The YouthBuild Story

1. The YouthBuild Story

2. Introduction to YouthBuild A Comprehensive Youth and Community Development Program

3. Learning Objectives • Program components and qualities • Centrality of Leadership Development • Program culture • Sample schedules • Key factors for success • Your questions • Not about contract issues, fundraising, staff building, or DOL performance measures

4. The Basics of YouthBuild • Purpose • Components • Qualities • Outcomes

5. Purpose of YouthBuild To unleash the positive energy of unemployed, young adults to rebuild their communities and their own lives with a commitment to work, education, responsibility and family.

6. DOL YouthBuild DOL’s Shared Youth Vision for YouthBuild: Preserve the core of the YouthBuild model, including leadership and personal development, and • Promote post-secondary education • Place graduates in high growth, high demand, high income careers • Work cooperatively across federal, state, and local government • Commit to results and impact

7. Benchmarks of Graduate Success • Pursuing post secondary education • Building towards or maintaining a well-paying and satisfying career • Creating a positive personal and social support network • Engaging in community affairs • Caring for emotional and physical health • Building financial assets

8. CONSTRUCTION supervised training employer expectations job readiness skills vocational education pre-apprenticeship EDUCATION academic skills GED preparation GED Plus vocational skills job/college readiness construction terms cultural events LEADERSHIP decision making group facilitation program leadership roles public speaking negotiating community service advocacy GRADUATE RESOURCES college counseling pre-employment trg pre-apprenticeship trg career counseling job development job placement follow-up COUNSELING peer counseling individual counseling group counseling case management referrals outside life skills goals 5 components

9. Respect Program Qualities Power Protection Development Firm Challenge Meaningful Work High Standards Teaching of Skills Inspiring Role Models Appreciation of Diversity Awareness of Current Issues Path to Opportunity Social Activities Family-like Support Agency Concern About Changing Conditions

11. YouthBuild Outcomes • 77% Average attendance • 68% Average graduation rate • 71% Average placement rate of graduates • $8.79 Average graduate wage • 17,000 Units of housing built • 76,000 graduates • 8,000 young people now in YouthBuild • 226 YouthBuild programs; 96 DOL

12. Changes in 900 Graduates Before and up to 7 yrs after YouthBuild • “Used marijuana” 65% reduction • “Used alcohol” 43% reduction • “Used hard drugs” 78% reduction • “Sold hard drugs” 75% reduction • “Arrested” 53% reduction • “What age did you think you’d live to?” 32 year average gain in life expectancy after YouthBuild!

13. Civic Engagement • 68.1% Registered to vote • 47.9% Participated in a community org. or did volunteer work • 46.5% Voted in one or more elections • 14.2% Taken on a leadership role by serving on a community council or board • 7.3% Got involved in political effort or electoral campaign • 1.3% Ran for office

14. Attitudes and Feelings • Determination to succeed 69.0% • Gratitude towards people who have helped me 68.7% • Pride in what I have known 61.4% • Self-confidence 57.5% • Joy and happiness 50.4% • Fear of failure 18.5% • Resentment towards system that keeps me and my family poor no matter how hard we try 14.9% • Fear of violence 8.6% • Self-doubt 8.5% • Shame or guilt 6.8% • Inferiority 6.6%

15. Leadership DevelopmentatYouthBuild

17. Good Leadershipis taking responsibility to make surethings go right for my… Life Family Community Program

18. Three Parts to Leadership Development Personal Development Chances To Practice Leadership LD Skills & Knowledge

19. Key Ideas about Leadership  It’s necessary  It’s natural  It’s about taking responsibility There is an infinite need for good leaders

20. Benefits of Leadership Development For the INDIVIDUAL young person:  strengthened self-confidence  increased skills  increased knowledge  counter feelings of powerlessness  wider doors open

21. Benefits of Leadership Development For the PROGRAM:  better program decisions when informed by young people  more participant buy-in  improves attendance and retention  brings positive public attention to program, leading to more support

22. Benefits of Leadership Development For the COMMUNITY:  participants give back to the community  young leaders become positive force  youth become more engaged in community affairs

23. Elements of a Leadership Development Program 1. Desired outcomes, skills & competencies 2. Staff attitudes, hiring, training 3. LD within each program component 4. Youth involvement in decision making 5. LD trainings and workshops 6. LD experiences and opportunities 7. Leadership opportunities after graduation 8. Measuring and tracking leadership skills

24. Obstacles to Youth Leadership Development  Lack of vision, goals for youth as partners Lack of agency, director, staff support for LD  Viewing young people as clients, needing to be “fixed”  Insufficient staff development for LD  Lack of will or skill to share power Too much willingness to share power Disrespectful attitudes

25. Ways to Foster Youth Leadership in our Programs Examine agency’s views about youth Emphasize respect for young people Shift youth/adult power dynamic Do staff training on youth leadership development Set leadership goals and objectives Ask youth opinions about everything Set up youth advisory group, act on their advice Look for opportunities for youth to practice leadership-- jobs, media, fundraising, etc.

26. Your Vision for LD? • If Leadership Development was really happening at your YouthBuild program, what would it look like? • What leadership skills, behaviors, attitudes and self-concept would young people leave your program with?

27. Program Operations • Culture • Staffing • Schedule • What to watch • Partnerships

28. Program Culture • Culture is everything; everything speaks • Culture reflects your core program values • How does your design and culture hinder or promote your core values • Research on high achieving YBs: strong culture • Create it deliberately and consciously

29. The Environment for Success • Structure: clear rules, clear roles, a tight schedule, measurable objectives, reliable systems, traditions • Purpose: personal goals, program goals, public service, construction, transformation, advancement • Authenticity: real work, real success, real consequences in discipline, honesty, compassion • Intensity: lots of success, fast pace, emotions expressed, hard physical work, big issues discussed, celebrations, lots of love

30. Key Factors in Hiring Staff • Commitment to youth development • Diversity of gender, race, expertise, class, temperament, training, life experience, etc. • Self awareness and self development • Technical expertise & skills • Team orientation • Positive attitude • Leader • Respect for Young People

31. Sample Program Schedules • Program meets twice a day to reconnect • Note points of program integration • Staff planning and meeting time • Don’t schedule young people for 40 hours or your staff always works overtime

32. Manager’s Chain of Influence • Meeting program objectives depends on, • Productivity of the young people, which depends on, • Effectiveness of the staff, which depends on, • Supervision and support from a manager, which depends on, • Resources from the organization.

33. What to do • Schedule planning and weekly staff meetings • Teach and use group facilitation • Teach and use conflict management • Post master calendar • Be fair and firm to all • Get an accountant and insurance • Track attendance • Build a home

34. What to Watch-Key Leverage Points • Nature and quality of relationships between staff and students • Attendance/ discipline • Program culture • Planning and coordination • Leadership development • Construction progress • Personal development of students • Team cohesion • Placement activity • DOL objectives

35. Assembling Partnerships to Support Program Activities • Review list of typical program functions and activities • Check off all program resources provided by the lead agency • Write in partner and supporting agencies that will provide additional resources • Identify gaps in program resources • Collect MOAs and letters of commitment

36. Your Goal Foster an environment that supports and facilitates youth transformation while meeting DOL objectives

37. YouthBuild Principles • Respectful, positive, caring, collaborative relationships between adults and youth • In a safe supportive learning environment • Mastering new skills, knowledge and attitudes for school, work, family, and leadership • Building tangible community assets in service to others in need • Creating hope and opportunity for one’s future

39. The YouthBuild Story “There’s a lot of love in YouthBuild, and some day we’re going to spread it around the world.”Victor Ortiz, age 17, Youth Action Program (1981)

41. YouthBuild Participants • 8,000 Enrollees/Year • 16-24 Year Old • 72% Young Men • 48% African American • 23% Latino • 21% White • 2% Asian American • 3% Native American • 19.3 Average Age • 90% Very Low Income • 26 % Homeless prior to enrollment • 31% Parenting • 30% Adjudicated • 27% Convicted of a felony • 87% Need GED or Diploma • 7th gr. Average incoming reading level

42. Key Factors for Success • Fidelity to the model • Stable funding and non-cash resources • Skillful executive leader • Effective collaboration between agencies • Staff team with commitment and expertise • Effective recruitment and screening of youth • Effective outplacement in schools or jobs

43. The Staff • Culturally diverse (race, class, gender, sexual orientation) • Expertise (skills, knowledge, creed.) • Team orientation • Tough but flexible • Respect for young people • Positive attitude / Fun • Self awareness/ openness

44. Teams • Culturally competent • Shared goals/ clear objectives • Defined roles/ accountability • Effective meeting process • Decision making process • Conflict management • Willing to change • Celebrate success

45. Profound respect for intelligence of youth Youth governance Protection from harm Meaningful work Patience Teach real skills Positive values Firm, loving challenge to stop self destruction Family-like support High expectations Inspired, adult role models Cultural awareness Global awareness Path to the future Agency commitment to social change Fun Essential Elements