Class act: At-risk youth build a promising future in San Joaquin
Fall 2012
Once a student gets in a bit of trouble, it’s often difficult to regain a focus on academics. Many drop out of school altogether, making it next to impossible to have a productive career. But the San Joaquin County Office of Education has found a cost-effective way to pull the community together and help students finish their high school diploma while learning useful work skills.
YouthBuild San Joaquin pairs county office programs with the county housing authority, Regional Occupational Centers/Programs, carpenters’ and laborers’ training committees, and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to provide a structured education and training program.
It’s a winning arrangement for all, one that yields bottom-line dividends: Students are paid an hourly wage for their work, while the county gets its low-income housing renovated. Construction unions, apprenticeship councils, industry associations, philanthropic foundations, and county, state and federal agencies help support the program through grants and in-kind donations.
After a three-week screening period, motivated young adults complete rotations of academic instruction and hands-on training in construction skills, which they practice by renovating vacant public housing developments. By the end of the program, students generally earn a high school diploma or equivalency and a construction certification.
The YouthBuild program has proved to be easy to replicate, as the San Joaquin program is one of 26 in the state and part of a network of hundreds worldwide. San Joaquin officials, in fact, learned about the program at a state ROC/P conference, and got help from Yuba County Office of Education program staff who were already running a similar program. Regular meetings of the California YouthBuild Coalition help affiliates implement programs and find funding to sustain their work.
YouthBuild San Joaquin program leader Sheilah Goulart says it’s so successful because it simultaneously addresses core issues facing low-income communities: housing, education, employment, crime prevention and leadership development.
“By connecting resources and talent,” she says, “these [partner] agencies have created a program that teaches young people the strategies to overcome their academic and economic challenges and become contributing members of society.”
A CSBA Golden Bell winner in 2011, YouthBuild San Joaquin does even more to help students succeed by providing formal life and work skills training each week, rounding it out with job placement and volunteer opportunities.
One 2011 participant had dropped out of school when he learned about the program. “This was a dream come true,” he said. “This place offers opportunity. People want to come and change their lives.”
—Kristi Garrett