YouthBuild USA, Inc.

The mission of YouthBuild USA and YouthBuild International is to unleash the intelligence and positive energy of low-income young people to rebuild their communities and their lives.

We seek to join with others to help build a movement toward a more just society in which respect, love, responsibility, and cooperation are the dominant unifying values, and sufficient opportunities are available for all people in all communities to fulfill their own potential and contribute to the well-being of others. Read More

• About Us
  There are at least 2.3 million low-income 16 – 24-year-olds in the United States who are neither in school nor employed. Globally, over 200 million youth are working poor and earning less than $2.00 a day. All are in urgent need of pathways to jobs, education, entrepreneurship, and other opportunities leading to productive and contributing livelihoods. YouthBuild programs provide those pathways by unleashing the positive energy of low-income young people to rebuild their communities and their lives, breaking the cycle of poverty with a commitment to work, education, community, and family.
  
  YouthBuild programs develop ethical young leaders to take responsibility for their
  families and communities and to change the conditions of poverty through civic
  engagement. YouthBuild USA and YouthBuild International work to build and sustain
  pathways into national and international leadership for outstanding young leaders.
  
  YouthBuild students spend roughly half their time in supportive, individualized classrooms working toward their high school diploma or its equivalent, earning
  skills and certifications they need to succeed in high-demand careers, and preparing for postsecondary education or registered apprenticeships. Outside the United States, the education component is adapted to the local circumstances.
  
  To date, 165,000 YouthBuild students worldwide have built over 33,000 units of affordable housing and other community assets such as community centers and schools.
• Our Impact
  In 2014, at 360 YouthBuild programs around the globe:
  
  16,000 young people were engaged as YouthBuild participants
  3.3 million hours of community-service leadership hours were performed
  2,200 community-asset building projects, including 2,000 units of affordable housing, were completed
  8,000 YouthBuild graduates were placed in jobs, education, entrepreneurship, and other opportunities leading to productive livelihoods
  In the United States:
  
  Since 1994, over 140,000 YouthBuild students have performed 48 million community service hours and produced over 30,000 units of affordable, increasingly green housing in rural and urban communities across the USA. The ripple effects of this work through young people helping family members, friends, and neighbors cannot be measured.
  
  In 2014, 260 YouthBuild programs in the United States engaged nearly 9,000 low-income young adults who had left high school without a diploma, with approximately one-third having been court-involved. US DOL funded programs achieved the following remarkable outcomes:
  
  77% of all enrollees obtained their high school equivalency credentials, high school diplomas, and/or industry-recognized credentials
  61% of all enrollees went on to postsecondary education or jobs
  72% of those placed retained their placement for at least six months
  Recidivism rates within one year of enrollment for all court-involved YouthBuild students averaged 9%