Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of nearly $90.4 million in YouthBuild grants to prepare young adults not enrolled in school or participating in the labor market for jobs in construction and other in-demand industries through apprenticeship and other career pathways, especially jobs that support clean energy technologies.
Following its Nov. 23, 2021 announcement of available funding, the department awarded 68 grants – ranging from $700,000 to $1.5 million – to organizations in 28 states and Puerto Rico to deliver job training and employment services. Participants will engage in classroom learning that will prepare them for work-based learning opportunities building and rehabilitating affordable housing for low-income or homeless families in their communities.
Participants will split their time between workplace training and the classroom, where they will earn a high school diploma or equivalent degree to prepare for postsecondary opportunities.
Administered by the department's Employment and Training Administration, the latest YouthBuild grants complement the Biden-Harris administration's workforce priorities to advance equitable career pathway opportunities, quality jobs and climate sustainability by supporting programs that provide construction skills focused on green building techniques, including understanding sustainable building materials, solar panel installation, weatherization processes and the use of Energy Star appliances. These announcements will also further the President Biden's Justice40 Initiative that commits to delivering at least 40 percent of the benefits from federal climate and clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities.
For the first time, the YouthBuild funding opportunity announcement included criteria that awarded bonus points for applicants that demonstrated their ability to provide training in green construction techniques, training the next generation of workers for resilience and clean energy careers of the future.
YouthBuild programs also train young people for employment in healthcare, information technology, manufacturing and logistics, culinary arts and hospitality.
Learn more about the YouthBuild program.
The list of YouthBuild grant recipients follows this release.
Recipient City State Amount
Bessemer Housing Authority Bessemer AL $1,500,000
Housing Authority of Birmingham District Birmingham AL $1,500,000
Cornerstone Revitalization Foundation Inc. Birmingham AL $1,259,237
Huntsville Housing Authority Huntsville AL $1,500,000
Alliance for Community Empowerment Canoga Park CA $1,332,000
EntreNous Youth Empowerment Services Inc. Compton CA $1,500,000
Coalition for Responsible Community Development Los Angeles CA $1,500,000
Volunteers of America of Los Angeles Los Angeles CA $1,425,519
City of Richmond Richmond CA $1,199,000
Year One Inc. Denver CO $1,114,987
Wilmington Housing Authority Wilmington DE $1,500,000
Lakeland Housing Authority Lakeland FL $1,500,000
Gang Alternative Inc. Little Haiti/Miami FL $1,500,000
AMIkids Space Coast Inc. Melbourne FL $1,500,000
Citrus Levy Marion Regional Workforce Development Board Inc. Ocala FL $844,712
AMIkids Panama City Marine Institute Inc. Panama City FL $1,500,000
Urban League of Greater Atlanta Atlanta GA $1,500,000
Georgia Building Trades Academy Inc. Atlanta GA $1,152,000
Quad County Urban League Inc. Aurora IL $1,146,713
Housing Authority of Champaign County Champaign IL $1,500,000
Community Development Institute Chicago IL $1,062,000
Spero Family Services Mount Vernon IL $864,000
YBLC Inc. (YouthBuild Lake County) North Chicago IL $1,350,000
Youth Conservation Corps Waukegan IL $1,500,000
Fort Wayne Housing Authority Fort Wayne IN $1,500,000
Alliance for Strategic Growth Inc. Muncie IN $791,276
Young Adult Development in Action Inc. (YouthBuild Louisville) Louisville KY $1,500,000
Quad Area Community Action Inc. Hammond LA $1,296,000
Housing Authority of the City of Shreveport Shreveport LA $1,500,000
Old Colony Young Men's Christian Association Inc. Brockton MA $1,100,000
Community Teamwork Inc. Lowell MA $1,500,000
Detroit Employment Solutions Corp. Detroit MI $1,500,000
Detroit Housing Commission Detroit MI $1,500,000
SER Metro-Detroit Detroit MI $1,458,000
Bethany Christian Services Grand Rapids MI $1,399,999
Bi-County Community Action Programs Inc. Bemidji MN $972,000
St. Joseph Youth Alliance St. Joseph MO $1,350,000
Bridging Families to Communities and Beyond St. Louis MO $1,098,000
West Jackson Community Development Corp. Jackson MS $1,500,000
Meridian Housing Authority Meridian MS $1,500,000
Career Training Institute Helena MT $1,260,000
Housing Authority of the City of Elizabeth Elizabeth NJ $1,500,000
St. Nicks Alliance Brooklyn NY $1,500,000
The Service Collaborative of Western New York Inc. Buffalo NY $1,500,000
Queens Community House Inc. Jamaica NY $1,259,199
Ulster YouthBuild Kingston NY $1,069,258
The Crenulated Company Ltd. (New Settlement Apartments) New York NY $1,500,000
Nubian Directions II Inc. Poughkeepsie NY $1,100,000
Urban League of Rochester Rochester NY $1,100,000
Towpath Trail High School Akron OH $1,500,000
OhioGuidestone Berea OH $1,152,000
Easter Seals TriState Cincinnati OH $1,261,405
LIFT Community Action Agency Inc. Hugo OK $953,964
Portland YouthBuilders Portland OR $1,500,000
Philadelphia Youth for Change Charter School Philadelphia PA $1,500,000
Crispus Attucks Association of York, Pennsylvania York PA $1,100,000
Boys and Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico San Juan PR $1,499,282
South Carolina Regional Housing Authority No. 3 Barnwell SC $1,500,000
AMIkids Beaufort Inc. Seabrook SC $1,500,000
South Memphis Renewal Community Development Corp. Memphis TN $1,500,000
CLC Inc. Fort Worth TX $1,250,000
Motivation, Education and Training Inc. New Caney TX $1,199,000
Walker Montgomery Community Development Corp. New Waverly TX $1,080,000
100 Black Men of San Antonio Inc. San Antonio TX $1,500,000
Northeast Washington Educational Service District 101 Spokane WA $1,348,720
Community Action Inc. of Rock and Walworth Counties Beloit WI $1,425,520
Operation Fresh Start Madison WI $891,029
Randolph County Housing Authority Elkins WV $1,198,500
Total Awarded $90,363,320
HISTORY
BI-CAP YouthBuild started in 1989 as a state funded pilot program to provide specialized education, training and work experience for youth that were not successful in the current educational system. It was one of three programs in MN and the only rural site. This makes BI-CAP YouthBuild the oldest existing rural program out of the current 220 programs in 46 states and 56 programs internationally.
Today, BI-CAP YouthBuild continues to utilize the construction training model, not only to build a new home for a single family in the community and teach the importance of giving back to the community, but also to help youth learn valuable transferable softs skills and safety awareness they'll need when they move on to other employment; such as timeliness, communication, working as a team, keeping a clean work site, and more.
YouthBuild's current project on 818 Irvine Avenue is a three bed/two bath home with attached garage and finished basement. BI-CAP will sell this home to a qualifying person or family in the community and the proceeds will be applied to next house.
With funding from the awarded Department of Labor grant and funds through the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development, BI-CAP YouthBuild will enroll 54 Beltrami or Cass County youth, ages 16 to 24, over the next two years. This time is divided into four cohorts, giving each participant a minimum 6 month paid opportunity.
Orientation into the program includes an overview of activities, handbook, history, testing, teambuilding activities, and of course, enrollment paperwork. Following that, participants move into completing a construction certification course to receive basic knowledge, tool instruction, and safety training before beginning work on the jobsite. Once all paperwork is completed, they have 3 roles: a student, a BI-CAP employee, and a participant of the BI-CAP YouthBuild training program.
Participants are then split into two teams, receive safety toed boots, hard hat, and other safety gear, and begin an alternating schedule with two days on the construction site and two days in the classroom per week. Participants work 8 to 4, Monday through Thursday, for a possible 29 hours a week.
They receive school credit for classroom coursework and construction training, as well as an hourly wage.
YouthBuild participants work toward earning their high school diploma or equivalency in our training center classroom with our year-round teaching staff provided through our close partnerships with Cass Lake Bena ALC and Cass County ABE.
Although participation in construction is required for the program, placement staff mentor YouthBuilders as they explore different careers, perform a skills assessment, write a résumé, and pursue the career, employment, apprenticeship, or post-secondary route of their choice. YouthBuild also offers certifications in OSHA10/30 of various fields, first aid/CPR, certified nursing assistant (CNA), and others. After program completion, participants transition into their chosen placement. Some may need more time to complete school credits after the 6 months and some may not be quite ready for a career and just want to work a steady job for a while.
BI-CAP YouthBuild works with other agencies in the community to resolve barriers for YouthBuild participants such as housing, childcare, and to receive mental health counseling or acquire insurance. Other services provided by the program include learning valuable life skills through staff or community speakers on: banking, budgeting and credit, goal setting, legal assistance, healthy relationships, and more. Participants also receive instruction or time to complete classes to acquire their driver's permit or license.
"During orientation, I tell them, 'staff are here to give you the tools to climb a few rungs up the ladder of life, but it's up to you to keep climbing, make good choices, and stay up.' Staff do their best to empower them to be leaders and pursue a self-sufficient path, to teach them how to create goals and pick away at them, and to believe success is possible, no matter their background."
Recruitment ads are out and applications are being accepted, with a May 20th deadline, for an orientation to be held on June 6th. See eligibility requirements and print an application at http://www.bicap.org or stop by our training center at 3023 Mill St NE, Bemidji. Apply any time. Applications are held for one year and reviewed for the soonest orientation date.
Chris Mack (YouthBuild Program Manager)
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