Transforming Minds to Transform Lives
United Way of Long Island has recently expanded its YouthBuild program into the Brentwood, Central Islip and Village of Hempstead communities, and will serve more than 120 young adults over the course of two years. The program provides educational and career training for young adults, ages 16-24, to give them the technical and life skills needed to begin entry level jobs that will lead to mid-skills careers.
Programming recently began with “Mental Toughness”, a weeklong educational training that places these young adults through a transformational process to reshape their futures. Students enter the program each with a different story, but all hope for success in a career of their choice.
YouthBuild student Klisman explained, “I joined YouthBuild because I want a better life for myself. I would like to study HVAC so I can make a good living and help provide for my family.”
Spending a week at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead and All Island SportsPlex in Deer Park, United Way of Long Island’s YouthBuild Class of 2020 endured long days completing drill training, team-building activities, self-reflection and problem-solving exercises led by Respect For Life Educational Services. These facilitators are all members of the Circle of Brotherhood, an organization dedicated to conflict resolution and mediation, youth mentorship and community service.
Communication is often key, as students soon came to realize during one team-building event called “The Rope” in which 60 students were challenged to remain holding hands then go over a rope without touching it. As one student stated, “We were not well organized during the rope challenge because no one was listening to one another…the rope isn’t the obstacle, we’re the obstacle. We need to learn to communicate better to solve a problem.”
Once the students complete Mental Toughness, they take their fresh outlooks and new skills to the YouthBuild classroom where they spend ten months continuing to break down the walls that they’ve put up and build brighter futures.
Over the course of the program, students will work toward earning their TASC Test Assessing Secondary Completion (or high school equivalency diplomas), have hands on training building a house from the ground up and earn credentials in green construction, healthcare and other career field choices. Each career pathway offers opportunities for advancement for the YouthBuild graduate - the employee - as well as a quality workforce for employers. Along their journeys, students receive counseling and assistance with their job search and placement.
Jenette Adams, United Way of Long Island YouthBuild Director said, “Mental toughness is such an important and crucial part of the program. The bond that is created with the students is like no other. Each student comes in as an individual and leaves a part of something so much bigger.”
Since 2008, YouthBuild Long Island has helped over 300 young adults earn their high school equivalency diplomas and increase their career opportunities by preparing them for college or helping them build workforce readiness skills.
For more information about YouthBuild Long Island and Mental Toughness, visit www.unitedwayli.org/youthbuildli.
Photo Caption: United Way of Long Island’s YouthBuild students participate in a Mental Toughness activity. The challenge is to work together to get over the rope without touching it, an exercise in team building and a lesson in communication.
About United Way of Long Island
United Way of Long Island advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, financial stability and health. We recruit people and organizations that bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. LIVE UNITED® is a call to action for everyone to become part of the change. United Way of Long Island is part of a worldwide network spanning across 41 countries and territories, including more than 1,200 local organizations in the U.S. For more information about United Way of Long Island, please visit UnitedWayLI.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About YouthBuild Long Island
YouthBuild Long Island is a signature program of United Way of Long Island, dedicated to changing the path of Long Island’s youth by addressing the core issues facing low-income communities: housing, education, employment, crime prevention, and leadership development. At YouthBuild, young men and women, ages 16 - 24, work towards their TASC High School Equivalency Diploma while learning essential job skills.
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