James and I met on the occasion of his 27th birthday. This African-American young man had come to my neighbor Cathy’s home to speak about his life and the agency that has turned him around.
His father is still in prison as he has been throughout James’s growing up. One of his brothers was murdered and another brother is also in prison.
However, thanks to a fabulous organization called YouthBuild U.S.A., James has been able to choose a different route. He broke with a life marked by drugs and crime in favor of one dedicated to his own development and the improvement of the community.
After speaking to those of us gathered to learn about YouthBuild, James was flying home to Columbus, Ohio to be with family members for his birthday. On his return, he would continue his work with the agency.
I confess to not having heard of YouthBuild until that recent Sunday afternoon meeting. And that’s despite its remarkable record of achievement since it began in 1990. The founder was Dorothy Stoneman, a dynamic leader who felt concern that so many young people were mired in poverty and failing to get the education they so badly needed.
Dorothy, currently CEO of YouthBuild, was present for the meeting at Cathy’s house. There she explained the ideals, approaches, and achievements of the agency.
The main idea came from a discovery made by Dorothy in 1978. She asked teenagers in East Harlem how they might improve their community. Their answer: “We’d rebuild the houses. We’d take empty buildings back from the drug dealers and eliminate crime.”
As it has developed, YouthBuild has brought low-income young people from 16 to 24 to work full-time for 6 to 24 months. They are paid for this work while they also focus on their GEDs or high school diplomas. They also learn job skills by building affordable housing in their communities.
Support comes from the federal government, largely through the Department of Labor. Currently the annual appropriation is eighty million dollars. John Kerry, when senator, was one of the main movers of the legislation behind this award.
The Gates Foundation has given close to four million dollars, and other corporations have added to the total. Contributions from individuals are also needed because the money from government sources cannot be used for some of the agency’s important activities.
The average annual cost for a full-time participant is around $22,000. Of this amount the feds pay no more than $18,000.
The numbers are impressive. Last year, 273 YouthBuild programs engaged nearly ten thousand young people in the United States. And the program has spread to some dozen other countries around the world.
Here is a brief summary of participants as listed in an information sheet. Of those enrolled, 100% are low-income. 93% enter without a high school diploma. 73% are men, 27% women. 51% are African American, 22% are white; 3% are Native American; 2% are Asian American.
In addition, 37% are court-involved; 33% have received public assistance; 24% are parents.
Of those enrolled in YouthBuild programs, 76 percent completed requirements. Some 46 percent got their GED or diplomas. Half have gone on to post secondary education or jobs averaging $8.98 an hour.
My reason for being deeply interested in YouthBuild comes from concern about what is happening to the low income youth of our country. I feel haunted by what sociologist Robert Putnam says about the current crisis. For him, the situation is “the most important moral problem facing America today.”
If you are inclined to help either financially or by volunteering, I recommend you check out the www.YouthBuild.org website.or call the Somerville office at (617) 623-9900. For individual giving, you can talk with Annie Gordon at extension 316.