YouthBuild programs engage unemployed young men and women, most of whom have not completed high school and all of whom come from low-income families. YouthBuild enables them to serve their communities by building affordable housing, and assists them in transforming their own lives and roles in society.
All YouthBuild students are poor and many have had experience with foster care, juvenile justice, welfare, and homelessness. Participants spend 6 to 24 months in the program, dividing their time between the construction site and the YouthBuild alternative school. Community- and faith-based nonprofit organizations sponsor most programs, although some are sponsored by public agencies. Each YouthBuild program raises private and public funds to support itself.
Housing:
Students construct or rehabilitate homes for homeless and low-income people in their communities. Projects range from restoring multi-unit buildings to constructing new homes.
Education:
Students prepare for high school diplomas, GEDs, vocational school, or college. The curriculum integrates academics with life skills. Classes are small, allowing one-on-one attention to students. Many students earn an AmeriCorps scholarship for their community service.
Job training:
Students build sound work habits as well as decisionmaking and time-management skills. They develop career plans and prepare for job interviews. At the job site, they receive training from qualified construction instructors.
Leadership development:
Participants learn to advocate for issues that concern them and their communities, and to take responsibility for themselves and their families. Students share in the governance of their own program through an elected policy committee.
Counseling:
Counseling and referrals are offered to address issues such as child care, transportation, or substance abuse. Students are assigned a counselor, whom they meet with regularly.
Graduate support:
Graduates have access to resources and support to assist them as they advance their careers, go to college, build assets, and become role models locally and nationally.