YouthBuild of Central Florida, Inc.
Call us: 407-920-0450
Youth Build of Central Florida Services
In local Youth Build programs, low-income young people ages 16–24 work toward their GED's or high school diplomas while learning job skills by building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people and participating in leadership development activities in their communities.
Today, there are 273 Youth Build programs in 46 states, Washington, DC., and the Virgin Islands engaging approximately 10,000 young adults per year.
Because a comprehensive approach is called for, the Youth Build program has gradually and inevitably become a number of things at once:
Alternative school, in which young people attend a Youth Build school full-time on alternate weeks, studying for their GED's or high school diplomas. Classes are small, allowing one-on-one attention to students.
Job training and pre-apprenticeship program, in which young people get close supervision and training in construction skills full-time on alternate weeks from qualified instructors.
Community service program, in which young people build housing for homeless and other low-income people, providing a valuable and visible commodity for their hard-pressed communities.
Leadership development and civic engagement program, in which young people share in the governance of their own program through an elected policy committee and participate actively in community affairs, learning the values and the lifelong commitment needed to be effective and ethical community leaders.
Youth development program, in which young people participate in personal counseling, peer support groups, and life planning processes that assist them in healing from past hurts, overcoming negative habits and attitudes, and achieving goals that will establish a productive life.
Long-term mini-community, in which young people make new friends committed to a positive lifestyle, pursue cultural and recreational activities together, and can continue to participate for years through the Youth Build alumni association.
Community development program, in which community-based organizations obtain the resources to tackle several key community issues at once, strengthening their capacity to build and manage housing for their residents, educate and inspire their youth, create leadership for the future, and generally take responsibility for their neighborhoods.
Since 1994, more than 120,000 YouthBuild students have produced over 22,000 units of affordable, increasingly green housing in rural and urban communities across the United States.
