YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

YouthBuild graduates share personal experiences and insights

Six blog posts originally published in The Huffington Post as part of Crowdrises JobRaising Challenge, January through March 2013

Building Bridges Between Leadership and Career Development

by Ely Flores page 1

Harnessing the Power Within

by Lashon Amado page 2

Building Futures and Helping Others

by Gomah Wonleh page 4

From Statistic to Entrepreneur Through YouthBuild

by Patrick Breton page 6

Making Choices
by Naja Bland page 7

Searching for Superman and Finding Myself

by Joel Miranda page 8

58 Day Street, Somerville, MA 02144

617-623-9900

www.YouthBuild.org

ybinfo@YouthBuild.org

YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

Building bridges between leadership and career development

resources for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated young people who want to change their lives. My YouthBuild program connected me with organizations like the Youth Justice Coalition and Public Allies, where I further developed my skills in community and youth development and quickly became a valuable asset in the nonprofit sector. In 2006, I started a youth leadership program that has become its own nonprofit organization: Leadership through Empowerment, Action, and Dialogue Inc. (LEAD). My organization is sought out locally, nationally, and internationally to help build innovative youth leadership development programs with an emphasis on social justice. Many of these experiences have helped me develop skills in organizational and community development, training, and facilitation. I wanted to elevate these skills so I could become more professional and marketable. I took advantage of YouthBuild USAs Graduate Facilitators Program, which encourages and works with graduates who have natural ability in public speaking and facilitating so they can become full-fledged trainers and advisers to youth programs. Through this training I gained valuable skills and knowledge in areas such as:

By Ely Flores, Founder, Leadership through Empowerment, Action, and Dialogue Inc.; Outreach Manager, GRID Alternatives, Greater Los Angeles; 2005 LA CAUSA YouthBuild Graduate

A YouthBuild staff member once told me, A leader does not have to be a certain age, and a leader can be anyone. At first I did not understand this concept, especially coming from communities in which we are constantly bombarded by negative statistics that imply that we are anything but leaders. During my time at the LA CAUSA YouthBuild program in East Los Angeles, I discovered that I was indeed a leader and that there were leadership assets within me and within my community. This served as the foundation for my leadership experiences and enabled me to become a nontraditional leader. LA CAUSA YouthBuild empowered me to define who I am as an individual and how I want my community and society to view me. No longer did I allow a fatherless past or a past of living at the mercy of poverty to dictate my actions. I took control of my destiny. I discovered a passion for empowering people, a passion for being a voice for fellow young people everywhere, and a passion for social justice. During the YouthBuild program, I was connected to and worked with organizations that dealt with environmental issues, education issues, and youth engagement. At the age of 17, I became a leader by serving as a community organizer and challenging the justice and education systems in Los Angeles to provide more

Project and group management Adult learning theory Youth leadership development Marketing Consulting basics The science and theory of facilitation and training.

All of these skills, along with my experience in the nonprofit sector, helped me fulfill my dream of working in the environmental field. In 2009, I became the outreach coordinator for GRID Alternatives Greater Los Angeles, which provides energyefficiency education and solar-panel systems for under-resourced communities. We do this at no cost to homeowners. My favorite part about my job is making a direct and positive impact on the environment and on the living situations of our clients by helping them produce clean energy while saving money on electricity. Last year I became the outreach manager at GRID Alternatives, overseeing outreach efforts and partnerships in three counties. I am putting all my skills and talents to work.

YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

Building bridges, continued

YouthBuild was instrumental in building my foundation of professional and transferable skills. They take a partnership approach to developing young leaders by offering resources and connections to other programs and organizations. It was up to me to take these resources, make the connections, and build my professional portfolio to get to the place I am today.

There is something I learned in YouthBuild that I constantly pass on to others: Do not be afraid of learning more; do not be afraid of growing more; do not be afraid of success. The impact that an underresourced but promising young persons success has on his or her community and society is one that will transfer over to any job and professional sector and can serve as an inspiration for young people everywhere needing a piece of hope. n

Harnessing the power within

By Lashon Amado, 2009 YouthBuild Brockton Graduate; Student VOICES Coordinator, YouthBuild USA

Growing up in a single-parent home was challenging enough. But coming from a family that had never pursued higher education left me without role models or advisors to promote the benefits of a college education. From the outside looking in, I had assumed that since no one in my family had a degree and yet was able to make ends meet, I could do the same. In elementary school I was a good student, but by middle school I had adopted an apathetic attitude toward education. After barely making it through middle school, I was kicked out of three public high schools and eventually gave up. I was a dropout for

nearly three years. The traditional path to obtaining a degree did not work for me. During the time I was not in school, I fell into the subculture of the streets. A product of my environment, I felt alienated from, had no sense of responsibility for, and did not care about the deteriorating conditions of my community. While running the streets, I realized that I was trapped in a vicious cycle that I knew had to be broken. I became involved with the courts and I was also a victim of violence. I realized that I needed serious change in my life. I attempted to take the conventional route and gain worthwhile employment, but the odds were against

YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

Harnessing the power within, continued

me. The labor force was already competitive and not having a high school diploma made finding a good job even harder. A cousin of mine referred me to YouthBuild, recommending it as a good program that could meet my needs. The promise of receiving an education and vocational training while also receiving a stipend made the decision of signing up a no-brainer for me. I had sought out many GED programs before, but did not have the resources to pay the enrollment fees or the transportation costs that it would take to be successful. Attending YouthBuild Brockton would not cost me anything and would even help me gain income through their biweekly stipends. So I made the phone call to YouthBuild Brockton (Massachusetts), my local YouthBuild program, and went in the same day for an interview and placement test. I was then invited to attend Mental Toughness, the orientation period of a YouthBuild program during which students demonstrate their determination and motivation to transform their lives. As soon as I was announced as one of the finalists, I knew that I was on the right path and was chosen for a reason. My initial goals for myself in the YouthBuild program were to gain my GED and then seek a trade that would allow me to financially support myself. The staff at YouthBuild Brockton was exceptionally supportive and saw potential and intelligence in me that I had been ignoring for most of my life. When I explained my post-YouthBuild plans, the staff were certain that I was limiting myself, and that I had the talent that could take me beyond those plans. They helped me understand the value of higher education and how this route could help me more in the long run. As an AmeriCorps member, in return for my community service, I could earn an AmeriCorps education award that I could use to help pay for my college expenses. Throughout the program, I gained a discipline that would be crucial to my transition into higher education and getting a job that paid a decent wage. I learned how to wake up early in the morningas opposed to waking up in the afternoon as I did before YouthBuildand how to stay committed to a task. I also developed professional skills, learned about networking, attended workshops on public speaking and leadership development, and sat in a

lecture at a local community college, which was my first exposure to the college experience. After graduating from YouthBuild Brockton in 2009, I jumped right into college. In my first semester at Massasoit Community College, also in Brockton, I earned a GPA of 3.9. This accomplishment motivated me to continue with my studies. After receiving my associate degree in criminal justice, I immediately enrolled in the University of Massachusetts-Boston to obtain my bachelors degree. Some of my accomplishments include being on the deans list and being inducted into three national honor societies. Although I have been successful in my postsecondary education, I have faced many obstacles. YouthBuild has been my lifeline even after I graduated from the program. The YouthBuild staff has provided me many supports and incentives to help resolve some of the struggles I had to overcome. YouthBuild was there for me at the most challenging time in my life. Shortly before I transferred to UMass Boston, my father was murdered. At that moment I thought of giving up everything I had going for me. The staff at YouthBuild served as my counselors and even came to my home unannounced to make sure I was feeling OK. Without such love and support, I dont know if I would have continued on with my education or my career. YouthBuild has empowered me to transform my life. I have now charged myself with the task of supporting that transformation in the next young persons life. As a YouthBuild graduate, I have stayed connected with YouthBuild Brockton and YouthBuild USA, and have assumed the supportive role that was so invaluable to me. I have served on the VOICES (Views on Improving Credentials and Education Success) Student Advisory Council, spreading awareness of and advocating for smooth and successful transitions from secondary education to higher education. I also served as an intern with YouthBuild USAs SMART (Start Making A Real Transformation) Initiative, working with court-involved youth as a cofacilitator for the SMART START Student Advisory Council. I now work part-time for YouthBuild USA as the student VOICES coordinator while attending UMass Boston. In 2014, I will earn my bachelors degree in criminal justice and my masters degree in sociology to honor my father. In many ways, it will represent his graduation too. n

YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

Building futures and helping others

By Gomah Wonleh, YouthBuild Providence Graduate, Assistant Career and Training Director, Building Futures

When I started at YouthBuild Providence, I had no skills and no sense of direction. I didnt know what I wanted to do, but knew I had to do something. While I was going through the construction aspect of the YouthBuild program, I was acknowledged for working well with my hands. Upon graduation, I was selected to join the apprenticeship program at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. I went from not knowing anything about construction to building hospitals, banks, and luxury condos. I was given the chance to help build the very city I grew up in. I gained skills that can never be taken from me. I learned what it takes to have a good work ethic. I am diligent and take pride in my work. Im a recognized journey-level carpenter across the country. Though I have worked with a lot of people with different personalities and backgrounds, I always find something in common that we could relate to so we could have a good working relationship. Although I was grateful for my new set of skills, I realized I was not passionate about construction. I liked the people-centered aspect of my work more than the building aspect. Ive always liked working with people and my experiences with YouthBuild made me realize that even more. YouthBuild helped me recognize that I have good interpersonal skills

skills I would find very valuable as I pursue my career of choice. When I graduated from YouthBuild Providence, I was selected by my peers to serve on the National Alumni Council, the governing body of YouthBuild USAs National Alumni Association. Through this experience, I was exposed to numerous personaldevelopment training opportunities and seemingly limitless resources. The trainings helped me develop into a leader. I learned how to create and conduct workshops, organization skills, and how to speak in public. I facilitated training courses and conducted a handful of workshops for adults and young people. It was during this time that I realized I wanted to be some form of instructor or teacher. Through its training, YouthBuild was able to bring out my natural skills that would help me discover the career of my choiceteachingbut what could I teach? In what subjects did I have the substantial skills and knowledge that I could share with others? Fortunately for me, the former director at YouthBuild Providence had started a nonprofit called Building Futures. The program was created to help low-income urban Rhode Islanders train for successful careers in the building trades. After I finished my

YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

Building futures and helping others, continued

apprenticeship and started volunteering and working for Building Futures, my supervisor noticed that a lot of the participants looked to me for guidance. I shared a similar background with many of the students, so they felt like they could relate to me, and I to them. Because of this understanding, my words became a bit more believable to them. I used my apprenticeship experience to help smooth the transition from the streets to the construction site. I was hired as the assistant construction trainer; years later Im now the assistant career and training director. I get a chance to combine the skills Ive learned in my trade with the passion I have for helping and teaching others. Ive learned that experience can be just as valuable as traditional schooling. My next challenge is to attend Springfield College to obtain a bachelors degree in human services with a concentration in youth development. I know that with some additional training, combined with my natural people skills, I will make a difference in a lot of peoples lives.

I was told that knowledge is something you share with others. In whatever way my experience can help the next person reach their goals, Im all for it. A philanthropist by the name of Alan Shawn Feinstein has a quote on all high school and middle school buildings in Providence (its funny that I never noticed it until I discovered my love for teaching and helping others). It states Helping to better the lives of others is the greatest of all achievements. The lesson Ive learned is that we are more powerful than we think. As young adults, with the right resources and guidance, our potential is limitless. Dont be afraid of who you are and what youve been through. Were all capable of doing amazing thingswe just need someone to believe in us. I owe my life and my career to the training and encouragement I received at YouthBuild. The biggest thing for me was having someone who really believed in me. Without YouthBuild, I would have never known that I have the natural skills and passion for teaching. n

YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

From statistic to entrepreneur through YouthBuild

and celebrate their service and leadership. At CoYL, I learned how my time at YouthBuild was more than just a personal accomplishmentit was a national movement. I was a part of an organization inspiring change in communities and working to create a better society for my generation and those to come. After graduating from YouthBuild in 2008, I served on YouthBuild USAs Views On Improving Credentials and Education Success (VOICES) Student Advisory Council. There I had the opportunity to share my insights on crucial supports and challenges that shape postsecondary experiences for people forced to take nontraditional approaches towards academic success. I also learned a great deal about my peers across the country and how we all struggled to try and fit into a society that viewed us not as people, but as statistics. While serving on VOICES, I earned an associate degree in multimedia communications at Massasoit Community College (MCC), where I served as a member of the Media Access Club, which handled all forms of media coverage on campus. I had the pleasure of producing a radio show, playing different types of music, and sharing entertainment news with the student body. I served as the emcee for the campuss annual Martin Luther King Jr. event and organized on-campus activities. I was vice president of the Bridge Mix Club at MCC, an organization made up of YouthBuild graduates and MCC students that serves as a peer-to-peer outreach group. I am a member of YouthBuilds Affiliated Network Policy Council, where I assist with recommending and implementing YouthBuild program policies. Im also an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) in YouthBuild USAs Academy for Transformation department. As a VISTA, I will spend this year of service helping address the needs of low-income communities by building YouthBuild USAs capacity to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. As a result of YouthBuilds support in helping me realize my potential, Ive developed extensive leadership qualities, professional skills, and the knowledge necessary to own a business. I wanted to continue my growth as a leader while simultaneously securing a financial foundation for myself and family members to come. After completing my VISTA term of service, I plan on launching ChainMail Entertainment Records (CMER),

By Patrick Breton, YouthBuild Brockton Graduate; AmeriCorps VISTA for Academy for Transformation, YouthBuild USA

I attended YouthBuild Brockton in the fall of 2007 because I wanted to get my life on the right track. I had a long history of smoking marijuana and selling drugs throughout the Boston area. I stole cars, shoplifted, and was on probation for six years from age 16 to 22. One day my mother suggested YouthBuild as a way for me to start fresh and make enough money to support myself. After a phone call and an interview, I was accepted into YouthBuild Brocktons orientation program, appropriately called Mental Toughness. I immediately fell in love with the program and have been both an example and a champion of YouthBuilds commitment to developing young people through nontraditional means. YouthBuild worked for me because of its motivational and supportive atmosphere. In addition to the caring and committed staff, I was with likeminded peers. I started YouthBuild with a carefree attitude and didnt have any expectations or goals. However, during my year at YouthBuild, serving as an AmeriCorps member, I unexpectedly developed leadership capacity and was nominated to serve as YouthBuild Brocktons delegate for the Conference of Young Leaders (CoYL) in Washington, DC. Organized by YouthBuild USA, CoYL is a national conference of YouthBuild students convened to recognize

YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

From statistic to entrepreneur, continued

a multifaceted entertainment company that will cover all components needed for making an impression in the main stream industry, including but not limited to audio and video production, digitization, distribution packages, recording, marketing, and branding of entertainers contracted and noncontracted. CMER is a result of my leadership skills, hard work, passion, and commitment. Additionally, I plan on using the knowledge I gain from my current VISTA service term around event planning and project management to my advantage and hopefully take ChainMail Entertainment international.

Im on a mission that YouthBuild helped me to formulate. I look at my future and know that Ill be successful. Ive developed into a leader, entrepreneur, and a motivated man. I will always serve and represent YouthBuild. I owe YouthBuild for changing my life and giving me the opportunity to free myself from being a statistic. Ive been humbled and am most appreciative of my YouthBuild experiences. I will continue to be a mentor with hopes that my story and experiences will have a positive impact on students and our future. n

Making choices
By Naja Bland, Youthbuild Philadelphia Charter School Graduate; Vice President, National Young Leaders Council, YouthBuild USA one thing most people yearn for positive success. I graduated from YouthBuild Philadelphia with my high school diploma, high honors, and many awards. In return for my YouthBuild community service, I earned an AmeriCorps education award that helped me pay for college. I earned my certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant and now work full-time. I love the work I do, helping elderly people who are no longer in their homes and placed in an unfamiliar facility. It is my honor to care for them. Caring for another human being is not a job, its one of the greatest acts we can do for someone else. I will continue to pursue my education and keep my patients health and dignity as my utmost concern. Two years after graduating from YouthBuild, I am completing my last prerequisite to enter a registered nursing program. My long-term goal is to own my own home health-aide agency. I will teach others who want to be nurses aides the skills they need to be effective caregivers in their communities. I continue to be a leader, as I am vice president of the YouthBuild USA National Young Leaders Council, contributing to policy making and planning for the YouthBuild field. YouthBuild helped me with my transformation. I hope other young people like me get the same options to make good choices and achieve their personal goals. n

In life, we all make choices, whether good or bad. These choices always lead us somewhere, some good, and some bad. When I was younger, I made some choices that limited my potential. I decided not to go to high school. Later, I tried to earn my GED but was unsuccessful. While working for minimum wage in a clothing store, I had a moment of clarity about how my previous choices left me needing an education. In my search to complete my education, I found YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School. YouthBuild helped instill in me the importance of being a leader, taking responsibility for my actions, staying drug-free, and setting goals for myself that I was determined to achieve. With help from my dean and other students, I ran community meetings of my entire class. I engaged in community service at hospitals, nursing homes, and other schools. I enjoyed giving back to my community with a team of young leaders like me, who were trying to accomplish the

YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

Searching for Superman and finding myself

By Joel Miranda, Director of Leadership Development, YouthBuild USA

Playing Batman and Robin as a child is one of the fondest, perhaps most innocent, memories I recall. I remember tirelessly running around with a towel tucked in my shirt, sounding out each BAM! CRACK! or KAPOW! as I fought imaginary villains with my cousin and younger brother. With each successful battle we would stand proud, arms out, chest open; the imaginary winds of victory blowing at our capes; a classic heros pose. I recall marveling at Supermans powers. When no one was around I would climb on a counter or table and jump off for a few seconds I was suspended in mid-air, and believing that with practice, one day I would fly. Years later, I fell painfully to the ground as I made the life-altering decision to drop out of high school. I was an angry and disconnected young man who had lost faith in everything, everyone, and, tragically, myself. After realizing that I needed to complete my high school education, I decided to look into the YouthBuild Just-A-Start program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as I had heard great things about it and had seen its youth crews building affordable housing in my community. My plan was to get a GED as quickly as possible and leave before making any friends or getting too involved. The last thing I needed or wanted was new friends. Little did I know that very decision to join YouthBuild would change my life forever. After graduating from YouthBuild Just-A-Start, I served for two years as a full-time AmeriCorps member focusing on community outreach, recruitment, and community and civic engagement efforts. This

experience allowed me to continue developing as a young professional while staying connected to the program. During this time, the staff at YouthBuild Just-A-Start saw something in me that I couldnt see and found a way to hire me full-time. I worked at my local YouthBuild program as a peer leader for two years while putting my AmeriCorps Education Award to use to pay for night and weekend college courses. Because I needed to help my family pay their mortgage to keep their home, I left to pursue a more lucrative career in the fitness industry as a personal trainer. The job paid well but I was young and irresponsible, a horrible combination. I returned to negative behaviors and developed some equally negative or worse new behaviors and in the process completely disconnected from people who cared. I had lost myself. Then, one day at the gym, Sara Fass, a teacher who had taken an interest in me years earlier at YouthBuild Just-A-Start and whom I had completely disconnected from, walked into the gym and said she wanted to hire me as a trainer, even if the gym was 30 to 45 minutes out of her way. Over the course of months as we met for our weekly sessions, she would update me on the work back at the program and the successes and challenges they had been experiencing. Remembering my passion for the work at YouthBuild, she asked if I would consider returning as an employee insisting that the program needed my energy. Realizing that I was unhappy, I said YES!

YouthBuild Leaders on Leadership

Searching for Superman, continued

I returned to YouthBuild Just-A-Start to work as a youth advocate/case manager, and while I took a massive pay cut, I gained so much more in personal value. I realize now that Sara didnt really need a personal trainershe wanted to find me, she was worried. That was nine years ago and I havent looked back since; theres nothing to look for back there. Through my work with the young people and in the communities they come from, I discovered what I truly care about. I found my purpose. I found myself! This experiencethe unconditional support and belief in my abilities by a caring adult who had no other reason to care other than that it was the right thing to do, because she knew I was capable of so much moreembodied my new definition of what it meant to be a hero. This experience catapulted me into a life and subsequent opportunities that I would have never imagined possible and would have never thought myself capable of. Through the work at my YouthBuild program I learned so much more about myself and my potential to help bring about positive and lasting change. I learned how combining love and opportunity helps young people transform in ways that no textbook or classroom experience can replicate. I discovered the power of mentoring as I became more than a 9-to-5 advisor to my students. I became the older brother, father figure, or friend they never had or always needed. I felt the gamut of emotions that are humanly possible rather than simply the anger and sadness that I had relegated myself to previously. Through my work with young people, and myself, Ive seen firsthand when an individual learns that they are able, they are willing. Upon realizing their capacity, they develop interest. When they see that they are capable of success, they desire it. Most importantly, when they realize they are worthy of care, they discover that they care not only about themselves, but the world around them as well. My experience, while seemingly miraculous, is not uncommon in YouthBuild. Every year 10,000 young people who have disconnected from society and, in many cases, written themselves off to a life that they wouldnt desire for anyone else but they somehow live through every day, walk through the doors at YouthBuild programs across the country. At these programs they experience the power of love, opportunity, and a belief that they already possess the leadership and ability to bring about lasting positive personal and community transformation. Their potential however, isnt created by anyone, it was always there, it simply needed direction. Their potential can easily be likened to the process that energy

goes through under the First Law of Thermodynamics which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed but rather transformed from one form to another. This is what happens at YouthBuild programs across the country. Young people come to us already possessing that potential for change and it is our mission to help them tap into that potential and use it for positive change and personal success. As a result of this journey that started many years ago and the support, leadership, and love that have been extended to me, I have developed as a professional and as an individual. In the summer of 2012, I was accepted to the Community Fellows Program at the Institute for Non-Profit Management and Leadership at Boston Universitys School of Management. The programs mission is to build a strong and talented cohort of young urban leaders, able to initiate social and organizational change and leading to greater diversity, social justice, community cohesion, and inter-community collaboration and to educate, support and connect the next generation of nonprofit leaders and managers. Additionally, I was recently afforded the privilege of joining the team at YouthBuild USA, the national organization that provides guidance, best practices, and technical assistance to YouthBuild programs across the country, as the director of leadership development. In my new role, I have the honor of working with programs to deepen their understanding and practices around leadership development and support and expand an ever-growing network of graduate leaders. I help develop partnerships and opportunities that will help our graduate leaders have a greater impact on the world. As I move forward in my personal and professional development and my efforts to help others on their journeys, I carry with me and keep present the words shared with me by a graduate prior to leaving my local YouthBuild program: Best of luck buddy, and congratulations! At the lowest of low points in my life, when everyone who knew me and my problems doubted me and wrote me off, you were the only one who encouraged me, believed in me and were willing to help me. Those three little things made a giant impact on my life and on who I became as a person. You are a great mentor and friend. Bobby Farrell, YouthBuild Graduate My five-year-old self would be happy to see that I can finally fly! n

Primary funding for local YouthBuild programs comes from the US Department of Labor (DOL) under the federal YouthBuild program, administered by the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). The federal appropriation for FY11 and FY12 was $80 million. Through a competitive process, the DOL has selected YouthBuild USA as its sole provider of YouthBuild training and technical assistance. YouthBuild USA receives support for innovation and program quality improvement from private foundations, individuals, corporations, and public agencies, including:

Major public funders

Corpora tion for National and Community Service Inter-American Development Bank USAID US Department of Agriculture US Department of Energy US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention US Department of Labor

Major private funders

American Express Foundation Bank of America Charitable Foundation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Clinton Bush Haiti Fund Glass Charitable Trust Goulston & Storrs Kaplan Goldstein Family Foundation John S. and James L. Knight Foundation JPMorgan Chase Foundation Lyons Family Foundation MasterCard Foundation New Profit Inc. Open Society Foundations Prudential Foundation Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation Skoll Foundation Starbucks Foundation State Street Foundation Walmart Foundation W. K. Kellogg Foundation

58 Day Street, Somerville, MA 02144

617-623-9900

www.YouthBuild.org

ybinfo@YouthBuild.org