The YouthBuild Model
An overview of the YouthBuild program model.
Core Values
No two YouthBuild programs are exactly alike. Locally, programs may vary in scope, focus and duration, according to local community contexts and needs, funding, and partnerships. Every YouthBuild program, however, operates at the nexus of three spheres: positive youth development, education, and workforce readiness and professional credentials.
Every YouthBuild program is built on a foundation of love and the five core elements of our comprehensive model that has been proven over decades to transform the lives of young people:
Love
YouthBuild welcomes opportunity youth with love. YouthBuild believes that these young people do not need fixing; they need champions who see them for who they really are, who see the power they possess, and who believe in them.
Education
Young adults spend roughly half of their time advancing their formal education goals. These can include: working toward their high school diploma or its equivalent, numeracy and literacy skill-building, and hands-on learning, focused on livelihood preparation.
Career Path
Students learn job skills and credentials in construction and in other high-demand employment sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, retail, and information technology.
Support Services
Participants benefit from services that support them in managing and addressing these barriers, helping to meet their basic needs so they can participate, learn, and train at their full capacity.
Leadership Development
At YouthBuild, opportunity youth develop the skillsets and mindsets to grow into community leaders. Youth voice is elevated to cultivate engagement, decision-making, and agency in charting their own path.
Alumni Success
When young people join YouthBuild, they form bonds that extend beyond graduation. They become part of a movement, a community, and a family.
Need for YouthBuild In Missouri
Missouri Graduation Rate
- Statewide graduation rate in 2023 was 90%.
- Only 82% of low-income students in Missouri graduated on time.
Missouri Youth Disconnection Rate
- 10.7% of 16-24 year olds are out-of-school, out-of-work.
Missouri Juvenile Incarceration
- Missouri taxpayers could pay up to $96,159 per year per youth incarcerated.
- In 2021, there were 612 youth residing in juvenile detention, correctional, and residential facilities.