YouthBuild Columbus Charter School (YouthBuild Columbus) is one of the seven sites selected to participate in the new Postsecondary Education Initiative announced recently by YouthBuild USA and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Through program activities supported by the grant, YouthBuild Columbus will help more young adults earn high school diplomas and go on to complete postsecondary programs, including programs at two- and four-year colleges, technical schools and apprenticeships.
YouthBuild Columbus is using grant funds to deepen their partnership with Columbus State Community College (CSCC). The partnership will include an articulation agreement that allows YouthBuild Columbus students to earn college credit during their YouthBuild experience. Many YouthBuild students and graduates are also eligible for no-cost enrollment in a college-credit construction management program at CSCC.
Along with this postsecondary partnership, YouthBuild Columbus has expanded their graduate support services through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant. The program hired youth counselor Valerie Lamar to serve as Postsecondary Coordinator, a newly created position. Lamar will provide intensive support services for students as they transition to and through postsecondary programs.
YouthBuild Columbus graduates who demonstrate persistence and success in a range of postsecondary institutions will also receive educational aids provided through the grant, including laptop computers, books, curriculum-related materials and college tutoring.
Finally, Principal Derek Steward and teachers at YouthBuild Columbus Charter School will continue to focus their attention on providing the type of rigorous academic instruction that fully prepares all graduates to succeed in postsecondary settings.
Marcus Gibson, a 2005 graduate of YouthBuild Columbus Charter School, described how the effective instruction at YouthBuild helped him succeed. “When I joined YouthBuild, I found that my teachers cared enough to teach me in interesting ways that didn’t bore me. All of a sudden, I found that I could do high school work and succeed,” Gibson said. “Now I have graduated from Columbus State Community College with an associate’s degree in business administration.” Gibson now has his sights set on a bachelor’s degree, and even postgraduate work.
The Postsecondary Education Initiative will ensure that, like Gibson, more YouthBuild students across the country can access and successfully complete postsecondary programs.
Along with YouthBuild Columbus, other sites in the initiative include YouthBuild Brockton, Mass.; Metro Atlanta YouthBuild AmeriCorps, Atlanta and Marietta, Ga.; YouthBuild McLean County Inc., Bloomington, Ill.; Operation Fresh Start Inc., Madison, Wisc.; YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School, Philadelphia, Pa.; and Portland YouthBuilders, Portland, Ore.
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