Easter Seals Disability Services

30 Youth Selected for YouthBuild at Tool Belt Ceremony

Easter Seals WRC helps youth unlock a world of possibilities through YouthBuild

After a rigorous weeklong boot camp, 30 unemployed youth ages 18-24 prove they have what it takes to participate in YouthBuild. YouthBuild assists young people in gaining their high school diploma and marketable job training by building and rehabbing housing for low-income or homeless individuals in the community. Easter Seals WRC was chosen this year to be one of more than 225 YouthBuild sites across the country.

Pete Strange, Chair, Messer Construction Co., will present the 25 young men and women with a Tool Belt for them to use as they work throughout the YouthBuild program.  The youth working in YouthBuild, most of whom have not completed high school and all of whom come from low-income families, will divide their time between working toward a high school diploma at PACE High School and a construction site where they will rehab homes for low-income or homeless in the community.

“This is an exciting day for these youth,” says Debbie Smith, director of Easter Seals WRC youth services. “A week ago their futures were uncertain. Today, they begin to take positive steps toward unlocking a world of possibilities.” At the end of the 6-24 month program, the youth will have the opportunities to earn their high school diploma and receive the NCCER Certification in Construction Craft and Carpentry through Messer Construction Co. This certification is a pre-requisite to any construction trade.

The tools they receive today signify the tools at their fingertips to transform their lives. Through YouthBuild they will graduate from school and begin to support their families and restore their neighborhoods.