New resource shares insights and best practices from YouthBuild USA’s
Green Jobs Pathways Discovery Project, funded by Bank of America
Highlighting its ongoing commitment to environmental justice and field-informed innovation, YouthBuild USA has published “YouthBuild Green Sector Strategies: Emerging Trends and Best Practices,” available for download here.
This work is the culmination of YouthBuild USA’s recent Green Jobs Pathways Discovery Project, funded by Bank of America. Through this discovery project, YouthBuild USA gathered insights from YouthBuild programs on what is needed to plan, design, implement and sustain green jobs pathways and initiatives. A central part of this process involved identifying programs’ current green initiatives, pathways, and practices, and collaborating to better understand their current approaches, challenges, and needs.
American YouthWorks’ YouthBuild (Austin, TX), Mile High Youth Corps YouthBuild (Denver, CO), YouthBuild HOPE (Bronx, NY), YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School (Philadelphia, PA), and YouthBuild Worcester (Worcester, MA) were selected to participate in this project based on their experience implementing a diverse array of green initiatives ranging from the construction of tiny homes to energy, water, and land conservation.
Economic and environmental injustice are inextricably linked. The same communities facing environmental injustice also often lack access to well-paying careers. When young people are provided with career pathways in the green economy, they can transform their lives and communities for the better. Green jobs training is one of the keys to building sustainable communities and positioning youth for long-term professional success.