In honor of Philadelphia’s 17th Annual MLK Day of Service, YouthBuild Philly will help rehabilitate a training facility for Opport-UNITY. Over 200 YouthBuild Philly students, staff and volunteers will join Opport-UNITY, a local organization offering construction training to ex-offenders and people in addiction recovery, on Monday, January 16.
The new training facility will be located at the historical Engine Company No.11 building on South Street. Prior to the desegregation of the Philadelphia Fire Department in 1952, Engine 11 was Philadelphia’s de facto African American firehouse. YouthBuild Philadelphia will work with staff and students from Opport-UNITY to complete an ongoing rehabilitation process by cleaning and painting The Willie G. Williams Multipurpose Center, an approximately 10,000 sq. ft. building.
If you are interested in working on this project with the Young Friends of YouthBuild Philly on MLK Day, please sign-up to volunteer here.
DETAILS:
Date and time: Monday, January 16, 2012, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: The Willie G. Williams Mutlipurpose Center (Engine Company No. 11
1016-18 South St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
Click for map and street view
Contact: Kristen Forbriger, kforbriger@youthbuildphilly.org
Happy Holidays from YouthBuild!
As we approach the end of 2011, the entire YouthBuild family wants to take a moment to thank you for all that our supporters have done this year for Philadelphia’s young people. Thanks to your help, we have so much to be grateful for, including:
- 159 former high school dropouts earning diplomas in 2011
- 161 students earning vocational certification through hands-on training and community service
- 213 at-risk youth joining the YouthBuild family as the Class of 2012.
Please consider giving to YouthBuild Philly’s 2011 Annual Fund before the year is out. Your tax-deductible donation will help us reach our year-end goal of $15,000 for our transition services program, allowing us to support students and graduates as they pursue college and careers. We are almost there!
Please make a gift toward a young person’s future today. You can also mail a check to YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School at 1231 N. Broad St, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19122.
Thank you again for all your support this year. From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!
Thanksgiving Feast at YouthBuild Philly
Every year, we celebrate Thanksgiving as a giant family at YouthBuild Philly, and a feast is prepared for over 300 students, their children, and staff members. Here are some photos of the event:
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- Social studies classroom is filled with food
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- Young Friends help serve the meal
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- Students’ plates are piled high
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- “Case management hallway” is lined with desserts
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- Arts and crafts in the “Kids Room”
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- The kids love the cupcakes
This year’s luncheon was extra-special, thanks to the support of our friends!
Does your company give through United Way?
Is your organization participating in a United Way giving campaign? YouthBuild Philly is a United Way community partner, and we receive donations through United Way of Southeastern PA as Donor Choice #14574.
YouthBuild gives high school dropouts in Philly a second chance. If you don’t know about us, please take 6 minutes to watch this short film produced by the Sundance Institute.
There are tens of thousands of dropouts in Philly. We offer the most motivated of these young people the opportunity to earn a diploma and receive vocational training. We help them prepare for college and careers, and gain the life skills to be successful and self-sufficient.
If you are making a donation to United Way, please consider designating your contribution to YouthBuild Philly with UWSEPA Donor Choice #14574. Please share our work, and this number, with your colleagues and encourage them to do the same.
You can also donate online here.
Thanks so much for your support!
Q & A with new student Tahir
Tahir, age 19, is a new student at YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School. Over the next 12-15 months, Tahir and 213 other former high school dropouts will work toward their diplomas, vocational certification, college and careers. Tahir shares his personal story with us.
Why did you drop-out of school?
Bullying and all its effects. I was robbed, jumped, beat up and teased often. I didn’t want to go to school. At one point, I didn’t want to go outside. I didn’t want to be around anyone my age. I became reclusive.
So, why did you come to YouthBuild?
I got tired of sitting idly at home and not doing anything. I want to start working and I can’t do that without education and knowledge. My mom told me about YouthBuild, so I came to orientation, and I was excited about the opportunity to learn a trade.
How has the experience been so far?
Unbelievable. The energy here is noteworthy. It’s not something you will get in most places. I’ve never seen a learning environment where there’s this kind of relationship between teachers and students. A lot of people get individual attention, but there’s not favoritism. If all the schools adopted YouthBuild’s culture, kids would want to go to school and we wouldn’t have so many dropouts. How many schools do you know where staff give high fives in the morning?
Not many. What are you most looking forward to this year?
Graduation. I want to walk across that stage and get my diploma. At one point, I never thought I would have that opportunity. Now I’m planning to go to college. I never even thought about going to college, until the first week at YouthBuild when we visited Community College of Philadelphia (CCP). I never thought I would be able to go to college, pay for college, or get a scholarship. Now, I have the opportunity to get my AmeriCorps education award to pay for school.
What do you plan to do with that AmeriCorps education award after YouthBuild?
My trade at YouthBuild is design and woodworking. I want to continue in that field by attending CCP for architecture, and then transfer to a 4-year school. I want to be as prepared as possible to start my career, and I know I need a higher degree to get the kind of job that I want.
And you created this plan in your first month at YouthBuild?
Yes. I’ve always wanted to be an architect, but I didn’t know the steps to get there. Now I do.
Tahir and his squad leader, Jose
Celebrating the last day of Mental Toughness Training with students and staff
VIDEO: New students join the YouthBuild family!
On the final day of YouthBuild Philly’s Class of 2012 Mental Toughness Training — a two week orientation period designed for applicants to learn more about our program and demonstrate their motivation to reclaim their education — applicants joined staff at the Doubletree Hotel for a closing ceremony. Watch this video to see their reaction to the big announcement that they are accepted into YouthBuild:
Congratulations to the future Class of 2012! Visit our blog and Facebook page for updates on our new students.
Congratulations Class of 2011!
More than 1000 family members, friends, and partners joined YouthBuild Philly for our Class of 2011 Commencement Ceremony on August 26th at Zion Baptist Church. After a rigorous year of transformation and skill building, 105 former dropouts joined the ranks of nearly 1800 young people who have earned diplomas at YouthBuild.
For the third consecutive year, Mayor Michael A. Nutter joined us to celebrate the occasion, congratulate the graduates, and encourage them to continue their education. Over 50% of the graduates plan to attend a post-secondary school, and many already earned college credits this summer at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP).
This year, YouthBuild awarded its first annual Legacy Award honoring a community member who has made a lasting impact on YouthBuild students and alumni. The 
2011 Legacy Award was presented to David E. Thomas, Dean of the Division of Adult and Community Education at CCP. During the 2010-11 Academic Year, David worked to strengthen connections between YouthBuild and CCP, including structuring a summer bridge program that resulted in a 210% increase in enrollment and an 82% completion rate. As YouthBuild Executive Director Simran Sidhu said, “Thanks to David’s lasting contributions, every YouthBuild graduate will have a better opportunity to achieve their dreams. “
Student speakers included Class of 2011 Valedictorian Chiquita Smith, the Co-Salutitorians, Amika Miller and Sharnice Miller, Staff Award presenters Amir Johnson and Dwayne Thompson, and John Gallery Leadership Award recipient Naja Bland. Naja said:
A leader to me has the ability to change for the better, keep moving forward, and make the best decisions to the best of their abilities. Leaders are respectful, considerate of others and themselves, positive, and resilient. These are some of the qualities of the leaders I attended school with this past year.
To see more pictures of the ceremony, please visit our Facebook page here, and leave a comment to shout-out our graduates!
Upcoming Event: Class of 2011 Graduation!
Over 100 former high school dropouts will receive diplomas before hundreds of friends, family, and supporters of YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School on Friday, August 26 at Zion Baptist Church in North Philadelphia.
The commencement ceremony celebrates the completion of a rigorous year of academics, vocational training, and community service. All graduates earn both a high school diploma and industry recognized certification.
For the third consecutive year, we are honored to announce that Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter will deliver the keynote address at the event. Check out photos and details from previous ceremonies here!
We invite our partners, supporters and friends in Philadelphia to join us for the special occasion. If you plan to attend on Friday, August 26 at 10 am, RSVP so we can save you a seat!
Additional Links:
Over 75 volunteers participated in the 2011 Transformation Interviews, YouthBuild Philadelphia’s capstone project, to help students formally demonstrate their readiness to transition to post-secondary education and careers. Volunteers joined staff members for the panel interviews, and asked students to reflect on their time at YouthBuild and discuss personal strengths, skills, and goals.
Transformation Interviews were held June 7-10, but students began preparing months in advance through a special course and Saturday School practice sessions. The process was designed to prepare students for a real world interview, and improve professionalism and public speaking skills.
Sierra Pugh, Class of 2011
“In the Transformation Interview class, I learned how to dress appropriately, have eye contact, and speak loudly and clearly,” said student Sierra Pugh. “The questions in the final interview got me ready for my next interview for a job.”
Volunteers from the Young Friends of YouthBuild, and the Junior League of Philadelphia helped students prepare through one-on-one interviews and practice panels during Saturday School in April and May.
“Volunteers are a critical part of the Transformation Interview process because they provide feedback to students from outside our YouthBuild world,” said Maggie Larson, YouthBuild’s Community Projects Coordinator responsible for overseeing Transformation Interviews. “‘Students are asked to step outside their comfort zone and engage with our volunteers in ways that foster connections and provide invaluable communication and interview experience with working professionals.”
Photos from the practice sessions:
Learn about volunteer opportunities at YouthBuild and sign-up here!
Do you know a high school dropout?
Attention Philadelphia: YouthBuild is now accepting applications for the 2011-12 school year!
YouthBuild is an opportunity for out-of-school youth, between the ages of 18-20, to earn a high school diploma and prepare for the future. Most importantly, we are looking for young people who are motivated to learn, serve, succeed, and change their lives.
When students are asked what they like most about the program, the most common answer is, “YouthBuild Philadelphia is a family.” In addition to our multi-layered support system, YouthBuild provides the opportunity for young people to:
- Earn a high school diploma
- Receive hands-on job training
- Certification in construction, healthcare, or technology
- Prepare for college and careers
More than 1700 young adults have completed the program since 1992, and our graduates consistently move on to college and full-time employment. To learn more about YouthBuild, please continue to browse our blog, visit our website, and watch this video.
Please see detailed eligibility requirements, including:
- 18 to 20 years old on the first day of enrollment.
- Resident of Philadelphia
- Officially dropped out of school (transfer students and post-graduates are not eligible)
