About the author
Liza Herzog is a senior researcher with the Philadelphia Education Fund.
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YouthBuild: Combining school and work to re-engage youth
by Liza Herzog
“Give me some skin!” Edward Carr and Analicia Lindsay-Wilson slap each other high-five.
These nineteen-year-old former high school dropouts were sharing a moment that neither had thought possible just one year ago. They were celebrating perfect attendance at YouthBuild Charter School. Not a single day absent, not a day late so far. Both planned to keep that up, and not just for the free laptop that they would be rewarded.
Carr added, “I never miss a day. It’s not even an option. I’ll make 100%—easy.”
These two students describe their high school experiences as several things, none pleasant: crowded, uncaring, boring, hectic, irrelevant, and unsafe. No single incident led to their leaving high school—instead, as it is with many students, it was more a gradual fallout. They say it was easy to stay home, because no one was looking.
At YouthBuild, someone is looking, these students say. In fact, more than someone—three or more adults are paying close attention to each one of YouthBuild’s 200 students enrolled in the 10-month program. Aged 18-20, students are all low-income. Most have spent time coping with systems including foster care, juvenile justice, welfare, and housing. About 40 percent are parents themselves.
Each student has a support team, consisting of a mentor, a case manager and a transition services coordinator. All adults are seen as resources, regularly called upon by students for needs that go well beyond academic. One student put it this way, “If you need help, you can really ask anyone about anything, from homework to child care. That adult will stay after school with you to talk about it. If they don’t know [how to resolve the issue] personally, then they know someone who does.”
Students divide their time between classroom and worksite, rotating between “work side” and “school side” every six weeks. Staff believes this allows for immersion in each—schoolwork and real work—without growing dull. YouthBuild is one of a number of programs in the city – including career academies such as the 30-year-old Automotive Academy at West Philadelphia High School – that look to engage young people by connecting school and work, and by orienting their instruction toward real world applications.
YouthBuild’s core program is construction, where students rehabilitate abandoned houses and do community service. This past year, a group of students flew to Gulfport, Mississippi to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.
This year, in response to local high-growth health care and technology sectors, the school added a Certified Nurse Assistant training program (through a partnership with the Red Cross of Southeastern PA) and a certification in Information Technology. They offer 32 slots in IT and 20 in nursing. The rest of the students participate in the construction program.
Students can graduate in one year but must maintain an 80 percent attendance rate overall and pass their vocational experience as well as three grade-level modules. Over the past three years, about two-thirds of YouthBuild students have earned a high school diploma. In 2006, YouthBuild successfully placed 88 percent of their graduates in employment, two-year and four-year colleges, or vocational schools.
YouthBuild’s high level of student support is expensive: the school spends about $20,000 per student, almost double what the District spends. Government and foundation grants make up the difference.
Getting in isn’t easy. Last year, YouthBuild screened nearly 1,000 applications for 200 slots.
There are some extra supports for “life after YouthBuild.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through its Assets For Independence Program, awards funds to enable graduates to open Individual Development Accounts. Encouraging students to build assets through a matched contribution, the IDA program will kick in $3,000 if a student can save $800 over a two-year period. The student can use these funds toward a first home, college, or to start a business. All students are considered part-time AmeriCorps members, eligible for an educational stipend of $2,300, good for up to seven years after graduation.
Carr and Lindsay-Wilson are taking advantage of these opportunities. He plans to attend a carpentry program in the fall, while she has four college applications in—she’s hoping for Temple.
Applications are being accepted now for fall 2007. For information, contact Amy Kapp, at 215-627-8671 or akapp@youthbuildphilly.org.