Recent Updates

In early March, twenty-one young people from rural YouthBuild programs across the country gathered for two days of community building. They flew, many for the first time, from places as widespread as Helena, MT, Burlington, VT, Kincaid, WV and Ogden, UT. Together they identified the unique challenges facing rural youth, as well as the creative solutions that they offer their communities.

On Tuesday, February 10, 2015, members of the national service community from around the country gathered in Washington, D.C. for Voices for National Service’s 12th annual Friends of National Service award ceremony. National Alumni Council president Jamiel Alexander was honored as a National Service Advocate of the Year during the event.

Jamiel Alexander and co-honoree Nicole Schmidt were both selected to receive the award after receiving thousands of online votes in support of their work to help raise public awareness of the importance of national service.

This month Haiti will mark the five year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck the country on January 12, 2010. The earthquake killed over 230,000 people, injured 300,000 and displaced 1.5 million. Economic losses are estimated at US$7.9 billion, with reconstruction needs estimated at US$11.3 billion.

On December 4, 2014, YouthBuild USA’s Founder, Dorothy Stoneman, joined President Obama, the First Lady, and Vice President Biden along with hundreds of college presidents and other higher education leaders to announce new actions to help more students prepare for and graduate from college.

Leading up to Labor Day, U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez is traveling across the country talking with Americans about how to support success in the workplace and at home.

One stop during his travels was at YouthBuild Houston where he worked alongside students and listened to their stories. In student led demonstrations, Perez worked on framing and lighting installation. 

The 2014 Skoll Foundation Social Entrepreneurs Challenge has ended. In just six weeks, thanks to your efforts, YouthBuild USA raised $43,855, not including bonus prize money and matching funds. 

The Challenge far exceeded the initial target of $4 million set by Skoll—final tally is more than $6.6 million raised, plus $3.25 million in matching funds and $1.2 million in prizes awarded for a grand total of 11 million dollars!

Thanks to Starbucks Coffee Company and the Schultz Family Foundation, three YouthBuild sites (in Gulfport, Seattle and New York City) have piloted the Customer Service Excellence Training Program. We are drawing upon Starbucks’ expertise and leveraging YouthBuild’s knowledge of young people’s needs to lay the groundwork for training in skills applicable to any retail or customer service role.