YouthBuild - New Bedford
Get ready for back to school at YB Youth Development Center!
Are you or someone you know 16-24 years old in need of a high school diploma?
Book an info session to learn about all that YouthBuild New Bedford has to offer!
Message us or call 508-984-3558 for more info
YOUTHBUILD Programs offer a unique curriculum, that combines academic instruction with workforce development training, in which students spend one week in the classroom working toward their GED or diploma, followed by one week on a job site building or renovating affordable housing in their communities. It allows students to develop important academic and job skills, and at the same time, revitalize surrounding low-income areas. Ultimately, the aim of YouthBuild is not to change the young people it serves, it is to give them the tools to change their own lives. We firmly believe that by empowering our students, true community change can be accomplished.
YouthBuild New Bedford is part of a larger network, serving approximately 350 million young people globally, ages 16-24. Young people who were unsuccessful in the traditional school system, but need and WANT to acquire the knowledge, training and opportunities that lead to productive livelihoods. YouthBuild is the vehicle through which these young people can build the skillsets and mindsets that lead to employability, community leadership and positive change.
These young people who were considered dropouts, but in hundreds of YouthBuild programs in the US and around the globe, they have worked together to build affordable housing, community assets like schools, centers, playgrounds and more, while continuing their skill development. Upon graduation these YouthBuild New Bedford Members have gone on to become: Program Managers, Community Leaders, Business Owners, Teachers, Union Workers, Registered Nurses, and advocates for the members that have come after them.
PACE has been operating a YouthBuild Program in New Bedford since 1993. For over 25 years, we have served the youth and the Greater New Bedford Area. Over 1,000 young people have earned valuable skills to sustain them in productive futures. YouthBuild New Bedford has built multiple properties, in the city, for first time home buyers. The latest being a single family located on Summer Street that went up for lottery in January 2021. We have also completed a multitude of community service projects and initiatives. YouthBuild New Bedford currently possesses a 90% completion rate.
We believe that youth are a valuable and underutilized resource in our society. Given the opportunity, youth can and will take responsibility for themselves and their communities. With real work and meaningful education, youth can become powerful agents for change in our society.
Apply Now
To enroll in the PACE YouthBuild program a young person must first attend an information session, held every Tuesday at 10 and every Thursday at 2. Get on the Path to Employment Success at PACE YouthBuild
New Bedford, where our young people DREAM, ACHIEVE and SUCCEED!
YouthBuild Application: Fill | PACE YouthBuild New Bedford Application