A Program of Settlement Housing Fund, Inc.
The DREAMS YouthBuild & Young Adult Training Program is an equal opportunity employer/program, auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities
D.R.E.A.M.S. YouthBuild
DREAMS YouthBuild purpose is to provide young adults between the ages of 17-24 with opportunities to obtain education, employment skills, and meaningful on site construction work experience as a service to their communities and means to achieve self-sufficiency. Low-income young people ages 17-24 work toward their GED while learning job skills by building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people. Strong emphasis is placed on leadership development and community service.
Our YouthBuild classes are scheduled on alternating work weeks. In the classroom participants will work with a teacher from the Board of Education. On the construction site participants will be under the supervision of a qualified construction instructor Participants spend 10 months in the full-time program, dividing their time between the construction site and the DREAMS classroom. Primary funding support for YouthBuild programs come from the U.S. Department of Labor through a dedicated federal line item.
Basic Skills - addresses deficiencies in basic literacy (reading, writing, and math)
High School Equivalency Courses - prepares participants for the GED exam.
Off-Site Vocational Education - provides formal conceptual framework for on-site training.
Health and Safety - promotes physical and mental health.
Life Skills - to develop the skills needed to become independent and responsible adults.
Computer Training - participants gains basic computer literacy skills.
Job Readiness - develops workplace and interpersonal skills necessary for successful employment.
YouthBuild groups will be work on paid community service projects in the residential apartments owned by Settlement Housing Fund, Inc. At the beginnin g of each workday, your vocational trainer will explain what must be completed that day for the project to stay on schedule. Each crew will receive specific work assignments. Occasionally the trainer will assign an individual to a specific task. There will be a 30 minute break for lunch; additional breaks will be decided by the trainer.
YouthBuild programs have gradually become a number of things at once:
An alternative school, in which young people attend a YouthBuild school full-time on alternate weeks, studying for their GED's.
An community service program, in which young people build housing for homeless and low-income people, providing a valuable and visible commodity for their hard-pressed communities.
A job training and pre-apprenticeship program, in which young people get close supervision and training in construction skills full-time on alternate weeks from qualified instructors.
A youth development program, in which young people participate in personal counseling, peer support groups, and life planning processes that assist them in healing from past hurts, overcoming negative habits and attitudes, and pursuing achievable goals that will establish a productive life.
A long-term mini-community, in which young people make new friends committed to a positive lifestyle, pursue cultural and recreational activities together.
A community development program, in which community-based organizations obtain the resources to tackle several key community issues at once, strengthening their capacity to build and manage housing for their residents, educate and inspire their youth, prevent crime, create leadership for the future, and generally take responsibility for their neighborhoods.
