The goal of this to help out-of-work and out-of-school young adults ages 18-26 get paid to work while learning, gain key job skills, and if needed, finish their high school education. Training is provided in areas like urban forestry, waste diversion, habitat restoration, and conservation. 

This program helps young people ages 16 to 24 who are out of school and not working to reclaim their education, gain job skills in the construction field, and build leadership capacity. Participants work toward earning their high school diploma while receiving hands-on training in construction and other in-demand trades. YouthBuild emphasizes community service, leadership development, and pathways to college or employment. YouthBuild is designed to empower youth to transform their lives and their communities.

The is an environmental education and workforce development initiative that engages young adults in hands-on conservation work along local waterways, and particularly the lower Los Angeles River. Participants serve as environmental stewards conducting activities such as habitat restoration, community outreach and education, water quality monitoring, litter abatement, and waste diversion. The program helps participants build job skills, gain environmental awareness, and make a positive impact on local ecosystems, especially in underserved communities. River Rangers often collaborate with local agencies and schools to promote sustainable practices and environmental justice.

Disaster relief efforts focus on mobilizing Corpsmembers to support communities during and after emergencies such as wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Trained teams assist with emergency response logistics, debris removal and cleanup, sandbagging and flood prevention, and supporting evacuation centers and community aid distribution. These efforts are coordinated in partnership with local, state, and federal agencies, providing Corpsmembers with valuable emergency response experience while contributing to community resilience and recovery.

Afterschool programs, in collaboration with the Long Beach Unified School District, are provided at Dooley Elementary School (K-5) and at Lindsey Academy (6-8). These two school sites provide safe, engaging, and educational environments for elementary and middle school students after the regular school day. These programs offer homework assistance, STEM and arts activities, physical fitness and recreation, and social-emotional learning and leadership development. Staffed by trained youth leaders, these programs aim to support academic achievement, foster creativity, and promote positive youth development, all while giving working families peace of mind.

Corpsmembers are provided supportive services that help to address individual needs and to remove barriers to participation. Supportive services can be things like help with housing, transportation, or food assistance. This way, Corpsmembers can also focus on gaining work experience and completing their high school diploma if needed. Case managers, transition specialists, and job coaches are available to help. Workshops and staff focus on helping Corpsmembers including financial literacy, workplace skills, and health/hygiene.

Recycling and waste diversion programs focus on promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility through hands-on service and education. Corpsmembers participate in recycling collection and sorting, public outreach on proper waste disposal practices, event waste diversion and zero-waste initiatives, and community education on composting and reuse. These programs aim to reduce landfill waste, increase recycling rates, and engage the community in building a cleaner, greener environment - all while providing Corpsmembers with valuable skills in environmental stewardship and resource management.

This program is a youth development and workforce training initiative based on the same model as the Young Adult Program, except the focus is on our Pacific Ocean shoreline and local waterways. Projects include wetlands restoration (invasive species removal, native nursery operations, native planting), jetty/groin litter abatement, marine monitoring and restoration (eel grass and marine invasive species), public education and outreach (watershed stewardship, responsible recreation, safety), coastal stewardship, storm response, and support for public events.

Our Urban Lumber Yard & Mill is a sustainable enterprise that transforms locally salvaged trees that were dead, dying, or diseased into lumber that can be used in a multitude of ways. If trees aren’t viable for repurposing the wood, they are made into mulch and made available to the public through the City of Long Beach’s mulch delivery program operated by our organization. The Lumber Yard program provides workforce training in milling, chipping, drying, chainsaw operation, and more. Additionally, the program provides hands-on training in sustainable forestry practices and environmental education focused on urban tree reuse. By repurposing felled urban trees, the program reduces waste, supports conservation, and equips young adults with valuable green job skills.

CCLB’s internship opportunities offer young adults hands-on experience in fields such as environmental conservation, animal care services, education, urban forestry, and community engagement. Interns work alongside experienced staff and community partners to develop professional skills, explore career pathways, and support real-world projects that benefit local communities. These internships are designed to build workforce readiness, enhance leadership abilities, and prepare participants for future employment or education, all within a supportive and mission-driven environment. Internships are available at places such as Long Beach Animal Care Services, the City’s Environmental Services Bureau, local municipal departments like public works, and more.

Direct Install Gardens Program (DIG) serves as a model for promoting equitable access to sustainable landscaping, helping communities adapt to drought conditions and climate change. DIG is focused on providing sustainable landscaping solutions for income-qualified residents. The program is designed to help homeowners replace their water-intensive lawns with drought-tolerant vegetation that requires less water and maintenance than the average grass lawn. DIG not only reduces water usage but also provides financial relief to residents who may struggle with the costs of maintaining traditional lawns, increases stormwater capture, and promotes overall environmental sustainability. This program is offered through the City of Long Beach and CCLB is the entity that implements the program.

Every year the City of Long Beach produces an average of 12,000 tons of green waste from standard tree trimming maintenance. The City works to keep this resource from going to landfills by making it available to use in landscaping and delivering to Long Beach residents through their Mulch Delivery Program. Mulch from City tree trimming operations offers several landscaping advantages including weed reduction, added nutrients, soil temperature moderation, water retention, improved soil structure, beautification, and improved root systems. The City works with CCLB to make this program happen.

In collaboration with The Education Corps, Corpsmembers who need to earn their high school diploma, and complete CCLB's various work experience and training programs attend school simultaneously. Staff attend to the social-emotional issues young adults have and provide individual mentoring, case management, and provide referrals to community resources. These resources help Corpsmembers address and overcome the various issues that caused them to drop out of high school, not enter/remain in the workforce and be unable to further their educational and career goals.