“YouthBuild was designed to give at-risk youth ready for employment. In Dayton, we have a huge need for programs like this,” said Adam Blake, vice president of County Corp. “This program was very successful at a charter school, and County Corp took over this grant two years ago.”
The 22 student members were divided into three smaller groups to work at the three locations. When they were finished in the Wright Dunbar district, they had filled about 10 large trash bags. The trash was gone, the bushes were trimmed and the fallen tree limbs were collected. The children’s park was built in 2003 by Home Depot, Dayton Community, and KaBOOM! Coincidentally, the tot-lot was installed by YouthBuild members.
“A lot of youth models are missing two key components: opportunity, and resources. And that’s what we can provide,” said Jerry Farley, YouthBuild program manager. This gives these kids an opportunity to complete their education and get industry credentials in construction. We also have some financial resources and give them on-the-job experience. All that combined, really gives our young people a boost up.”
YouthBuild/AmeriCorps targets at-risk youth and ex-offending adults 18-24 years old who have not completed high school. The program provides them with life skills, builds resumes, and markets them as employable young adults. They earn their high school diplomas or GEDs, and the can also receive secondary education credits for colleges and trade schools. Four of the five student leaders volunteering that day were: Bell Collins, Thea Odon, Jovaughn Lambert, and Kyle Molthop.
“It’s all about helping the children. I love being a leader,” said Collins, who found out about the service program from a friend. “I want to become an activist, hopefully from my hometown. I want to be in the construction business to rebuild the next generation’s vision of what they want their hometown to be.”
“It is inspiring to watch these young men and women make a difference in their lives and in our community,” Blake said. “This program represents the importance of funding initiatives that bring positive change to our community during these difficult times.”
The YouthBuild/AmeriCorps project is funded by the U.S. Dept. of Labor and the Corporation for National Service. In Dayton, the project is administered through County Corp, Montgomery County’s nonprofit development corporation since 1979.
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