Panelists Karen Walker (Director, National Institute to Unlock Potential, Persevere) Alisa Malone (Chief Executive Officer, Persevere), and Burgundi Allison (Associate Director for Diversion and Prevention/Leadership Member, Juvenile Justice Strategy Group, Annie E. Casey Foundation) at the YouthBuild USA’s Court-Involved Youth Community of Practice.
In recent months, the YouthBuild USA Career Pathways, Construction, and Alumni Services Teams hosted two in-person convenings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Fort Worth, Texas. YouthBuild USA staff, YouthBuild program leaders, YouthBuild alumni, and partners gathered in person to share insights and best practices in key areas of focus for partnering with opportunity youth, including creating sustainable green jobs pathways and supporting court-involved young people.
In October, as a capstone to its Green Jobs Pathways Discovery Project, generously funded by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the teams gathered five YouthBuild program leaders in Philadelphia, hosted by YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School. Program leaders from Mile High Youth Corps YouthBuild (Denver, CO), YouthBuild HOPE (Bronx, NY), American Youthworks’ YouthBuild Austin (Austin, TX), and YouthBuild Worcester (Worcester, MA) shared their diverse, creative initiatives for implementing green job pathways including building sustainable tiny homes, solar panel installation, and horticulture. Program leaders also heard from local partners and YouthBuild alumni in the solar energy field. The convening highlighted the Green Jobs Pathways Discovery Project as critical to advancing YouthBuild USA’s strategic vision of environmental justice, field-informed innovation, and cultivating skillsets and mindsets so young people can thrive in high-growth industries.
In November, the teams co-hosted with CLC, Inc. YouthBuild Fort Worth an in-person gathering of YouthBuild USA’s Court-Involved Youth Community of Practice, generously funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Program leaders, along with a youth participant from each program, assembled to discuss strategies, create action plans, assess needs, and connect with local and national strategic partners to serve the community in supporting court-involved young people—both now and long into the future. Participating programs included Georgia Building Trades Academy (GABTA) YouthBuild (Atlanta, GA); YouthBuild St. Paul Westside (St. Paul, MN); Juncos Puerto Rico YouthBuild (Junco, PR); YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School (Philadelphia, PA); YouthBuild Greater Stark County (Canton, OH); and YouthBuild Rochester (Rochester, NY).
This year, the Career Pathways, Construction, and Alumni Services Teams will compile their insights and learnings from these impactful collaborations with our field and our partners into resources that will be shared across the YouthBuild network.
Questions about these convenings, collaboration, or partnerships? Please contact the YouthBuild USA Career Pathways and Alumni Services Teams at careerpathways@youthbuild.org and alumni@youthbuild.org.
