Establish a YouthBuild chapter for at-risk youth ages 16-24. YouthBuild is a federally funded program for low-income young people to learn construction skills through building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people in their neighborhoods and other community assets such as schools, playgrounds, and community centers. The year-long program also helps students earn their high school diploma or GED while learning vocational life skills.
[Connection to Comprehensive Plan] YouthBuild will provide Erie’s young people with a common civic direction and an ethic of reinvestment in their community. They will develop a sense of pride in their work, their social bonds, and themselves. (Erie Refocused, p. 11)