Billy Mason and Darien Fernandez both work for the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps.
The Corps provides workforce development and skills training for youth and young adults through forest thinning projects, trail work and habitat restoration for endangered species.
In this excerpt, Darien recounts his journey from aimless teen, to community activist and touts the value of the Youth Corps.
Their conversation was recorded by StoryCorps, a national initiative to record and collect stories of everyday people. Excerpts were selected and produced by Tristan Clum.