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>> NARRATOR: An open house in Lansing this
week will showcase the work of a group of
young people who are trying to turn their
lives around. The Youth Build Program is run
by Capital Area Michigan Works and trains
home construction and renovation skills to
disadvantaged young adults.
>> BYRD: The first thing we teach them is
to show up. They cannot take advantage of
the resources that the Youth Build Program
has put together if they don’t show up.
The resources that we have is an opportunity
for them to get real world work experience
that’s paid for as they renovate houses
like the one behind me. They get a chance
to go to Lansing Community College and take
four classes that lead to a certificate of
completion in Residential Carpentry. They
also get a change to study and prepare for
their GEDs.
>> NARRATOR: All of the Youth Build trainees
have dropped out of school, been incarcerated,
or found themselves without any prospects
for gainful employment. And they have to be
committed to turning their lives around.
>> MATTHEWS: Before I was going to Michigan
Works I wasn’t really like doing nothing
like… running the streets , going out selling
drugs. The way I found about it was I got
locked up, and when I got out of lockup they
told me I had to go to Michigan Works, cause
of I’m on my mom’s case – on her food
stamps. So I went there, badda-boom-badda-bing,
and found this new opportunity and grabbed
it up – took it. What I like about it, well
I like a lot and I learned how to do a lot
of things. Like when I first came here I didn’t
know how to read a tape measure. Like, I did
not know what dual lines was and I didn’t
know how to read a tape. I know how to frame
a wall, frame a floor, and I do real good
demolition. I like tearing stuff down, that’s
like probably my favorite part in this program
was the demolition part.
>> NARRATOR: The construction industry has
seen considerable job losses during the recession,
and many builders say they are simply not
hiring anyone but the most well trained workers.
But even with the odds stacked against them
in the construction trades, Byrd says Youth
Build graduates are better off than they were.
>> BYRD: One of the things I tried to instill
with the young people as they were considering
applying for the program is the sense of accomplishment.
That when they drive by these houses and they
see that front porch light on, they can say
to themselves ‘I had a hand in making that
house a home for somebody.’ And that’s
–that’s something that I really hope they
take with them the rest of their lives. They
have so many chances to achieve things and
accomplish things in the program. We’ve
had many of our participants graduate with
their GED certification, that’s certainly
a point where they can be really prideful,
as well as the certifications in pre-apprenticeship
and construction training. Each one of these
builds on the other to get these young people
to get these young people re-engaged with
the education training process and have a
sense of self-worth about themselves where
they can confidently re-enter the workforce.
What other opportunities are out there for
young people who are high school dropouts
that don’t necessarily have a family support
mechanism, that are in trouble with the law,
and have very little skills? What else are
we supposed to do with them? That’s the
void that the Youth Build Program has been
designed to fill.
>> NARRATOR: For WKAR Public media, I’m
Rob South, with reWorking Michigan
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