YouthBuild Global

Congratulations, Kevin!

“Hope is alive and when you get knocked down get back up. Every graduate here is that living proof," said Rafael Vargas to his classmates and their friends and family at River City Community Development Corporation YouthBuild's graduation ceremony last week.

🎓 Congratulations to this powerful group of young leaders who have pushed through many obstacles to build brighter futures for themselves and their communities!

YouthBuild students receive diplomas Rafael Vargas, 19, praised his fellow graduates for their accomplishment.

Happy Month! 🏳️‍🌈 We champion LGBTQ+ individuals across the and beyond. Everyone deserves to live in a world where they can thrive as their true selves. Click below to learn more about Pride and how it began.

About | Le***an, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month | Library of Congress Le***an, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Q***r (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last S...

💡 "This experience helped me reflect more deeply on how my own lived experience connects to the work we do across the YouthBuild movement. It reinforced my belief that opportunity youth carry the resilience, insight, and leadership needed to help transform their communities." — Frank Alvarez, YouthBuild Leadership Fellow

Frank was one of the 17 YouthBuild directors who recently completed the 2024–2026 YouthBuild Leadership Fellowship, an initiative that brings together leaders from programs across the United States and around the world.

Through in-person gatherings and virtual sessions, fellows focus on Leadership and Professional Development, Self-Care, and Peer Support and Community Building.

👏 Thank you, fellows, for your dedication to personal growth, the future of the YouthBuild network, and opportunity youth!

Locals Complete Global YouthBuild Leadership Fellowship %

💙 "A lot of times they just need a second chance, somebody they can trust, maybe somebody to wrap their arms around them."

DeAndra Adams, Program Manager at Louisville, knows this truth deeply—because she's lived it. DeAndra is also an alumna of the program, graduating in 2004.

"When I came into the program, I didn't have a high school diploma or GED. I was living in the projects. I had two children," DeAndra shared. "They wrapped their arms around me and continue to wrap their arms around me years later."

Now, DeAndra champions young people to reclaim their education and build pathways to careers in construction, nursing, and culinary arts, while offering that same supportive environment she encountered years ago.

Since 2001, Louisville (Blueprint 502) has graduated nearly 800 young adults—each one proof that when we believe in young people and give them a chance, incredible things happen.

🎓 Congratulations, graduates! Your futures are so bright ☀️

Second chances on stage: YouthBuild Louisville graduates 26 students Since 2001, YouthBuild Louisville reports it has graduated nearly 800 young adults.

🌟 Big News! 🌟 We’re thrilled to announce that our fourth in-store fundraising campaign with Burlington has collected more than $1.6 million to benefit Global and the ! Together, over the past four campaigns, we’ve raised more than $5.7 million for YouthBuild!

This partnership is part of Burlington’s ongoing commitment to adding value to communities. With these funds, we will strengthen our network of programs and provide even more opportunities for young people to reclaim their education, gain job skills and credentials, and become leaders in their communities. Massive thanks to Burlington, and its generous customers and associates, for joining hands with young people as they transform their lives and communities.

💪 Let’s keep ! Burlington

Burlington Stores Raises More Than $1.6 Million for YouthBuild Global in Fourth Year of Partnership National discount retailer’s annual community giving helps strengthen programming in local YouthBuild programs across the country

This spring, Global proudly celebrated the completion of the inaugural 2024–2026 YouthBuild Leadership Fellows cohort, a group of 17 leaders from YouthBuild programs across the United States and around the world who have spent the past two years strengthening their leadership, deepening collaboration, and advancing YouthBuild’s mission.

We recently spoke with Shevone Myrick, YouthBuild Leadership Fellow and Director of YouthBuild Housing Authority of Champaign County (in Champaign, IL), about her experience in the fellowship, what leadership looks like on the ground, and the moments that bring her joy.

Thank you, Shevone, for sharing your story, and for being such a strong YouthBuild leader for the !

Voices of YouthBuild: Q&A With Leadership Fellow Shevone Myrick This spring, YouthBuild Global proudly celebrated the completion of the inaugural 2024–2026 YouthBuild Leadership Fellows cohort, a group of 17 leaders from YouthBuild programs across the United States and around the world who have spent the past two years strengthening their leadership, deepening...

Congratulations, graduates! 🎓