North Shore CDC’s YouthBuild Program to Graduate 23 Students

On Thursday, December 14th at 5pm, North Shore CDC will be holding a graduation for 23 opportunity youth from around the North Shore region. The public event, held at Root in Salem’s Shetland Park will celebrate a year of hard work and dedication to education for these students.

In order to graduate, all students must complete hundreds of hours community service, go through two Mental Toughness programs, and pass a variety of standardized tests including Hi-SET (GED), and construction certifications. All of the 23 students graduating have actively participated in AmeriCorps as part of their program, and some will continue to serve after graduation. Participating in AmeriCorps allows each student to receive a $1,500 educational award, which will be put towards college for 19 of those graduating.

The YouthBuild program focuses on low-income young people ages 16 to 24 working toward their high school equivalency diplomas, and teaches them job skills by building affordable housing in their communities. An emphasis is placed on leadership development, education, counseling, community service projects with tangible impacts, and future pursuits in college, careers, or both in the program. YouthBuild is a national model, comprised of 50% Education, 40 % Construction, and 10% Community Service.

YouthBuild is a program of North Shore Community Development Coalition, with grant funding provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, AmeriCorps, and MA DESE

For more information, please contact Marketing and Development Manager, Abbie Allenson, at Abbie@northshorecdc.org or 978-825-4004.