King County's Youthbuild Together Program

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Operated through the King County Department of Community and Human Services under the Work Training Program, Youthbuild Together embodies the Youthbuild USA mission as a comprehensive youth and community development program, as well as an alternative school. In a 12-month cycle, the program offers job training, education, counseling, leadership development, and volunteering opportunities to unemployed young adults, ranging in age from 16-24, who have dropped out of high school. Additional eligibility requirements are that participants live in King County and are considered low-income by Federal guidelines.

Participants typically stay 6-8 months with the program, receiving construction training by building affordable housing for low-income families in their own neighborhoods. The buildings that are rehabilitated or constructed during the program are owned or sold by community-based organizations as permanent low-income housing for the area. Completed projects in the past year have included 5 single-family homes, and one 30-resident transitional housing complex. Overall program successes for the 2001 operating year included:

• 33 program graduates, 24 of which were placed in jobs averaging $9.75 per hour
• 6 participants continued on to higher education
• 9 participants completed their GED

In King County, multiple partners provide instructors, equipment, and vouchers to make the Youthbuild Together program a reality. Some of these partners include:

• Seattle Public School District, providing educational instructors
• South Seattle Community College Industrial Complex, providing classrooms and computer training
• Seattle Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, supplying building sites and supervision

The program's strength is demonstrated in how it leverages resources and support from the community. For example, in FY2000, Youthbuild Together requested and received a grant from HUD for $400,000; less than one-third of the program's total annual budget.

Instruction is evenly split between classroom education and career training, with the following objectives:

• Basic math and reading skills, focused toward the attainment of a GED
• Vocational training in construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing
• Social studies on different cultural traditions and heritages, including North American Native, Asian-Pacific Islander, African, and Latino populations

Participants earn college credit with the South Seattle Community College for their vocational work. They are also paid for their labor, as well as receiving monetary incentives for their academic achievements, called Basic Skills Competencies. Participants rotate each week with their team of peers between classroom and work-site instruction. Youthbuild Together also offers leadership and social development activities, including an orientation retreat at a rope-challenge course on Bainbridge Island, and a Vision Quest in Eastern Washington. Both of these activities help to remove youth from the daily, negative reminders of the past. Alumni receive post-program counseling and Youthbuild Together staff stay in contact with alumni for several months following their departure. The Youthbuild Together program is built on the hard work and dedication of its staff, partners, and youth.