FACT SHEET

in action

YouthBuild U.S.A. YouthBuild U.S.A.

revitalize their community.

Stoneman helped them select a

building, raise funds, and hire

adult trainers. The teenagers’

successful renovation of a Harlem tenement led the Youth Action Program to form a coalition

of local not-for-profit organizations to replicate the program.

When the coalition expanded

nationwide in 1988, it became

the YouthBuild Coalition.

The nonprofit YouthBuild

U.S.A. was founded in 1990 to

coordinate the expanding network of YouthBuild sites. By the

early 1990s, the program had

been replicated in 11 cities

across the country.

Local Programs

Community-based, independent

organizations operate local

YouthBuild programs, which

are kept small to create supportive minicommunities for the

students. Each YouthBuild program procures its own funding,

generally with a mix of Federal,

State, and local government

support and private funds. In

fiscal year (FY) 2000, Congress

appropriated $42.5 million to

YouthBuild and in FY 2001,

$60 million (through the U.S.

Department of Housing and

Urban Development). The yearly competitive grants fund operations in local YouthBuild chapters. In many YouthBuild

programs, participants earn

grants from the Corporation for

National Service to help cover

tuition costs for college or

technical school.

Participants

Nationwide, about 6,000 young

people, ages 16 to 24, participate in YouthBuild each year.

Approximately 70 percent are

male and 30 percent are female.

They are racially diverse—55

percent African American, 20

percent Caucasian, 22 percent

Latino, 1.5 percent Asian

American, and 1 percent Native

American. Ninety percent are

from very low-income families.

An average of 30 percent are

adjudicated youth who have

by Rudy Hernandez

For almost 25 years, YouthBuild

has harnessed the positive energy of unemployed young adults

to rebuild their communities

and their own lives through a

commitment to work, education,

responsibility, and family. At

the 145 YouthBuild programs

across the country, young people learn construction skills by

building or renovating affordable housing in their communities. At YouthBuild alternative

schools, students earn their

GEDs or high school diplomas,

participate in counseling, perform community service, and

belong to a positive community

of peers and adults who are

committed to their success.

YouthBuild’s History

In 1978, a group of New York

City teenagers approached

Dorothy Stoneman, then director

of the Youth Action Program in

East Harlem Block Schools, and

expressed their desire to renovate abandoned buildings and

May 2001 NUMBER 06

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
YFS–00106 Youth in Action Fact Sheet

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/OJJDP

PERMIT NO. G–91

been referred to the program by the court

system, but some programs are designed

to accept 60 to 100 percent of participants through court-related referrals.

Job Training

YouthBuild prepares young people for

the working world in diverse ways. At

the construction sites, youth receive

close supervision and training in construction skills from qualified instructors

who are often union journeymen. The

skills they acquire qualify them for

apprenticeships or entry-level positions

in construction-related jobs. In addition,

weekly classes build work habits and

decisionmaking skills and teach students

how to manage time effectively, develop

career plans, and handle job interviews.

Academic Program

YouthBuild prepares students for the

GED, a high school diploma, postsecondary technical training, or college. Trainees alternate a week of on-site

construction training with a week of

classes. The curriculum integrates academic skills—reading, writing, and

mathematics—with life skills training,

social studies, leadership opportunities,

and vocational training. The classes are

small, allowing instructors to provide students one-on-one attention.

Leadership Development

YouthBuild changes the way young people see themselves. By treating them

consistently with respect, staff help students uncover their innate knowledge

and abilities—traits that, in many cases,

have gone unrecognized. Under the guidance of a nurturing staff, students learn

to take on responsibility and overcome

obstacles. In every YouthBuild program,

students develop leadership skills by

serving as key decisionmakers within

their own programs and providing various forms of service to the community.

Program Success

Since 1993, YouthBuild students have

built more than 7,000 low-income housing units. Finished buildings are either

owned and managed by community-based

organizations as permanent low-income

rental housing or are sold to low-income

homeowners. As a result, gutted shells

and abandoned buildings become attractive homes in communities that have a

critical need for housing.

For Further Information

For more information on YouthBuild

U.S.A. and its programs, visit

YouthBuild U.S.A.’s Web site at

www.youthbuild.org or contact:

Rudy Hernandez, 

Regional Coordinator

YouthBuild U.S.A.

West Coast Regional Office

1755 Broadway, Suite 504

Oakland, CA 94612

510–663–4600

510–663–4610 (fax)

rhernandez@youthbuild.org (e-mail)

On average, 60 percent of YouthBuild students remain until they complete the program. Of those, 85 percent go on to college or construction-related jobs with

starting wages of more than $7.35 per

hour. Alumni receive postprogram counseling and have continued opportunities

to play leadership roles in the local YouthBuild chapter and in the community.

Rudy Hernandez is the Regional

Coordinator of YouthBuild U.S.A.’s

West Coast Regional Office.