Launched in 1990 with 28 young people in a church basement, YouthBuild Boston was the first replication of the YouthBuild model outside of New York. YouthBuild Boston is a private, nonprofit community-based program that teaches Boston's unemployed and unskilled young people to renovate abandoned buildings into affordable housing for low-income families. YouthBuild Boston offers these young people a chance to obtain the educational, occupational, social, and leadership skills they need to become economically self-sufficient.

YouthBuild Boston offers participants a multi-disciplinary academic, vocational, and job training program that addresses the needs and interests of participants through a core curriculum. The curriculum has an array of academic and vocational electives coupled with an extensive support network.

Academics and Job Training
YouthBuild Boston's program has two main components -- the Academic Program and the Vocational Education and Job Training Program -- through which students rotate in biweekly cycles, spending two weeks at the school site followed by two weeks at the work site. Both components focus heavily on applied learning and critical thinking and combining group learning with an individualized education plan tailored for each student.

The curriculum integrates academics, on-the-job training, vocational education and life skills. Great efforts have been made to develop a math curriculum that uses relevant examples such as construction, budgeting, and finance problems to reinforce math skills. The reading and writing curriculum focuses on personal growth, cultural history, and community issues; the vocational electives encourage students to push themselves and broaden their skills base.

YouthBuild Boston has two educational programs to help students. The first is our GED attainment program. This program teaches 18-to-24 year-old students the skills needed to pass the GED test. Classes are held to prep in the five subjects covered by the test as well as test-taking skills. Our high school diploma program is new. In conjunction with the Boston Public School's Boston Evening Academy, we are a part of the External Diploma Program (EDP) administered by the City of Boston. Through this program, we are able to offer diplomas to students over the age of 19.

Students start every day reading the newspaper. According to Instructor Brad Howard, "They always open right to the editorial page." Brad likes to use real life situations as examples for the classwork since he feels that this is the key to keeping students interested and engaged. Students submit questions to create math quizzes and also keep journals of their work. These journals are divided into five sections so that when test time arrives, students can have quick access to their notes. YouthBuild Boston also uses computer software specifically designed to aid students in GED preparation.

Life Skills
All students also attend life skills classes during their school site cycle. Students who already have a diploma or GED are required to leave the work site to attend life skills classes. The curriculum for these classes is a rough outline to allow the counselors and instructors the ability to quickly address issues the students are having as they arise. Classes cover topics like substance abuse, leadership development, test-taking skills, stress management, conflict resolution, and positive motivation.

Vocational education classes, taught in our new Vocational Education Center, are closely linked to the type of work done on the work site. The vocational education class is used to give students the theory behind what they will be doing in the field. This instruction gives a greater depth and meaning to the practical work the students will find themselves doing on the job. According to Deputy Director Greg Mumford "Voc-Ed is to fine-tune what they get in the field."

Job Site
The heart of Youthbuild's program is the job site training. The job site offers students a practical experience of construction work. Students are actually working on rehab projects of buildings liened by the City of Boston. After completing Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and first aid training and certification, all trainees begin on the work site where they learn all phases of gut rehabilitation. Individual Education Plans (IEP) for each student detail competencies for the hands-on training program. Trainees meet with instructors every two months to evaluate their performance and measure competencies learned. Major sections of the IEP include orientation to carpentry, operation of power tools, operation of machinery, demolition, constructing foundations, floor framing, framing exterior walls, framing interior walls, framing ceilings and roofs, exterior finishing, interior finishing, and erecting staging. This work is done under the supervision of highly experienced professionals from the field.

In addition to creating housing that goes to low-income families, students also participate in monthly community service days. Past projects include building handicap access ramps, weatherizing homes for the elderly, and landscaping playgrounds at local schools. Past students are also responsible for the creation of the After School Drop-In Program, which serves children ages 7-14, that is also part of YouthBuild Boston.

Wesley Robertson is the administrative coordinator at YouthBuild Boston. He can be reached by e-mail at: wrobertson@ybboston.org