State YouthBuild Coalitions began forming in 1996. The purpose of the coalitions was to unite the YouthBuild programs within a given state to encourage state legislators to fund the programs at the state level. In addition, the coalitions also attempt to collaborate with other youth serving agencies and coalitions to deliver greater benefits to the youth and the communities they serve. State Coalitions have been patterned after the National YouthBuild Coalition, which has been very successful in securing federal funds for local programs. The National Coalition was developed with the efforts of young people who have been working on rebuilding their lives and their communities. Young people who participate in YouthBuild programs are helping to solve some of the problems facing our society.
At the beginning of 2006, there were thirteen operating coalitions across the country. They are located in California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Six of these coalitions have been successful in obtaining state funding in the past (California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin), that totals in excess of $46,000,000.
YouthBuild USA has recently launched the Criminal Justice Advocacy Initiative in an attempt to secure additional state funds through the criminal justice system. The funding for this project comes from a private foundation and was targeted for states with strong or emerging coalitions. This effort is being targeted in eight states currently with a goal of obtaining funding through this stream in at least three of those states.
Four of the state coalitions have become legal corporations in their states. The first incorporated coalition was in Illinois followed by Ohio, California and Georgia. Incorporation forms the state coalition as a private non-profit entity eligible to accept both private and public funds. YouthBuild USA maintains a seat on the Board of Directors for each of the corporations. The by-laws of each corporation include youth representation on the board. In addition, the Massachusetts YouthBuild Coalition has organized as a professional Association.
State Coalitions have also begun to focus on dealing with issues that impact out-of-school youth in low-income communities. One example of this effort has taken place in Massachusetts where the state coalition attempted to resolve the issue of young people, particularly young women with children, who were losing public assistance benefits when they enter a YouthBuild program and receive a stipend. These young women have made a conscious choice to make a better life for themselves and their families, yet they encounter resistance and they lose TANF benefits, food stamps and even childcare benefits. These actions were inconsistent across the state and were often the result of an individual caseworker's decision. Members of the coalition have met with the Commissioner of the Department of Transitional Assistance and are working to have a fair policy established. The Springfield, MA program recruited the services of Western Massachu-setts Legal Services to fight this battle. On June 29, 2001, a Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the young woman and declared that the YouthBuild and/or AmeriCorps stipend was not to be counted as income. The result of this action has had a dramatic impact on YouthBuild partici-pants across the United States.
The Illinois, California and Georgia State Coalitions have each designed and held youth conferences. The one that was conducted in California was designed, developed and presented entirely by young people. It was a huge success as 180 youth took part in these daylong workshops.
State House Days are conducted in over half of the states where active coalitions exist. This is a day when all of the YouthBuild participants go to the State House to celebrate their accomplishments and those of their programs, learn about the legislative process and meet with their legislators to tell them about the benefits of YouthBuild to the young people and their communities. State House Days are one of the most visible ways of spreading the YouthBuild message to people who can make a difference in providing state funding to programs. It also provides YouthBuild participants with an effective lesson in civic education. Every state should be conducting these events in an effort to make YouthBuild a household name.
Programs are increasingly participating in other statewide events such as carpentry, academic and orienteering challenges. These events serve to bring program participants and staff members together as well as highlighting the skills that have been learned through the YouthBuild pro-gram. In addition, the Massachusetts YouthBuild Coalition has designed and is ready to implement a system of peer review, in an effort to ensure program quality and as a step toward the accreditation of sites through the YouthBuild USA Affiliated Network
For more information contact:
Terry Moran
Director of State Policy Development
YouthBuild USA
58 Day Street
Somerville, MA 02144
617 623-9900 Ext. 1231
tmoran@youthbuild.org
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