Detail Overview of Construction Program

YouthBuild Boston is a 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 second chance to obtain the educational, occupational, social, and leadership skills they need to become economically self-sufficient, able to assume full responsibility for themselves and their families, As a private, non-profit, community-based organization, YouthBuild Boston is committed to helping an otherwise forgotten underclass.

YouthBuild Boston offers participants a unique multidisciplinary 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. 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. Both components focus heavily on applied learning and critical thinking, combining group learning with an individualized education plan tailored for each student.

The curriculum integrates academics, on-the-job training, and 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.

I. The Academic Program

Participants spend 50% of their time at the YouthBuild Boston Educational Site where they attend classes from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. The academic program is built around six core basic skill areas-Math, English, Science and Technology, Social Studies, Life Skills, and Health. Students take pre-test in each core area and are evaluated monthly on their attainment of competencies in each skills area.

Math- All students take 1 ½ hours of classroom mathematics daily during the school week. YouthBuild USA endorses our math curriculum, developed by the YouthBuild Boston staff, for use throughout the national YouthBuild network.

English- All students take 1½ hours of classroom English daily during their school week. The English curriculum focuses on strengthening the students’ writing, reading comprehension, and analytical skills, and their vocabulary. The reading curriculum encompassing all forms-fiction and non-fiction prose, poetry, drama, and print media-includes substantial material on the students’ cultural and literary histories.

Students are introduced to a variety of writing techniques such as journal writing, autobiographies, script writing, critical essays, and short stories. The students’ skills become applicable as they write editorials to local newspapers, write cover letters when applying for or inquiring about job opportunities or write business letters.

Science and Technology- The science and technology curriculum teaches the students the scientific method and reinforces the problem-solving skills learned in math. The curriculum is an interdisciplinary course of study in environmental sciences integrating earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and the use of technology. Students experience science in a hands-on method whether through the reclamation of environmentally hazardous land into a viable community garden or visiting a waste disposal plant of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

Equally as important to the students’ education is their exposure to computer technology. Our up-to-date computer lab houses ten workstations, from which students can access the Internet, email, learn to word process, create database and generate a spreadsheet.

Social Studies/Social Science- All students take 3 hours of classroom social studies. YouthBuild Boston’s core social studies curriculum is designed to help students develop a broad frame of reference, understand their place in history, and develop and understanding of the institutions of the American government.

II. THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND JOB TRAINING PROGRAM

YouthBuild Boston participants spend 50% of their time (alternating bi-weekly) on the construction site. Here they are engaged in a vocational education and job training curriculum that includes core areas- OSHA training and certification; basic construction and carpentry skills; career exploration, job readiness; and internships- as well as vocational electives.

OSHA Training and Certification- All YouthBuild Boston trainees participate in a week-long Occupational Safety and Health training conducted at the YouthBuild Boston educational site. Primary topics during the training are General Safety and Health Provisions; Occupational Health and Environmental Controls; Personal Protective and Lifesaving Equipment; Fire Protection and Lifesaving Equipment; Hand and Power Tools; Scaffolding; Floors and Wall Openings; Stairways and Ladders; Material Handling; Storage Use and Disposal; Cranes, Derricks, Hoists, Elevators, and Conveyors; and Excavations.

Basic Construction Methods and Carpentry- After completing OSHA training and certification, all trainees begin on the work site where they learn all phases of gut rehabilitation including demolition, shoring up, foundation work, rough framing, window installation, insulation, sheet-rocking, finish carpentry, painting, shingles installation and roofing techniques, and porch repair. 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 machinery, demolition, constructing foundations, floor framing, framing exterior walls, framing interior walls, framing ceilings and roofs, exterior finishing, interior finishing and erecting staging.

Career Exploration, and Job Readiness- YouthBuild Boston offers a series of career exploration workshops exposing students to the full range of career opportunities within the construction and construction-related fields, as well as within other industries. The program includes a variety of speakers and trips that introduce the students to different trades, the technical business, and management aspects of the construction industry, as well as opportunities for higher education and further training. Students learn and practice resume writing and interviewing skills.

Internships- The YouthBuild Boston Internship Program provides trainees with experiences not available within the core construction training and vocational education program. Trainees who have obtained a standard of excellence on the more highly supervised YouthBuild Boston construction sites are eligible for internships. The internship serves as a transition between the YouthBuild Boston construction site and a skilled apprenticeship position or job placement within a company, industry or trade.

Leadership Development, Counseling, and other Support Services- YouthBuild Boston is nationally renowned for its ability to prepare young people to leave "life on the streets," making fundamental changes in their lives so they become motivated employees, dedicated college students; good parents, budding entrepreneurs, passionate youth advocates, and committed community leaders. These remarkable outcomes are a result of the program’s leadership development philosophy. Defining leadership as "taking responsibility for oneself, one’s family, and the future of one’s community," YouthBuild Boston provides young people with the opportunities and tools to develop their leadership skills. Students elect representatives to the Youth Policy Committee, the group responsible for planning community service projects and social activities. They also meet monthly with the Executive Director to discuss overall program issues.

YouthBuild Boston’s counselors provide comprehensive counseling, referral, and support services to all trainees during their tenure with the program. Students arrive with a range of needs from childcare services to housing to court advocacy. We are able to meet these needs either with the skill of our on-site staff or through our extensive social service network. YBB staff has established a learning environment with high expectations and clear standards that are consistently enforced.

Job Placement and Post-Graduation Follow-Up- YouthBuild Boston has a proven track record for placing graduates into well-paying, career-oriented jobs which allow them to support themselves and their families.

YouthBuild Boston’s Deputy Director, the Construction Project Manager work together closely to amass an array of job opportunities for students. They then match trainee skills and interests with available opportunities. Prior to this, the students have identified their interests and short term and long term career goals. Historically, trainees have been placed in a wide range of jobs including carpentry, electrical or plumbing apprentice, computer drafting, document control, energy auditor, energy installer, mall maintenance, residential property management, telephone cable installer, youth counselor, community advocate, construction scheduler, construction financial assistant, equal opportunity officer, and surveyor.

YouthBuild Boston actively assists trainees in enrolling in training and post-secondary education. About 1/3 of our graduates expect to participate in some type of continuing education. The Higher Education Resource Center provides YouthBuild Boston staff and students with access to all the necessary catalogs and scholarship information. In addition, linkages with a variety of construction-related certificate and training programs are made available for those interested in pursuing a particular craft or specialty trade.

Through participation with the AmeriCorps program, eligible YouthBuild Boston graduates receive education awards and can access college scholarship funds. YouthBuild Boston actively seeks out job placement with employers providing tuition reimbursement as part of their benefit packages; and as a result, several YouthBuild Boston graduates have had their college education paid by their employers.