YouthBuild McLean County AmeriCorps, located in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, has demonstrated outstanding impact in the area of economic opportunity by fostering a transformation through service for its members and its community. YouthBuild AmeriCorps programs offer low-income out-of-school young people age 16-24 an opportunity to build their futures and their communities by engaging in education, leadership development, job training, and the rehabilitation and production of affordable housing. YouthBuild McLean County AmeriCorps is an exceptional example of a program serving youth and low-income residents through the implementation of a thoughtfully-planned, innovative, and successful program model that combines the power of love with the power of opportunity.

YouthBuild McLean County’s YouthBuild AmeriCorps members are high school dropouts, many of whom receive public assistance and have been youth or adult offenders. 76% of the members are minority youth. Considering that our nation’s dropout crisis disproportionately impacts minority and low-income students, the very population that YouthBuild seeks to impact, YouthBuild McLean County’s GED/high school diploma attainment rate of 90.38% is particularly remarkable. The program couples its high quality instruction with a commitment to service learning; for example, the program’s environmental science class is a complete service-learning class with an extensive teamwork component. Each service project includes a verbal and written reflection to encourage members to approach and participate in service more deliberately, asking members to be intentional about their impact.

The program’s primary service activity, building and rehabilitating affordable housing, is similarly designed with a dedication to community responsibility—the program is a leader in YouthBuild’s green building movement, giving access to greener, more energy-efficient homes to low-income residents while training its AmeriCorps members in these green building practices to better prepare them for our green economy. Of 12 houses the program built or rehabilitated last year, 6 met the stringent criteria for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, an internationally recognized green building certification system that measures and aims to increase energy savings, improve water efficiency, reduce CO₂ emissions, improve indoor air quality, and promote the use of materials that are renewable, recyclable, and sustainable. LEED homes are 25%-30% more energy efficient, allowing low-income residents to reduce their energy costs and their carbon footprint. The program also provides training to members and staff in weatherization and energy auditing, and is partnering with a master gardener to plan vegetable gardens and native plants in the community.

During service, the program successfully “flips the script” of service for its members, changing the idea of community service from something punitive to something positive. As a result, the majority of members continue serving their community after completing the program. And the program prepares and supports members for college and career placement through partnerships with local colleges, job shadowing, and internships. The education and training members receive during service are extremely effective—the program has a post-secondary education and employment placement rate of 83%! The program truly is an example of the transformative impact of service on the economic opportunity of members and on the community!