The global headquarters for the YouthBuild movement unveils new name to affirm its service to an expansive network of YouthBuild programs around the world.
Roxbury-based nonprofit YouthBuild USA has been renamed YouthBuild Global to affirm its role as headquarters for the global YouthBuild movement.
YouthBuild Global unifies and partners with an expansive network of more than 320 YouthBuild programs around the world, championing opportunity youth as they achieve their ambitions and reach their full potential. In YouthBuild programs, young people who are out of school and out of work reclaim their education, gain job skills and become leaders in their communities through service and civic engagement. From training, technical assistance, capacity building and innovative program enhancements to leadership development, sustainability and advocacy, YouthBuild Global serves as a convener, collaborator and catalyst for the entire YouthBuild movement.
“By emphasizing the global presence of the YouthBuild movement, we are able to truly position ourselves as one movement, one mission, one YouthBuild,” said John Valverde, president and CEO of YouthBuild Global. “For almost half a century, YouthBuild has stood with opportunity youth as they build brighter futures for themselves and their communities. Now, YouthBuild Global lays the foundation for our next chapter as we continue supporting and strengthening our local programs, unifying our expansive network and catalyzing opportunity for young people around the world.”
To date, YouthBuild has partnered with more than 210,000 young people to dedicate over 52 million hours of service benefitting urban, rural and tribal communities. The first YouthBuild program was founded in East Harlem, New York, in 1978. In 1990, YouthBuild USA was formed as the nonprofit support center for YouthBuild programs across the United States. By 2001, YouthBuild laid the groundwork for its international expansion, starting in South Africa, and eventually growing to several more countries. In 2007, YouthBuild International (YBI) was created to respond to the growing need to champion opportunity youth around the world, and YouthBuild International became a division of YouthBuild USA. Now, the organization’s domestic and international work are fully integrated under the sole umbrella of YouthBuild Global.
Globally it is estimated by the International Labour Organization that there are over 269 million young people who are not in employment, education, or training. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts believe the youth disconnection rate may be even higher. Within the opportunity youth population, YouthBuild primarily serves young people who lack a high school diploma and financial resources. These young people are in greatest need of our support, and they are our greatest source of untapped potential to create more equitable economic growth and transform the world. In YouthBuild’s environment of love, respect, high expectations, belonging and agency, young people overcome barriers and build long-term professional and personal success.
