4. Do not place trees in dumpsters. Page
SCHOOL
Denver youth places third in national speech contest
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LOCAL
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Free Mulch Giveaway & Compost Sale, May 3
Denver Recycles will be holding its annual Free Mulch Giveaway & Compost Sale on Saturday, May 3, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ellen Joy Densmore earned a $14,000 college scholarship and third place in the American Legion Oratorical Contest in Indianapolis.
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NEWS
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Afrikmall to highlight African culture
The soon-to-open Afrikmall is believed to be the first center of its kind in the U.S. dedicated to the arts, culture, food and commerce of Africa.
720.865.6810 DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles
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50¢ S i n c e 19 2 6 April 10, 2014
D I S P A T C H www.HDnewspaper.com
Vol. 93 No. 17
Inaugural National YouthBuild Day
Mile High Youth Corps recognizes its YouthBuild Corpsmembers on the inaugural National YouthBuild Day.
Mile High Youth Corps celebrates Corpsmembers
M
ile High Youth Corps participated in the inaugural National YouthBuild Day on April 3. Mile High Youth Corps has one of only 264 YouthBuild programs in the US. These young people work toward their GEDs or high school diplomas while simultaneously receiving job training
and earning a living allowance and AmeriCorps Education Awards. Since 2003, Mile High Youth Corps has enrolled more than 300 YouthBuild Corpsmembers and built 788 affordable housing units. Sixty-three percent of Corpsmembers earned AmeriCorps Educational Awards, 42 percent of program graduates earned their GED, and 45 percent of program graduates were either enrolled in school or achieved job placement within a year. Last year 22 youth
completed MHYC’s YouthBuild program, 14 YouthBuild Corpsmembers earned their GED, and 17 went on to post-secondary education or post-program employment. Nationally, since 1992, more than 120,000 of America’s most economically disadvantaged young adults, more than 90 percent of who had left high school without a diploma, have participated in YouthBuild. These 120,000 young people have built
more than 22,000 units of affordable housing. Most of them have also dramatically changed their own lives by gaining the academic and job skills they need to take responsibility for themselves and their families. Mile High Youth Corps helps youth make a difference in themselves and their community through meaningful service opportunities and educational experiences. The Corps employs young adults on projects in
Courtesy photo
neighborhoods, public lands and open spaces throughout Metro Denver and the Southern Front Range. By integrating paid work experience on community projects with career and college exploration, education, and life skills training, MHYC helps youth gain the knowledge, skills and motivation they need to make positive changes in their community, their own lives and the world. For more information, visit www.mile highyouthcorps.org.
Guatemalan trade opportunities in full bloom By Don Bain German Cerezo was the keynote speaker at last week’s Chamber of the Americas meeting and verbally painted a glowing image of the progress and opportunity in his native country of Guatemala. Cerezo is currently the executive director of Grupo Entre Rios, a holding company concerned with sustainable woods and elastics in the Natural Rubber industry. He is a consultant with the group and in charge of new business development. This fluently bilingual and personable professional has an extensive background and expertise in international business, export and investment development, project management and international trade logistics.
He was a trade commissioner for Guatemala 12 years and has been involved with 20 international corporations, plus another 16 years of experience in public relations. Cerezo began his address by laughingly stating, “I don’t do this anymore – I now manage rubber companies, but Gil (CEO of COTA) asked me to do this saying, ‘You did it so long,’ and actually I am still involved in new business development.” Cerezo proceeded to describe the conditions that make trade with Guatemala a great opportunity for American businesses both large, medium and even some smaller enterprises. Guatemala has had a relatively stable economy for 10 years – one of the most robust in Central America. It is heavily
invested in agribusiness, mining and textiles, but other non-traditional industries are developing rapidly. The progressive country is blessed by the presence of ports on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is well served by United Airlines. Foreign investment in Guatemala has increased dramatically over the last few years to the tune of 375 percent. They produce more than 4,755 different products sold in more than 150 countries worldwide. Among those are things you know – like the coffee you buy at Starbucks – most of it comes from Guatemala. The clothes you buy may include names like Old Navy, GAP, Polo, Nike, Adidas, Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, Forever 21, Hollister, Donna Karan
New York, Guess, Motherhood, Oshkosh B’gosh, Jumping Beans, RBK, Massive, Fox and Tommy Hilfiger. Many of those items are produced there. Interestingly, there are more phones in Guatemala than cars or people – 1.6 cellphones for every single person. They have become a major telecommunications site, providing call centers for many U.S. and Canadian companies and assuring Guatemalans who learn English a good paying job. More than $1.4 billion in foreign investment was consigned in Guatemala last year. Fitch and Moody’s rate the country at BB+ and it has climbed 14 steps in friendly to business rankings with an economy representing See story on page 2