YouthBuild Providence AmeriCorps is a rigorous education and workforce development program that helps out-of-school youth gain the academic, job readiness, and occupational skills needed to make a successful transition into the construction industry and other high-growth, high-demand occupational sectors. The program recruits low-income high school dropouts, age 16-24. These young people become AmeriCorps members, charged with transforming their own lives and their community through building and rehabilitating affordable housing.

YouthBuild Providence AmeriCorps is an urban program with an established target area that consists of five high-need neighborhoods in Providence. In the areas served by the program, 41.1% of families live below poverty and 23.6% of households are on public assistance. In portions of the target area, the child poverty rate reaches 60%, and the unemployment rate exceeds 20%. These indicators are driven by high rates of school dropout (38%) and a disproportionate number of residents who are incarcerated or on parole/probation. According to the RI Department of Corrections, one in eight Providence men are either incarcerated or on parole/probation. It is in this environment that the AmeriCorps members in YouthBuild Providence have grown up and in which they have dropped out of high school.

YouthBuild Providence AmeriCorps members participate in a program designed to provide them with the academic and workplace skills needed to make a successful transition into the working world. The model includes an academic curriculum that prepares students for the GED and higher education; job-readiness training that provides students with the skills needed to secure employment in career-oriented professions; and service that provides members with a commitment to impacting their community and occupational skills in construction – a booming industry in the state that is poised for substantial growth. Through the service learning component, YouthBuild students connect with the city’s neighborhoods in ways that are positive and tangible, building confidence and self-esteem while also serving the community. Throughout this process, the program provides high-quality support services and counseling to the members designed to provide them with the life skills needed to overcome personal and structural barriers to employment or post-secondary education and to allow them to become leaders in their community.

The program is committed to green building practices. Members receive instruction in the  Sustainable Practicum Curriculum, which includes a service element, allowing students to gain skills in a full spectrum of green building applications, including Environmental Quality, Energy Efficiency and Generation, Materials and Waste Reduction, and Green Entrepreneurship. 7 of the 9 affordable homes that the program has built or rehabilitated in the past year are ENERGY STAR rated, meaning that they meet the strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the EPA and are 15%-30% more energy-efficient than standard homes.