Corps.

Growing up in rural Artesia, New Mexico, Sam Duran experienced poverty and racial divisions first-hand. Coming from a low-income, minority community, Sam started working at the age nine in the cotton and sugar beet fields. But he understood from a very young age that without a good education and job training, hope for a successful future would elude him. Joining the United Sates Air Force gave him both the education and the job training he needed, not only to serve his country, but also to make a life-changing contribution that would eventually help thousands of disadvantaged youth. Upon retiring from the Air Force, Sam began his second career: helping underprivileged youth receive an education and job training that he never had as a young man. It is a career that has lasted almost thirty years, transforming the lives of thousands of underprivileged young people.

Today, Sam Duran’s dream has become a living reality. He no longer has to borrow the rent or struggle to meet payroll. He has brought diverse communities together, created economic and educational opportunities, and provided opportunities for inclusion in the American Dream to over 4,500 youth. In championing their cause, he not only provides them their own voice and place in our society, but also shows us all what it is to be an everyday American hero.

To learn more about Sam and his cause, and how you can make a difference, please visit:
www.urbancorpssd.org.

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