YouthBuild’s Formula for Wellbeing
Where does the concept of individual and universal “well-being” fit in the future society we aim to create? It is, of course, central to both the goals and to the…
YouthBuild USA, the support center for the YouthBuild movement, strengthens YouthBuild programs through technical assistance, leadership development, innovative program enhancements, and advocacy. YouthBuild programs located outside of the United States are supported by YouthBuild USA’s international division, YouthBuild International.
More than five million American young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are neither working nor in school.
YouthBuild reaches those with the most strikes against them, offering productive roles in their communities, leadership training, education and skills that lead to well-paying jobs.
Dorothy Stoneman believes that millions of idle or alienated young adults could provide for their families and contribute to development of their communities.
273 YouthBuild programs engage 10,000 young adults each year.
YouthBuild works to offer opportunities to youth by bridging the inequality gap in our educational system and the skills gap in our workforce. This movement embraces second chances‚ a movement to see people for their humanity and create a more just world. The entire world benefits when youth are empowered to succeed.
YouthBuild partners with schools, community centers, economic development corporations, as well as employers, employer networks, funders, and federal and local government agencies. Together the organization employs a holistic approach serving the entire person, reinforcing youth’s long-term professional and personal success.
Assisstant to the Director, Opportunity Youth United
Dorothy Stoneman joined the civil rights movement after graduating from Harvard University in 1964. She lived in Harlem for more than 20 years. As an educator, she noticed young men left behind, unemployed, and sent to prison in large numbers. As a community resident, she noticed boarded-up buildings and people without affordable, decent homes. She began YouthBuild to bring young people into productive engagement by constructing homes. She also led a movement to improve community conditions. First in Harlem, then throughout New York and nationwide with support from YouthBuild USA, the organization pioneered a program that reaches disconnected young adults—those with the most strikes against them, including those already engaged with the drug culture and criminal justice system. It offers them immediately productive roles in their communities, leadership training, education toward a diploma and skills that lead them to well-paying jobs. Dorothy was awarded a MacArthur Genus Fellowship in 1996, the Independent Sector’s John Gardner Leadership award in 2000, and named a Champion of Change by the White House in 2012.
Dorothy served as Founder and CEO of YouthBuild USA, Inc from 1990 through 2016 and continues to coordinate the activities of Opportunity Youth United, which was established in 2014 by YouthBuild USA and 14 other sponsoring nonprofit organizations. John Valverde became YouthBuild's new CEO in January 2017.
There are currently 300 local YouthBuild programs operating in 21 countries, with 252 programs in 46 U.S. states and 48 programs in 20 other countries. To date, nearly 180,000 YouthBuild students have dedicated 50 million community service hours and have built over 35,000 units of affordable housing or community assets to improve their local urban, rural, and tribal communities. In the United States, 5,000 students graduate from the program annually, with 79 percent obtaining high school diplomas or other credentials and 50 percent of them going on to postsecondary education or jobs. In 2020, YouthBuild USA will launch a global rebrand, reflecting a shift in the organizational culture and services to promote the long-term personal and professional success of young people served by YouthBuild programs.
Where does the concept of individual and universal “well-being” fit in the future society we aim to create? It is, of course, central to both the goals and to the…