The SCA’s Massachusetts Historic Preservation Corps received the Paul & Niki Tsongas Award from Preservation Massachusetts, a historic preservation education and advocacy organization dedicated to preserving the state’s historic and cultural heritage.
The Tsongas Award is Preservation Massachusetts’ highest honor. It celebrates people and projects that have displayed exemplary levels of commitment to historic preservation in Massachusetts. The award will be presented in June at Fenway Park in Boston. The SCA’s Massachusetts Historic Preservation Corps is currently one of only two AmeriCorps programs dedicated to historic preservation trades. Sadly, funding for award-winning programs like this one and others is at risk of being canceled because of funding cuts.
“The program exists to uphold the preservation field through trades training, giving young people the skills and confidence to ensure our historic fabric remains for years to come,” said Nina Peppers, SCA Sr. Manager of Historic Preservation Programs. “The program not only creates tradespeople skilled in historic craft, but it also helps participants learn to communicate effectively, show empathy, and work successfully on a team.”
Two crew members from SCA’s Massachusetts Historic Preservation Corps work on cleaning the statue of Colonel William Prescott at Bunker Hill.
The SCA’s Massachusetts Historic Preservation Corps is a 10-month AmeriCorps program providing training to young adults in preservation trades. Program participants work on various projects, from carpentry and masonry to painting and landscaping, to preserve historic sites and public lands across the state while gaining valuable skilled trades and certifications in historic preservation and construction trades.
Since the program’s start, participants have contributed nearly 200,000 hours of service at public historic sites across Massachusetts, with nearly 100 new preservationists entering the historic trades field.
Managed by the SCA, the program partners with and receives funding from AmeriCorps, the Massachusetts Service Alliance, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the National Park Service to provide a unique opportunity for young adults to jumpstart careers in historic preservation.
