YouthBuild
Dropout Prevention

YouthBuild offers low-income youth both education and job training services. YouthBuild’s education component emphasizes attaining a GED or high school diploma, typically in alternative schools with small class sizes and an emphasis on individualized instruction. In YouthBuild’s job-training program, participants work in construction jobs building affordable housing for low-income and homeless people in their communities. YouthBuild is targeted to youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are from low-income families and who have demonstrated educational need, typically by being high school dropouts. Participants spend six months to two years in the program. During this time, they alternate weeks between being full-time students and working full-time in the job-training program. Throughout the program, youth participate in counseling, peer support groups, and life-planning exercises that are intended to encourage them to overcome negative habits and pursue life goals. YouthBuild programs are typically sponsored by community- or faith-based organizations. These programs are linked by a centralized national office that provides implementation support to local YouthBuild sites, such as staff training and information on best practices and program innovations.