Smith’s video message and local program visit support YouthBuild
and highlight the value of national service.
AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith has long been a champion of opportunity youth and YouthBuild.
For the 2022 YouthBuild AmeriCorps Management Conference, Smith provided an inspiring video welcome message for attendees. He directly addressed the 188 program staff who gathered for three days of connection to one another—and to celebrate the impact YouthBuild AmeriCorps programming has on the member, program, and community. His welcome message was a highlight of this annual training event that signifies the start of YouthBuild USA’s 2022–23 AmeriCorps grant year.
“I am so proud that the YouthBuild family is connected to the AmeriCorps family,” said Smith. “Every day you demonstrate the power of national service to transform lives and strengthen communities—communities where systemic inequality denies liberty and possibility for far too many.”
In the fall, Smith also visited New North Citizens’ Council’s Connecticut River Valley YouthBuild program. Although he has been a true champion of opportunity youth for decades, he saw the impact of YouthBuild firsthand when his nephew, Tieke, became a YouthBuild student in Smith’s hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts. Tieke, now a proud Connecticut River Valley YouthBuild alum, showed his uncle around the vibrant program, where Smith shared his personal story with the young people.
We are deeply grateful for Smith’s ongoing leadership and personal support of YouthBuild. With the incredible, uplifting support of AmeriCorps, thousands of opportunity youth are empowered to realize their goals and aspirations, transform into the leaders of today and tomorrow, and provide valuable community service on a global scale — all while paying it forward to the next generation. Together, we’re building brighter futures.
